Are Modern Men Less Manly — Losing Our Guy Skills

Okay, now when I say that modern men are less manly, I'm not talking about the knuckle dragging mouth breathing chauvinist, I mean that men today just don't know how to do many of the jobs men used to do as a matter of routine.

I know that, speaking strictly for myself, there are a lot of guy things I didn't learn because I was essentially raised by my mom and sister. Because of that, I've had to learn quite a few guy skills by trial and error. I can work on my own car to a certain extent, but it's not exactly my forte.

I'm not really talking about those kinds of skills though. According to a recent survey, men have forgotten how to do little everyday things that used to be a part of everyday life. Here are a few examples of some of the skills we've lost over the years:

1. Shining your shoes- Men over 60 are more likely to know how to do this than men in their 20s. Could it be because everyone is wearing Nikes?

2. Leaky Faucet - Older men are something like 35% more likely to handle that chore

3. Changing the Oil in Your Car- I'm not going to bust anyone's chops for this one. I know how to change my oil, but with today's EPA regulations and such, who has a place to dump the old oil?

4. Filleting a Fish - Seriously? I wish I had a nickel for every fish I've cleaned over the years. I still wouldn't know how to filet one. Morton's makes a mean filet.

5. Growing a Beard - I think it speaks volumes that anyone considers growing a beard as a "skill." When we start considering something our bodies do naturally as a skill, we're in a lot of trouble.

There were a few places where younger men scored better than their older counterparts and that is; younger men are more likely to know how to start a fire without matches. I can't help but wonder if they count using a Bic as starting a fire without matches?

You can read about other manly skills we've lost if you go to the source article at PR Newswire