Comment on There was a time when everyone had common sense
Omega_Jimes@lemmy.ca 3 weeks ago
Who’s job is it to teach common sense? If you find the future generation lacking, that’s probably your fault.
When I was a teenager, my dad gave me shit for not knowing how to change brake pads, and my response was “Who was supposed to teach me?”. Like, it’s not like I could afford a car working weekends, and he was always too busy to have me around whenever something went wrong. So next time he changed the brakes, he actuality taught me.
riskable@programming.dev 3 weeks ago
I just want to point something out: Knowing not to drink battery fluid is not common sense!
Common sense is something that anyone would “just know” by instinct. Like not running out on to a highway with vehicles traveling at high speed. No one needs to teach that because it’s obvious from a glance.
If someone had never encountered a highway and never heard of such a thing they might wander out onto one when there’s no traffic. Would that be a failing of common sense? No! Because that type of decision-making requires some education/experience.
Lead tastes sweet! I haven’t tried it (haha) but there’s a reason why loads of children get lead poisoning by eating it every year. If you didn’t know that it’s poisonous and haven’t been educated about not eating/tasting random things you might just try the lead acid of a car battery! Especially if it’s really old and has become less acidic (that’s what sulfation does: Reduces the acidity).
“Common sense” is actually just a practical form of, “basic education”. Not everyone gets it and everyone always has gaps in their knowledge. What’s common sense to one person isn’t to another.
TL;DR: Common sense is a myth. We’re all born ignorant.