Jimmy don't forget the BFH.

 

I agree with all of you, I am currently taking an aircraft maintenance program and the lack of mechanical knowledge/skill of the people in the program is down right scary. Some people don't know how to drill holes into a piece of sheet metal or strip wires. I've been taught these skills pretty much from day one by my dad so people end up coming to me asking for help. I've had people tell me they had no clue that their car had a fuel filter! Or they've asked me how to replace a burnt out headlight. And somehow these people have made it to the second semester of the program

 

Generally speaking, I think a lot of the public belongs on the short bus, but there are also those that are booksmart. I've seen a few folks that are extremely booksmart, but couldn't think their way out of a paper bag in a real life situation. What's worse, is that these same people can be extremely knowledgable about a subject on paper, but are somehow missing the circuit in their head to be able to put their smarts to practical use.

I knew a lady in college that was in my philosophy class. She was a 4.0 student, and would be the type to completely freak out should she miss a question on a test (yup, that kinda nerd). Well, I took her out to dinner and a movie once upon a time, and the move was Back to the Future III (yes, I realize this dates me a bit). To my surprise, she couldn't wrap her noggin around the concept of moving back and forth through time AT ALL. I had to explain pretty much every scene to her, and she sat there dumbfounded. Now, the Back to the Future movies weren't what I'd call an IQ stretcher in the first place, but it completely shocked me that this woman who I thought was extremely bright, couldn't understand how Marty McFly was holding his own great grandfather as a baby.

Now, I know that's not much of a practical application, but the theory is sound. There are people out there that are quite bright on paper, but when left on their own to survive, they'd be roadkill in no time.

 

I wonder if some of you realize that you sound just as arrogant as any 'book smart' professor or college grad who looks down on the 'peasants' who don't know Homer or Tacitus......

All of you 'practical' or 'common sense' folks have a common thread which points to your current status as mechanical geniuses---a parent who knew the s--t and taught it to ya......

Not much different from the 'book-smarties' who were fortunate to either a) get a scholarship, or b) have enough money in the family to send them to good schools.....

Neither one tells the whole story, of course......But arrogance isn't the sole province of the Elite......

 

Hey, I don't think the original question is a stupid question, in fact, it might show a little insight into the real world that some others lack - i.e. that you don't get something for nothing. An alternator *is* hard to turn - when it's under load - that's why a loose belt squeals when it's charging the battery, right? A common sense approach would tell you that it may not turn freely, if it did we could generate electricity at very little cost! So all of you "practical knowledge" folks who say that it should turn freely are only partially correct... :-)

 

Straight out of the mouth of one of the 'elite'......

 

I had to rep you for this one.

 

Steve - I wish you could learn to deal with your resentment more effectively... after all, it's really not my fault that I'm superior to you...

 

I'm just jealous......

 

That's entirely understandable - no one that knows you and I could blame you for that...