Forum Archive

…well it’s not really a survey in the scientific sense, I guess, more a sort of “I wonder if my crackpot theory has any validity” kinda thing.

I’ve always had the feeling that the folks who do their own work on renovations or routine maintenance (at least, the work that doesn’t need special skills, e.g. plastering) rather than just going out and hiring someone to do every little job tend to be older people, say 45 and above. I further speculate that the reason for this may be that childrens’ play has changed over the past decades from games centered around independent interaction with and manipulation of physical objects (thus creating a confidence in manual dexterity skills) to much more “button-pushing” type of recreational activities. My theory postulates that we might actually be creating a society lacking in practicality, certainly in a manual sense and possibly, by extension, in the realm of grasping and/or imagining creative solutions to physical problems in general.

Any data you can contribute to confirm or shoot down at least the premise at the core of my theory? Can be as simple as, “Age xx, do most work myself”