Man Class

Photo by: thomashawk

The other day I listened to a podcast where Jason Calacanis was talking about growing up in a greek household where the father made a living as a bar owner.  As a kid he had the opportunity to see a lot of things (the relationship between police and the bar owners, thieves getting beat up in the bar, etc.) and learn a lot of unique things. 

The thing that stuck with me was his recollection of his father teaching him how to tip people as a boy.  At dinner, he showed him how to fold a $5 bill, how to approach the bus boy and made him call the busboy over to tell him that he's doing a good job and give him the tip.  He also explains how that skill came in handy after moving to L.A..  He's able to get tables at busy restaurants in most circumstances by tipping the staff in a respectful manner (without being flashy or condescending, as some people in L.A. have a tendency to be).  The same method applied to cable guys and telco workers have apparently yielded similar results.

As I was thinking about things that fathers pass down to their sons, I realized that a lot of the skills that were formerly passed down have been outsourced to clubs or organizations or are not taught at all.  The boy scouts teach some of the basics of being an outdoorsman - starting fires, navigating, tying knots, etc.  Other skills are left to first jobs, school, or even worse, the internet.  

I'm not saying that Dads are doing horrible jobs at passing down what young men need to know.  It would be hard for any Dad to hand down all the skills necessary to function smoothly as a grown man.  I just recognize that it would be beneficial to have as many of these skills as early as possible in life.

My point in writing this post is to say that I think there's a need for a class where the essentials of being a man are taught - a Man Class, if you will.  Of course this requires a decision being made on what the essential skills of manhood are. 

Here's my short list of skills that would be taught in Man Class:

• Basic auto care (Change tire, check fluids, change oil, use jumper cables, etc.)
• The basics of home repair (clogged drain, leaky faucet, replacing door handles, etc.)
• Introduction to beer
• How to tell a joke/story
• How to tie several effective knots
• Basic bartending skills
• How to tip/"grease palms" properly
• Basics of grilling and entertaining guests
• How to make small talk, talk to anyone, etc.
• How to talk to women (without using cheesy pick-up lines)
• How to drive a standard

There have been numerous occasions for me to use all of the skills listed above, and I only know a few of them well.  Man Class would need to be "hands on", in order to ensure proficiency and confidence should the occasion arise.  

Anywho, men will pick these skills up eventually, but I'm of the opinion that teaching these skills early on is always much better than having to learn them in a pinch.   Man Class would give males a head start (or get them caught up, in my case) in perfecting grilling skills and auto maintenance.   I'm just saying.. if it were out there, done the right way, I'd sign up for Man Class.  I'm definitely not volunteering to teach the class.