75 Skills Every Man Should Master

[EC]

I just thought that this was an interesting little article that popped up on MSN today, especially the first piece of advice.

http://men.msn.com/articlees.aspx?cp-docum...9&GT1=32001

addendum: some of the points are garbage, such as hating Columbus, etc., but most of it it pretty good.

Edited May 28, 2008 by EC

[KendallJ]

61 down. 14 to go.

Stoli, rocks, lemon. (or a dirty Stoli martini)

I particularly liked these two:

23. Be loyal. You will fail at it. You have already. A man who does not know loyalty, from both ends, does not know men. Loyalty is not a matter of give-and-take: He did me a favor, therefore I owe him one. No. No. No. It is the recognition of a bond, the honoring of a shared history, the reemergence of the vows we make in the tight times. It doesn't mean complete agreement or invisible blood ties. It is a currency of selflessness, given without expectation and capable of the most stellar return.

19. Approach a woman out of his league. Ever have a shoeshine from a guy you really admire? He works hard enough that he doesn't have to tell stupid jokes; he doesn't stare at your legs; he knows things you don't, but he doesn't talk about them every minute; he doesn't scrape or apologize for his status or his job or the way he is dressed; he does his job confidently and with a quiet relish. That stuff is wildly inviting. Act like that guy.

[Zip]

13 to go. It's amazing how many of the more mundane tasks the Army has ensured that I know how to do... some of them expertly (9, 13, 20, 58)

[Thales]

Isn't it better to live by principles, rather than remember a laundry list of rules? I'll be honest, I've read tons of lists like this, and at the end of the day I don't know what good they've done. I mean, sure, read and learn, but then integrate these with Oist principles to make sense of them and so that you can actually use them.

[D'kian]

Isn't it better to live by principles, rather than remember a laundry list of rules? I'll be honest, I've read tons of lists like this, and at the end of the day I don't know what good they've done. I mean, sure, read and learn, but then integrate these with Oist principles to make sense of them and so that you can actually use them.

Of course it is.

But these kinds of lists can sometimes bring to your attention certain things you might not have considered.

On the other hand, try to write down sometime things other peolpe do that annoy you, and you'll wind up with a list of this sort. You know, everyone should learn the skill of advancing on the green light, removing their card from the ATM, getting their groceries without blocking the aisle, getting off an escalator where it ends, not enter a downward elevator when one wants to go up, parking within the lines, etc etc.

[Mammon]

Ehhhh, these lists always have some good stuff, some horriable stuff. Why are the sports stuff? Why not "Read a comic book, at least once..."

Also, this other list on the same site really sucks.

Things a Man Should Never Do in the Company of a Woman

http://men.msn.com/articlees.aspx?cp-documentid=6273622

Reveal how much your car cost.

Clean your gun.

Polish high school trophies (which you still have displayed).

Refer to your mother as your best friend.

Rap.

Check out our assistant/roommate/the baby-sitter.

Question our footwear.

Blow-dry your hair.

Tip less than 20 percent.

Celebrity impressions.

Impressions of us.

Forget to carry cash.

Flip it, flop it, swing it around, tug on it, adjust it, scratch it, or do anything that will remind us that it's just a goofy appendage and not a mystical source of pleasure and satisfaction.

Wii.

Boot and rally.

Scream—at the dog, at the guy who just stole your parking spot, at Bill Belichick. Because, no matter how much Belichick deserves it (cheater!), when we hear you raise your voice, we have an idea of what we're in for.

Talk about former exploits. Ever.

Use the words bitch, slut, tramp, or whore, unless referring to another man.

Tell us you're going to kiss us. (Just get on with it!)

What kind of retarded list is this? Wii? Chicks love the Wii!

[K-Mac]

"Flip it, flop it, swing it around, tug on it, adjust it, scratch it, or do anything that will remind us that it's just a goofy appendage and not a mystical source of pleasure and satisfaction."

HA HA HA!

In all seriousness though, when you adjust yourself, do you really think we don't notice or what?

[D'kian]

I came up with a list of my own:One skill every politician should master.

One: Get the hell out of the way.

I know. You could all see it coming a mile away.

[themadkat]

I'm amused by the fact that I've achieved over half this list. And I'm not even a man! Most of them seem OK.

[musenji]

Should be able to do these things once, or should be able to do them consistently? For example, I've given good advice in a single sentence before, but I don't do it consistently.

[Mammon]

"Flip it, flop it, swing it around, tug on it, adjust it, scratch it, or do anything that will remind us that it's just a goofy appendage and not a mystical source of pleasure and satisfaction."

HA HA HA!

In all seriousness though, when you adjust yourself, do you really think we don't notice or what?

Yeah, but you have no idea what it's like. Sometimes you have to adjust, it's really urgent. You might sit down and get pinched or something. You brain makes it first priority to re-adjust. It's sub-conscious sometimes.

