Today's youth... What is the problem?

[Watchmen]

The teens 40 years ago didn't have to count on their fingers or rely on a machine when it came to giving change.

Some did.

 

[Yazata]

I think that it's largely a school problem. These kids couldn't do simple arithmetic in their heads because the schools they attended never taught them to do it. I wouldn't be surprised if the same kids were largely illiterate when it comes to reading and writing as well. Schools don't teach that either.

Or if the schools supposedly did teach it, they didn't teach it well. They didn't make the kids do lots of arithmetic problems or assign lots of reading/writing practice.

 

[Stevicus]

The teens 40 years ago didn't have to count on their fingers or rely on a machine when it came to giving change.

Calculators existed 40 years ago, and there were already cash registers which could automatically calculate change. Although there were times when I'd see even older clerks have to do calculations with pencil and paper. Or they might prestidigitator.

 

[YmirGF]

This has been studied:

Who Denigrates Today’s Youth?: The Role of Age, Implicit Theories, and Sharing the Same Negative Trait​

Adults perceive the youth of the present as being worse than from when they were young. This phenomenon has been shown to be a product of a memory bias, adults are unable to accurately recall what children were like in the past so they impose their current selves onto their memories. In two studies using American adults (N = 2,764), we seek to connect this finding to age, implicit theories of change, and extend the beliefs in the decline of the youth to new domains. Here we show as people age, they hold harsher beliefs about present children. Those who believe a trait does not change throughout the lifespan exhibit more forgiving attitudes toward the youth of today, believing they may not be in such decline on that trait. Finally, people who are low in a negative trait believe strongly that children are becoming more deficient in that particular trait (e.g., those who are not narcissistic believe the youth are becoming more narcissistic).

At the same time @sun rise we are also seeing alarming numbers of school kids who are not performing at their grade levels in reading, writing & math.

U.S. students' academic achievement still lags that of their peers in many other countries So, it ain't just gramps blowing a bolt, although that is an interesting aspect of becoming a living fossil.

In regards to the OP:

Today I stopped at a taco bell. My order came to $19.60.
I gave the girl(looked around age 20) $20.10. She pulls out a dollar and some change then counts on her fingers...
She puts it back, counts on her fingers again and pulls out more change..
She puts it back, goes into deep thought so I said "$19.60, I gave you $20.10 so my change is $.50 cents".
She pulls out some more change, counts on her fingers again and gives me $.45 cents. I just laughed and said thanks.

My point... This has happened many times at different places. These are the kids that are being raised now days. They can't think and many don't have common sense. Sadly its getting worse instead of better.

This reminded my of a situation at a local bank I encountered 20 years ago, now. I had a vast coin collection and finally got down to rolling it all up and taking it in to deposit into my main account. So far, so good. Each time, I went to the local Bank of Montreal in south Vancouver, Canada, the teller miscounted the rolls I gave them. I did this 3 or 4 times, each time running into the same thing. Each time correcting them. One lady was going to give me double the cash I was turning in until I corrected her. Finally, I decided, no more Mr. Nice guy. The next time they screwed up the counting, I was going to take the money and leave. Of course, that is the day, I got an older woman. She counted everything out just fine. That'll learn me.

 

[Revoltingest]

Men drink cocktails in your country?!

Men there even carry cocktails in their purse.
(Pockets on their dresses aren't big enuf.)

 

[Revoltingest]

The teens 40 years ago didn't have to count on their fingers or rely on a machine when it came to giving change.

40 years or so ago, I've had workers who couldn't
even read a tape measure. It's why we call the end
with the hook the "dumb end".

 

[Revoltingest]

At the same time @sun rise we are also seeing alarming numbers of school kids who are not performing at their grade levels in reading, writing & math.

U.S. students' academic achievement still lags that of their peers in many other countries So, it ain't just gramps blowing a bolt, although that is an interesting aspect of becoming a living fossil.

Another development is due to the proliferation
of calculators. In the days of slide rules, we figured
out mental tricks to easily perform some estimations
& calculations. (Richard Feynman wrote about his
adventures in mental number crunching to win
bar bets.)
Kids these days don't need that facility, so they
don't learn it. But what they do learn (far better
than we codgers do) is facility with electronic
devices.
There are advantages & drawbacks to either
way of being. But the smart ones will cope well.

 

[anna.]

How much mental arithmetic do any of us do these days? Older people generally have a good grounding, but tools get rusty if remaining unused. I do think it's a shame to lose any skill, worse never to develop them. I learned fractions from betting on racehorses, but now I rarely bet and when I do, I use betting exchanges where odds are decimalised.

I use basic math in my head all the time when I'm grocery shopping. Mentally multiplying or dividing, adding or subtracting.
However, it would be easy to embarrass me by asking me to compute anything beyond that basic math, that is, using exponents or algebra or more than basic geometry. I never had a brain for math, although I do okay with words. People have strengths and limitations, and I know what mine are and I don't like the idea of shaming someone when they're clearly struggling.

Having said that, do kids still memorize? Like times tables? I don't know. But it could be a factor.

 

[YmirGF]

40 years or so ago, I've had workers who couldn't
even read a tape measure. It's why we call the end
with the hook the "dumb end".

I guess I've only known smart cabinet workers because I've never heard it called that. A local thing in your area perhaps?

 

[Revoltingest]

I guess I've only known smart cabinet workers because I've never heard it called that. A local thing in your area perhaps?

A cabinet maker is a cut above mere laborers.

