I have to admit, I’m not much of a “real man”. I don’t know many ‘man’ things. I don’t fix cars. I’m horrible fixing almost anything. I have a lot of tools, but the reality is I usually cost myself more money by trying to fix something myself than just paying to have a ‘real’ man fix it.
That’s hard to admit. I want to be a real man. I want to have something go wrong in my house and instantly know what to do and how to correct it. I usually just go to YouTube and watch a real man show me how to fix it, then I call a real man to come over and fix it.
It seems like there is a huge need for real men right now in the world. It’s a shrinking talent pool for sure!
My mother is at a point in life where she finds herself without a man, real or fake, but she needs the skills of a real man to help her keep up her house. We found her someone and all I can think is I really need this guy for myself, not her! I need her real man for me!
I have three sons and none of them are real men, and unfortunately, I don’t see them becoming real men. I’m teaching them to pay for a real man. It’s cheaper and less frustrating in the long run. I don’t really have a desire to learn to plumb, do electrical work, appliance repair, engine repair, carpentry, etc. I mean I wish I had those skills, but that’s a lot of life experience and it’s almost too late for me to pick those up and be any good at them.
I have some great qualities that most ‘real’ men probably don’t. I’m awesome at gardening. I love to shop. Go to the movies. I love to go to the theater. I can cook up a storm. I do some basic sewing. I’m awesome with children. Just don’t ask me to ‘fix’ the front door when it won’t close properly.
While you might think this is a ‘me’ problem, it’s not. This is an “us” problem. I can foresee a time when ‘real’ men are so scarce we won’t be able to find anyone to fix our stuff! We have a real man talent crisis on our hands and I don’t think people really understand how bad it is, and how bad it’s going to get.
I don’t need someone to show me how to play Fortnite! That is a skill I can live without. But I can’t have the deck falling off my house and just let it dangerously hang there! I don’t need someone to show me how to watch the entire series of The Office on Netflix, but I do need someone to help me fix my garage door when it won’t go up or down!
I’m sure there is a correlation between skilled trades leaving public education and downfall of “real” man skills in the U.S. I’m also sure that there is a correlation between white collar jobs and blue collar jobs and real man skill level. You could probably add in a number of other factors around higher education, income level, etc. But, it’s all really meaningless, I still need have a need for real man skills no matter the reason I lack them!
So, I’m wondering. Is this just me or are others feeling the real man skill pinch as well? Hit me in the comments with how you lack real man skills, or how you got your real man skills, even if you’re a lady with ‘real man’ skills!
It is an epidemic. My dad always called someone. My husband is an artist, a mechanic, and a builder. We are in NC where the furniture industry is almost gone and so are textiles and these skills are not being passed down. Even dealerships are replacers not fixers. We’ve tried to pass some independence down to our children who are female. One of them ventured to fix her front door. We have to keep passing these skills to the next generations. Can’t wait to teach grandkids to dismantle a vehicle.
Tim, Amen. I got away from manual labor when I realized the value equation.
It’s not just about the “real man.” As you explain in your book, there is a big struggle between labor supply and demand. Our nation could easily decrease educational cycle times to boost the economy. For example, in Canada, enroll and earn a BA in law in 4 years. They are as good as the US attorneys I know. In England, after high school (graduate at age 16), one normally attends a trade school to teach them the skills required to get a job. You get the picture. BTW, I’m reading your book for the second time.
Hi Tim!
I’m definitely not a “real man” kind of woman and often wish I had been taught to at least swing a hammer. Where I live in Palm Beach County, anyone who actually can swing a hammer wants to make the big bucks building homes, so it’s very difficult to hire a “real man” for any small job. Just wanted to share how much I enjoyed this post. As an educator, I see many students in academic programs who would much rather be plumbing or playing with wires, but who thought that college was the more acceptable track. It’s time that young people realize that there is a lucrative living to be made in trades. Post-secondary education is not for everyone, and that is a-okay.