Question

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson once commented, “Somehow it’s OK for people to chuckle about not being good at math. Yet if I said, ‘I never learned to read,’ they’d say I was an illiterate dolt.” He was referring to the notion that it has become socially acceptable for people to say they are bad at math, but it is unacceptable to say they are bad at reading.%0D%0A%0D%0AHow do you respond to this? Should society think it is OK for people to say they are bad at math?

Answer 1

I personally do not believe that a person can be "bad" at math. Whether they choose to give an effort to learn math skills is ultimately on them. I can compare this to sports. If I only picked up a basketball one every 6 months, I wouldn't be very good. But if I practices 2 hours every day, I would be a much better player. If I practiced and worked on my math, I would be more successful in what I do, then what would have done if I never practiced.