Earlier this year, an author for AskMen.com wrote about seven “Obsolete Man Skills You Should Ditch.” Yes, that’s a link to the story. You could click on it, but we’d implore you not to. It’s just going to get you angry like it did with our friend Angry Cops in the video above.
We thought maybe the piece was satire at first, but it’s not. It’s real. We know this one would get our pals over at Skillset Magazine fired up. For those unfamiliar, the Skillset cover line for the winter 2019 issue was “The De-Masculinization of America,” which focused on just that.
Most importantly, it got us fired up. Why?
What’s Wrong With the AskMen Piece?
For starters, everything is wrong with it. On the list of “man skills” that us men should apparently ditch are:
- Hunting
- Fighting
- Repairing Your Car
- Fixing Things at Home
- Being a Leader
- Being a Disciplinarian
- Holding Your Emotions In
Maybe we can get on board with that last one, but the others — especially those first four — are all valuable skills that everyone should know, not just men. They all have very helpful impacts on everyday life.
What’s worse is that for each skill the author lists he gives alternatives that are infinitely worse. For example, men should substitute “learning how to code” for repairing a car. Seriously, we’re not making this up. Because, you know, learning how to code is very helpful when you’re broken down on the side of the road at 3 a.m. with no cell service.
Also, as our friend Angry Cops questions, if every man ditches these skills, then who will know how to do them? If nobody knows how to repair a car or fix your house, who are you going to call when you can’t do it?
The irony of “AskMen” leading the charge isn’t lost on us; it just leaves us shaking our heads.
