Comment by hilbert42

"Kids are told week in week out that maths is stupid, that they are stupid. …."

Come on, how often are kids exposed to such stupid talk? I suspect very infrequently.

My grandmother, who wasn't stupid by any means but who knew only basic arithmetic, would never have uttered such nonsense.

And I'd stress, like many of her generation and background, her knowledge of mathematics was minimal, if she'd been ask what calculus was she'd likely have been perplexed and probably have guessed it to be some kind of growth on one's foot.