Millennials Lack Basic Survival Skills

[churchmouse]

I'll have to disagree, and not because the older generations were "tougher" or "more resourceful". But simply because the percentage of people that live in rural compared to suburban or especially urban environments. Well a few more reasons, how many kids have access to woodlands they can explore now compared to 20 years ago? 30? 50? And yes I'm going to go there, electronics. When I was a kid pong was the hottest thing, then came Atari.

Where I grew up was suburban, but a block/block and a half a way there was forest, swamp, lake I could access to explore. Now closest would be 5 miles at least and you have to stay on the trails. No access to those that you can just wander now for at least 20-30 miles. In regards to fire, I can use a lighter, matches, ferro rod, magnifying glass, and once used a flint and steel. Never started one by rubbing two boy scouts together though.

I saw a report a couple years back that kind of explains it. Take a deep rural kid and drop them in the middle of Indy or Cago. How will they respond? Take a urban kid and drop em in the woods it will be about the same.

Growing up there were zero electronics. TV's and radio's yes but I was a teen when Capt. Kirk (no relation to Freemen) 1st opened his hand held communicator and talked to the star ship. We camped (no electricity...tent camping) and spent a lot of time on the Family farm Yes, lots of wooded areas and creeks ponds and the like. It was a great way to grow up.
I have tried to expose my kids to all of this but as you said, it is getting harder to find the ground to wonder freely. We have access but all are well over an hour out and most are 2 hours plus.
The survival skills I have shared with them I believe will get them through most SHTF scenarios.
Sad thing is I do not see them doing anything with their kids along these lines.
All we can do is all we can do.

 

[Trigger Time]

I'll have to disagree, and not because the older generations were "tougher" or "more resourceful". But simply because the percentage of people that live in rural compared to suburban or especially urban environments. Well a few more reasons, how many kids have access to woodlands they can explore now compared to 20 years ago? 30? 50? And yes I'm going to go there, electronics. When I was a kid pong was the hottest thing, then came Atari.

Where I grew up was suburban, but a block/block and a half a way there was forest, swamp, lake I could access to explore. Now closest would be 5 miles at least and you have to stay on the trails. No access to those that you can just wander now for at least 20-30 miles. In regards to fire, I can use a lighter, matches, ferro rod, magnifying glass, and once used a flint and steel. Never started one by rubbing two boy scouts together though.

I saw a report a couple years back that kind of explains it. Take a deep rural kid and drop them in the middle of Indy or Cago. How will they respond? Take a urban kid and drop em in the woods it will be about the same.

I think what you are saying is correct to a point.
I grew up (I guess I'm a millenial) with Atari first then the Nintendo's and game boy and Sega genesis ECT. I lived in the country. I wasn't allowed to play endless games or watch long amounts of tv. I hunted and shot things and blew stuff up lol and explorex and built Teepee and forts stomped fbrough corn fields all typical country boy things. My kids are city slickers but I teach them survival skills both urban and wilderness as some i learned in the military. I think it's mindset more than environment.

 

[spencer rifle]

“Were a catastrophe to befall our world - an EMP strike or a widespread nuclear exchange, a sudden devastating virus or a zombie apocalypse - we could not rebuild the modern world in anything like the time-frame in which we originally constructed it. The technological reason is obvious: The industrial revolution was powered by comparatively easily extractable coal and oil. We extracted it and used it to develop the skills to get at the less easily extractable stuff. A global calamity would put us back to Square One, but with resources we could only reach at Square Twelve. That goes for more basic human resources, too: We have lost a lot of the skills of our ancestors, because we assumed they were no longer required.” – Mark Steyn, 2017

 

[Kutnupe14]

I'll have to disagree, and not because the older generations were "tougher" or "more resourceful". But simply because the percentage of people that live in rural compared to suburban or especially urban environments. Well a few more reasons, how many kids have access to woodlands they can explore now compared to 20 years ago? 30? 50? And yes I'm going to go there, electronics. When I was a kid pong was the hottest thing, then came Atari.

Where I grew up was suburban, but a block/block and a half a way there was forest, swamp, lake I could access to explore. Now closest would be 5 miles at least and you have to stay on the trails. No access to those that you can just wander now for at least 20-30 miles. In regards to fire, I can use a lighter, matches, ferro rod, magnifying glass, and once used a flint and steel. Never started one by rubbing two boy scouts together though.

I saw a report a couple years back that kind of explains it. Take a deep rural kid and drop them in the middle of Indy or Cago. How will they respond? Take a urban kid and drop em in the woods it will be about the same.

