I am a control freak and need to know where I am and have a photo image of where things fit. Trusting kids who are dependent on parents for all (many don’t know how to change a lightbulb) are very unprepared for adult life. With all the info out there, I can understand the need for selective memory. Not once have I needed to use, or know that I was using a principle of, algebra. :)
If you and others on this thread think lack of basic knowledge among Americans is outrageous, try having them as employees. About 10 years ago, my Indian structural engineer had to teach one of the CAD techs, with an architectural degree, how to spell and add (difficulty with fractions). The “kid” (five years of working experience at the time) couldn’t even balance his checkbook because he didn’t record ATM withdrawals.
Yes, selective memory is understandable but knowing things that directly impact one’s personal and professional life (I would argue the operation of government is one of those things) should be part of that memory. At age 26, the tech still had mom doing his laundry. Talk about stunted adolescence.
I must be an oddity, I use algebra, trig, geometry, and occasionally calculus, all the time. And not because I have to, but because it makes things easier for me. Everything from groceries to planning my garden to designing my house, and recently, I use them for my new sewing business (it makes altering patterns so much easier.)
I’m weird.