Critical Thinking Skills

Reading the screen.

Seriously, about 90% of computer problems would be solved if people just read the fucking screen.

Basic problem solving. Even just the ability to Google something seems to be lost on so many people.

Manners.

A sense of community, at least in the states. We have become a nation of de facto sovereign citizens, everyone competing with everyone. A society can’t last long without social responsibility.

literacy, and essay writing. they almost neve rpush it MS or HS anymore.

Media literacy and reading comprehension. Specifically, the ability to infer an intended target audience for a particular piece of work. A large part of media literacy is being able to view a piece of media, and infer the intended audience. Maybe you see an ad for pink razors, and can infer that it is aimed at women who shave. But that’s just a simple example. It should also extend to things like internet comments.

People have become so accustomed to laser-focused algorithms determining our media consumption. Before, people would see a video or comment they didn’t resonate with, infer that it wasn’t aimed at them, and move the fuck on. But now, people are so used to their algorithm being dialed in. It is to the point that encountering things you don’t vibe with is outright jarring. People don’t just move on anymore. They get aggressive.

Maybe I make a reel about the proper way to throw a baseball. I’ll inevitably get at least one or two “but what about me? I’m in a wheelchair, on crutches, have a bad shoulder, have bad eyesight and can’t aim, etc… Before, those people would have gone “this clearly isn’t aimed at me” and moved the fuck on. But now they make a point of going “but you didn’t make this specifically for me.

It has gotten so bad that content creators have started adding disclaimers to their videos, news articles, opinion pieces, etc… It’s fairly common to see quick “and before I get started, this video is just for [target demographic]” as if it’s a cutesy little thing. But the reality is that if they don’t add that disclaimer, they’ll be inundated with “but what about [outlier that the content clearly wasn’t directed at]” types of responses.

Critical thinking. Religion and our education system beat curiosity out of people and they end up being unable to process information on their own.

Also driving. People can’t stay in their own lanes, stop three car lengths from an intersection because they don’t understand that the ‘see the tires in front of you’ made sense in low sedans with sloped hoods and not their massive SUVs with flat hood, and don’t bother signaling when changing lanes slowly.

Basic sewing

Also empathy

Critical thinking: We would be in a better world if more people were capable of it.

Proof reading what they post.

Looking at you OP :P

Using a fucking PC properly.

Binary search, there are so many instances where problems in life can be solved by eliminating half of a given set repeatedly.

Blender broken? There are only so many things that can go wrong, analyze the situation and try to find something that cuts your problem in half.

1. Is the light on? It’s not electricity and that’s a huge chunk of what makes a blender work.
2. Light not on? Well now you’ve eliminated (temporarily) mechanical systems and electrical remains. Further splitting that part of the blender means either house power or internal blender power, check the outlet with another machine

This approach involves further splitting the problem into 2 as evenly as possible each time. It doesn’t make sense to whip out the multimeter if the on light isn’t shining, you don’t need to check on your house’s breakers if the light is on, etc.

This system works for troubleshooting almost anything, all you have to do is find chokepoints and identify sections of your target. Toilet not flushing, faucet not on, car not starting, neck pain, allergies, it’s almost harder to think of something it doesn’t apply to.

Communication. So many issues could be resolved by just talking to the person clearly and calmly instead of assuming they can read your mind and getting upset when they don’t respond the way you played out in your mind.

De-escalation. Even if you’re right, there’s a time and place where you need to let it go and revisit it at a more appropriate moment.

Map reading/Orienteering - Most people are literally lost without GPS