[K-Mac]

"I don't know how you guys walk around with those things." - Elaine on Seinfeld

[D'kian]

"I don't know how you guys walk around with those things." - Elaine on Seinfeld

Because removing it is either a long, drawn-out, hightly emotioanl and very expensive process, or simply expensive with a highly frustrating aftermath.

Of course your milleage may vary.

[Benpercent]

The advice quoted in the first item on the list is terrible.

When nobody has your back, you gotta move your back.

So if nobody is willing to stand by you due to your principles, you ought to change your principles?

[Chops]

So if nobody is willing to stand by you due to your principles, you ought to change your principles?

I interpreted that as more of the nature of "don't rely on others, you need take care of yourself".

Edited May 29, 2008 by Chops

[EC]

The advice quoted in the first item on the list is terrible.

So if nobody is willing to stand by you due to your principles, you ought to change your principles?

I meant being able to sum up advice into one sentence. What I was getting at here by giving the link is that most of this stuff is the right way for a man to think, i.e., he knows he can do about anything when he needs to-- and does. I know I have done most of the stuff on the list--well.

[themadkat]

The advice quoted in the first item on the list is terrible.

So if nobody is willing to stand by you due to your principles, you ought to change your principles?

I saw it as more along the lines of if everyone here is determined to ignore your virtues and punish you for the good you do, you should get out and go to a place where you will be treated justly.

[Alfa]

"Flip it, flop it, swing it around, tug on it, adjust it, scratch it, or do anything that will remind us that it's just a goofy appendage and not a mystical source of pleasure and satisfaction."

HA HA HA!

In all seriousness though, when you adjust yourself, do you really think we don't notice or what?

Do you think we should mind you noticing it?

To me, if a woman looks at my crotch, it's a good thing. I don't mind that kind of attention. It's rather like; "Thank you for noticing i'm a man - and yes I did notice you exposing your cleavage and adjusting your bra, it's just that I did it while keeping eye contact".

[K-Mac]

If a man has to grab his crotch to prove his masculinity to another man or woman, he's got a problem. Unless a man has told me otherwise, I assume each of you has the proper equipment down there, and if I can see it through his clothing, he needs to start buying pants that fit. Furthermore, I don't adjust my bra (or pick my nose, fart or use the bathroom) while having a conversation with someone. It would be disrespectful. There is such a thing as etiquette and we have it for a reason.

[Alfa]

Oh no, it's not about proving anything. Feeling the need to prove something is completely second-handed in nature. A real man does not act in that manner. I'm not talking about grabbing my crotch to get attention, what i'm merely saying is that if a woman notices when I discretely make some adjustments... well, thanks for noticing. I don't mind it and I dont ask for it, I just want to be comfortable and i'm not the one looking.

Personally i'm just cool with people looking at my crotch. Not that it happens all the time or anything like that, but when it happens I don't feel insecure like I got anything to hide or be ashamed about. When a woman drops her eyes and looks at a mans crotch it's also a rather telling sign(and many women do it without being conciously aware of it). The same thing, by the way, goes for the women adjusting her clothes and exposing her chest(either by sitting up straighter - chest out - or leaning in towards the man).

[KendallJ]

Oh no, it's not about proving anything. Feeling the need to prove something is completely second-handed in nature. A real man does not act in that manner. I'm not talking about grabbing my crotch to get attention, what i'm merely saying is that if a woman notices when I discretely make some adjustments... well, thanks for noticing. I don't mind it and I dont ask for it, I just want to be comfortable and i'm not the one looking.

Personally i'm just cool with people looking at my crotch. Not that it happens all the time or anything like that, but when it happens I don't feel insecure like I got anything to hide or be ashamed about. When a woman drops her eyes and looks at a mans crotch it's also a rather telling sign(and many women do it without being conciously aware of it). The same thing, by the way, goes for the women adjusting her clothes and exposing her chest(either by sitting up straighter - chest out - or leaning in towards the man).

I think you guys are talking past each other. K-mac isn't talking about how a man feels when he gets noticed doing that. If you feel fine about that, great. She's talking about how women feel. Just because you're thankful that she noticed doesn't mean she was thankful for the opportunity to get to notice. Right Kelly?

[Alfa]

Since she was asking "don't you think we notice?" I was thinking... well, why should I care? And I don't mean that in an arrogant way, I just don't think theres any good reason why anyone should care too much about it.

[Thales]

Of course it is.

But these kinds of lists can sometimes bring to your attention certain things you might not have considered.

Yes, I agree with that, I just think it's a mistake to think in "list form" if you will. So, that's why I say read the list, but at the same time see how it integrates with your broader principles.

Lists are good for going to the grocery store, or providing an itinerary for a trip, but they don't work for life generally. Okay, I think you can have one or two rules that might help, but when you get to 75, that's way beyond the crow.

[K-Mac]

Right Kelly?

[musenji]

Hell, I'm a guy and it bugs ME when I see my brother or dad do some kind of adjustment. It seems vulgar.