Americans Tinker Less

Less an issue of what people do rather than what people know, but according to this story on a survey Americans are less likely to tinker with fairly common projects, from making toys to basic household projects.

Many Americans simply do not work with their hands anymore, whether it's to tackle a hobby for pleasure or to handle a necessary household repair. Young people essentially have no role models when it comes to fixing things or taking pride in building something," said Gerald Shankel, Fabricators and Manufacturers Association president.

Obviously these guys have a dog in this hunt, so take this with a grain of salt, but according to the survey 60 percent of Americans avoid doing household repairs themselves.  Okay, I've been doing more of them, but only because I'm cheap.  We're nearly done painting the outside of our house, a year-long job since we have to clear out a day or weekend when the weather cooperates and we're not driving kids from one obligation to another. 

On a related note in the same story, a survey of teenagers found 73 percent have no interest in blue-collor work, hands-on kind of jobs.  Are we becoming a nation of people who can't do the most basic of chores or tasks?  Probably not, because at least people can work their own cell phones -- and we know that's all that really matters in the world. Oh, that and work Facebook. Such vital skills.