Skeptical Humorist

You know the statement: “I hate algebra! I’m never going to need it! Why do I have to learn this?” And it’s right, because it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The result is a diffuse social group that tends towards limiting understanding and solving life’s puzzles with arithmetic thinking. If the situation requires algebraic or calculus type thought, people will still try to solve it arithmetically, though most of life’s critical or controversial circumstances are really nonlinear differential equations.

Then along comes a leader, religion, organization, or news channel and says in essence: “All these difficult problems only require arithmetic solutions!” The mathematically denied and deprived rejoice in their newfound fraternity and validation of their long-ago rejection of algebra class. They create a quasi-religion that only allows arithmetic solutions to life’s problems. Higher order math thinking is heresy, belittled, and subject to social banishment.

The resulting solutions are not remotely optimal for society, far from competitive, but there is a generally accepted social order.