Yabby,

I suppose that is the crux of Western development and advancement - the urbanization of the population.

People who don't need basic skills certainly don't go about cultivating them.

Poirot, yup I'd agree.

People in cities have a choice, many choose to have everything done
for them. But if you are in the backblocks of Hyden or Newdegate
and you break down, or need to solve something, you are forced
to do it yourself and in the process learn many skills.

You'll see that with many kids who have grown up on farms. Many
drive utes etc at 7 or 8, some can strip an engine or use a
welder, make something from wood or steel. They have learnt from
watching dad and probably have the aptitude, like he does.

City kids are more likely to be hanging out down at the shopping
centre, doing drugs or whatever.

Desmond Morris was correct, when he wrote the Human Zoo.

'City kids are more likely to be hanging out down at the shopping
centre, doing drugs or whatever. '

And WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT!

Oh Yabby, many a naive country kid has had the wool easily pulled over their eyes in the big smoke mate. There must be something missing in their 'education'. Street smarts for one.

Since you can claim all the city kids don't hot up their cars or open a twist top with their eye socket (Obviously you don't count Penriff as the city), I hereby claim all country kids are like Crocodile Dundee when they go to the city.

Easily led astray, struggle on escalators and bidets, cant handle their drugs, are rubbish on Grand Theft Auto, cant spot the hookers from the... well I suppose we all have trouble the way the chickadees dress these days:-)

They're just different Basic Skills Poirot.

Scamming free mobile phones by switching providers and selling the free phone on Ebay has replaced making quaint pots and standing around at the local fair for a whole day for someone to haggle you down to $15 for 3 hours work.

Making an android apps has replaced making tyre sculptures.

Shooting and gutting pigs has been replaced by learning where is best to buy good drugs and how much water to drink and when to take the second pill (or whether to double-drop to start with), what time you should go to bed based on the come-down cycle so you don't feel all irritated, trying your best to save a couple of lines to perk you up in the morning. These are all very useful skills.

Why do old people always yearn for the good ol' days. When 3 yr old kiddies were working in the mines, and 2 yr old kiddies were working next to the three year old kiddies....

Ah Houllie, you make some valid points. The rat race is the
perfect place for rats!

That's a good thing of course, for it keeps the rats out of
the countryside, they feel lost and lonely out there, so mostly
head back to the big smoke.

As to druge, if they only smoked the odd joint or dropped the
odd Ecky, it really wouldn't matter.

Its when they start to steal and sell off their parents possessions
to finance their smack habit, or tear at their skin in an ice
frenzy, as it fries their brain, that you face an awkward problem.
If its your kid when he/she grows up, well tough titties Houllie.
The rats won.

Valid points about new skills.
My oldest daughter is hopeless at mental arithmetic, but brilliant at filling out forms.
Unbelievably fast at texting too, come to think of it.
I wonder how long it will be before we can just speak to one of these phones, instead of all that tedious typing...