 

[Stevicus]

 

[YmirGF]

I use basic math in my head all the time when I'm grocery shopping. Mentally multiplying or dividing, adding or subtracting.
However, it would be easy to embarrass me by asking me to compute anything beyond that basic math, that is, using exponents or algebra or more than basic geometry. I never had a brain for math, although I do okay with words. People have strengths and limitations, and I know what mine are and I don't like the idea of shaming someone when they're clearly struggling.

Having said that, do kids still memorize? Like times tables? I don't know. But it could be a factor.

Agree and feel the same way @anna, and yet I have the ability to add a group of numbers faster, upside down, than some people can calculate them right side up. I think this as more of numeric pattern matching than actual counting, though. Does that make sense? While shopping the other day, I noticed that two 400 gram packages of Old Cheddar cheese were less than the 800 gram package. One does have to pay attention now much more than ever before, especially now with prices going through the roof.

 

[YmirGF]

God, do you remember having to be careful not to trip over the phone cord when someone was wandering around the house with the phone in hand? A person could get hung in the old days, LOL.

 

[PureX]

In my country, minibuses usually collect the total fare via one of the passengers who collects from everyone else and then passes it along to the driver. What happens is you'll have 15 or 20 passengers all giving you their fares and asking for the change. It typically goes like this:

"Pay for three out of this 50 [50-pound note]."

"One out of a 100."

"I need change. Tell him [the driver] to send some coins."

And you have to calculate all of that quickly, for all of them. If you don't, you risk getting into or causing an altercation over the fare. You usually have to collect the fares from everyone and then give back the change from those before passing along the correct sum to the driver.

I hate doing it, because, while I'm good at arithmetic (and math in general), it puts you on the spot, can be stressful, and isn't something you're obligated to do. I once made a mistake in calculation, and the driver disapprovingly said, "You're studying engineering? Damn" because his typical route included my university, which was for engineering and computer science.

I recounted what had happened to some of my classmates as a joke, because I had made study notes for math for five semesters in a row and gotten straight A's in all mathematical subjects. I also rarely needed a calculator in exams, even though we were allowed to use it. One of my classmates said, "Good thing being good at advanced calculus and linear algebra doesn't rely on calculating fares on the bus, but I guess that guy doesn't know that."

I don't consider doing everyday arithmetic on the spot to necessarily be a reliable measure of someone's mathematical aptitude, especially since a lot of advanced mathematics is largely based on understanding concepts and underlying logic rather than merely crunching numbers via basic arithmetic. There are many variables that can affect that besides ability to do arithmetic well.

You'd better have exact change or a token to ride the busses, here. The drivers never touch the money.

 

[anna.]

Agree and feel the same way @anna, and yet I have the ability to add a group of numbers faster, upside down, than some people can calculate them right side up. I think this as more of numeric pattern matching than actual counting, though. Does that make sense? While shopping the other day, I noticed that two 400 gram packages of Old Cheddar cheese were less than the 800 gram package. One does have to pay attention now much more than ever before, especially now with prices going through the roof.

There were many times in my life where every penny counted, literally, and I'd do the same, comparing sizes and weights, prices and portions. Oftentimes, sales weren't really sales if you looked a little closer. Things are a little easier now, but I haven't stopped shopping for groceries that way.

Anyway, if someone struggles with counting out my change, I'll help them out. That's not the hill I want to die on.

 

[Stevicus]

God, do you remember having to be careful not to trip over the phone cord when someone was wandering around the house with the phone in hand? A person could get hung in the old days, LOL.

Our phone was attached to the wall, so nobody could go that far with it.

 

[Debater Slayer]

Our phone was attached to the wall, so nobody could go that far with it.

Did the phone eventually learn to become independent and detached?

 

[anna.]

Our phone was attached to the wall, so nobody could go that far with it.

My mom's phone cord was always a lot longer than we estimated...

 

[Astravalon]

Today I stopped at a taco bell. My order came to $19.60.
I gave the girl(looked around age 20) $20.10. She pulls out a dollar and some change then counts on her fingers...
She puts it back, counts on her fingers again and pulls out more change..
She puts it back, goes into deep thought so I said "$19.60, I gave you $20.10 so my change is $.50 cents".
She pulls out some more change, counts on her fingers again and gives me $.45 cents. I just laughed and said thanks.

My point... This has happened many times at different places. These are the kids that are being raised now days. They can't think and many don't have common sense. Sadly its getting worse instead of better.

Doesn't Taco Bell have registers that figure all that out for them? After all, the point isn't to flaunt one's math-skills, it's to keep the line moving as efficiently and quickly as possible, saving the brainiac stuff for the Math Olympics or some such. I say this as someone who has also run registers for a time.

I’m in my 50s and have always struggled with numbers. I finally learned that it’s a bit like dyslexia, just not as well-known; something called dyscalculia. As with dyslexia, it has little to do with intelligence – or “kids these days”.

I recently chatted with a college-kid who is majoring in statistics. I said, “Ah, so you get along well with numbers!” So there's another example of "kids these days"; those who are scary-good with math - but we don't talk about those!

I would no more complain about someone not being able to make change on the fly – in a public setting with other job-related responsibilities taking up their brain on top of it – than I would a dyslexic for seeming to not be able to read. And, in the customer-service business, not only are there those behind the registers who might struggle with math, but there are also customers who apparently struggle with reading various signs, so it all balances out. We're all in this together!

Meanwhile (*putting on my curmudgeon cap*): Back in my day, people made their own tacos and didn’t need others to do it for ‘em. Dang whippersnappers... lol.

(Seriously though, Taco Bell sounds really good right now...)

 

[Soandso]

Has isolated experiences in an isolated region of a single country within a single cultural hemisphere and judges an entire generation of 2.56 billion people. Not following the logical leap being taken here