100 Skills

When I first read "100 Skills Every Man Should Know" by Brett McKay,  I was shocked and slightly insulted. Based on the way the blog post was written, I thought that the author only wanted men to learn the one hundred skills presented, and no one else was allowed to gain the skills. I started to wonder if society as a whole thought that women should not possess the ability to perform these items on the list because the list is for men. Even the introduction to the list was shocking. McKay discusses the importance of the list, in order for men to have manly roles as protectors and providers. I am a firm believer that both men and women should be protectors and providers; these attributes should not be only for men. 

One of the skills that stood out to me was McKay's item number six: read a book. The description talks about entertainment reading and reading comprehension. I thought it was a funny skill to put on a list solely for men because it is a skill that all humans should possess. Reading for entertainment is not necessarily a skill; it is an activity to pursue on one's free time. However, the ability of reading comprehension and diving deep into the meanings of the text is a skill that all humans should learn. All humans start to learn this skill during early stages of school, so why is the skill of reading a book on a list for men? The blog is written for men, so should women not learn this skill? 

This summer, I read many books to fill up my free time. Some of the books that I finished during my two week quarantine in New York were The Handmaid's Tale, The Silent Patient, and The Death of Mrs. Westaway. If you are looking for well written book with elements of murder and psychology, I highly recommend The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. Although I was reading for entertainment purposes, I still had to use the skill of comprehension to understand the storylines and the reasonings for how the plots were laid out. 



Since the lifestyle blog has an audience of men, the blog posts are written in a way that commercializes the terms "manliness" and "men". I believe the items on this list are skills that everyone should either possess or learn if one wants to pursue. Some great skills for everyone to have are the ability to change a tire, parallel park, give a speech, or make logical arguments. All humans are allowed to gain any skills he or she deem worthy of learning, whether it's for entertainment, work, survival or convenience. 


Comments

  1. Mr. CeldAugust 26, 2020 at 2:12 PM

    Hi Audrey,

    I completely agree with you on the commercialization with the terms "man" and "manliness." An interesting parallel are the commercials from the soap bar company Dr. Squatch. A lot of their commercials capitalize on hetero-normative relations, the idea of "manliness," and sense of brotherhood. While Dr. Squatch is a commercial business catering to their most receptive audience, the implication that only men can (or will) use their soap is a perception dangerous for those unsure of pursuing their likes/dislikes. It dampens their individuality.

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  2. Dr. NoraAugust 28, 2020 at 2:23 PM

    Is the AoM list really intended to be read as a list of skills that *only* men should know? The list includes e.g. #95 Calm a Crying Baby, so if this list is only for men we would have to infer that the writers do not want women and non-binary folks to have the skill of baby-calming. But that would be a pretty radical position! Imagine if men had a monopoly on baby-calming. I think our world would look pretty different!

    If the AoM list of skills is not *only* for men (although it is for men), how does that change your interpretation of #6 Read a Book?

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    Replies
    1. Audrey DubauskasNovember 8, 2020 at 1:07 PM

      I think the list has an audience of men; therefore, the way the articles are written sound as if men and solely men should have the skills listed. I do not believe the writers want women and non-binary folks to not posses the skills, but it would definitely be a really interesting world if that was the case. I think the list is not *only* for men, but it appears that way when you first analyze the article. When viewing the article as a list for everyone, I think reading a book (#6) is an interesting choice because everyone should know how to relax and read for entertainment, as well as reading and knowing how to comprehend. I think with any article that is gear-towards a specific gender, the article may come off as solely for that gender. If there was a list for women, there would definitely be items on the list that might be good for men to know, but would be more widely used by women. An example could be safety tips for women walking alone at night. It is very disturbing to know that women need to know these kinds of skills, but this could be a skill that men would normally not have on a list. If this list was truly intended for *only* men, it would be a very interesting position to take, especially with examples such as calming a baby or reading. Since I believe this list can be for anyone, #6 of reading a book is still an important skill for anyone. Obviously, if one does not like reading then they do not have to pursue it.

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