I totally agree, 'except about dropping a deep rural kid in the city. The rural kid will survive much better than the city kid dropped off in the country. Rural kids aren't like the Feral Kid in the Road Warrior. Most of us have been to the "big" city, Atlanta being my personal eye-opening Mecca, either to see buppie relatives, see sporting events, or catch flights to other places. All the tools for survival are readily available. Conversely, you drop a city kid off in Newton, AL.... whoa doggie, lol. They'll probably be alright, once somebody sees how out of place they are and decides to save them before they're bothered by somebody's crazy uncle, harassed by local HS kids, step in a fire ant hill, wander too close to a cottonmouth nest or wander down a dirt road. lol

 

[IndyDave1776]

I totally agree, 'except about dropping a deep rural kid in the city. The rural kid will survive much better than the city kid dropped off in the country. Rural kids aren't like the Feral Kid in the Road Warrior. Most of us have been to the "big" city, Atlanta being my personal eye-opening Mecca, either to see buppie relatives, see sporting events, or catch flights to other places. All the tools for survival are readily available. Conversely, you drop a city kid off in Newton, AL.... whoa doggie, lol. They'll probably be alright, once somebody sees how out of place they are and decides to save them before they're bothered by somebody's crazy uncle, harassed by local HS kids, step in a fire ant hill, wander too close to a cottonmouth nest or wander down a dirt road. lol

It sounds like you have some personal experience in avoiding these hazards!

 

[Kutnupe14]

It sounds like you have some personal experience in avoiding these hazards!

At a very early age... if you didn't wise up by 7, something was wrong with you. I knew to stay away from people's crazy uncles, avoid the "hey do this for me" HS school kids, ok... I may have murdered millions of red ants with a waterhose well past 7, snakes... big NOPE.... and knew not to go down random dirt roads unless you liked guns pointed at you.

 

[churchmouse]

At a very early age... if you didn't wise up by 7, something was wrong with you. I knew to stay away from people's crazy uncles, avoid the "hey do this for me" HS school kids, ok... I may have murdered millions of red ants with a waterhose well past 7, snakes... big NOPE.... and knew not to go down random dirt roads unless you liked guns pointed at you.

HHhhmmmmm.....sounds familiar.

This has made me remember a lot of really cool stuff I got to do when I was a kid. Things I wish my kids had experienced. They had a lot of fun but man it was so cool running on the farm.

 

[Timjoebillybob]

Growing up there were zero electronics. TV's and radio's yes but I was a teen when Capt. Kirk (no relation to Freemen) 1st opened his hand held communicator and talked to the star ship. We camped (no electricity...tent camping) and spent a lot of time on the Family farm Yes, lots of wooded areas and creeks ponds and the like. It was a great way to grow up.
I have tried to expose my kids to all of this but as you said, it is getting harder to find the ground to wonder freely. We have access but all are well over an hour out and most are 2 hours plus.
The survival skills I have shared with them I believe will get them through most SHTF scenarios.
Sad thing is I do not see them doing anything with their kids along these lines.
All we can do is all we can do.

I can agree. Honestly I don't do as much outdoor stuff with my kids that my parents did with me.

I think what you are saying is correct to a point.
I grew up (I guess I'm a millenial) with Atari first then the Nintendo's and game boy and Sega genesis ECT. I lived in the country. I wasn't allowed to play endless games or watch long amounts of tv. I hunted and shot things and blew stuff up lol and explorex and built Teepee and forts stomped fbrough corn fields all typical country boy things. My kids are city slickers but I teach them survival skills both urban and wilderness as some i learned in the military. I think it's mindset more than environment.

I agree to a point about mindset. But unless you have access to the environment to learn, practice, etc, the mindset will help but IMO will not be enough.

I totally agree, 'except about dropping a deep rural kid in the city. The rural kid will survive much better than the city kid dropped off in the country. Rural kids aren't like the Feral Kid in the Road Warrior. Most of us have been to the "big" city, Atlanta being my personal eye-opening Mecca, either to see buppie relatives, see sporting events, or catch flights to other places. All the tools for survival are readily available. Conversely, you drop a city kid off in Newton, AL.... whoa doggie, lol. They'll probably be alright, once somebody sees how out of place they are and decides to save them before they're bothered by somebody's crazy uncle, harassed by local HS kids, step in a fire ant hill, wander too close to a cottonmouth nest or wander down a dirt road. lol

How would you have done the first time you were in Atlanta if you were by yourself, or with other kids your age who had never been there before?

 

[T.Lex]

https://vimeo.com/239050403

Millenial Job Interview.

I had to laugh. I mean, I would be crushed if my daughters acted like that, but, it is pretty funny.

 

[JettaKnight]

This whole thread belongs here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/lewronggeneration/

 

[IndyDave1776]

https://vimeo.com/239050403

Millenial Job Interview.

I had to laugh. I mean, I would be crushed if my daughters acted like that, but, it is pretty funny.

Fret not! If you had a daughter act like that, we would start a support group for you!