Just discovered

[Burgerman]

that my 18 year old carer called sinead, cannot spell 2 (two) and filled in a cheque for me wrong. And that she cannot tell the time with my kitchen clock that has hands.

Also no clue what 1/3rd means, or 25% of anything. And she claims that all her freinds are the same. Seriously!

Ask your carers this:
Give them 9 spoons. Ask for 1/3rd back.

Give them 4 spoons. Now ask her to give you 1/4 of them.
Then ask for 75% of them.

Be prepared to be horrified.

[LROBBINS]

Seems to be a universal phenomenon. I recall university biology students in two countries who did not know that 1/2 = 50% or that 1/2 of 1/2 is 1/4.

It's also reminiscent of Ellen (my wife's) experience when she first enrolled at Michigan State (she was a PhD student, but it was her first time at a large university). Registration involved going from desk to desk to pick up punch cards for each class, possibly having to repeat this more than once when your schedule couldn't fit the only open sections of a course that you needed. After that card game, you took the stack to someone who entered them into the mainframe computer and gave you a new card showing how much you owed. You then took that to another desk where you were supposed to give them a check. Despite having a sample check the size of the ones used on game shows + instructions, many freshman couldn't fill one out and she had to help them practically hand-over-hand.

Similarly, at her dorm many, mostly male, couldn't figure out how to use the coin laundry, even with a wall-sized poster with instructions - I guess that on the farm mom always did the laundry. Or maybe they just couldn't read, or both.

[Gnomatic]

It is too common, unfortunately. Some young kids in the neighborhood, the only know how to semi function with their smart phones, and are dribbling idiots when they happen not to have one for whatever reason. My carers are reasonably educated but all are over 30.

I have twin 21yr old nephews but no worries with them on this front, they're both studying engineering. Some of their friends, however .......

[martin007]

Youth is becoming idiotic.
Smartphones make people idiotic.

[LROBBINS]

My above message was referring to the situation in ca. 1975 - there were no smart phones then.

(This was also around the time when a "man-in-the-street" survey showed that a large fraction of Americans thought that the text of the U.S. Declaration of Independence came from some communist document.)

[Burgerman]

Maybe I expect too much. I never realised people were that bad in 75. I left school in 76, albeit a grammar school. But everyone leaving my school absolutely knew fractions, decimals, percentages, and could at very least convert the basic fractions to percentages or decimals in their heads. Likewise we all had a basic understanding of physics, biology, chemistry and so in to O level standards. There were no GCSE or CSEs at my school. My headmaster would turn in his grave if he thought there were people coming out of his school that coudnt understand the basics. No wonder J. Corbyn is popular!

My dad once told me that when there was a sale on in his bathroom/kitchen showrooms, he always put £120 off!! Rather than 12 percent for eg. Because he said that most people had no idea how much 12% discount was. I didnt believe him.

Gets worse. Try asking your carers simple stuff like what is the sun? Or does the sun go around the earth. Or what a KW hour is that they pay for every 3 months... Not a clue!

[CPguy]

@ Burgerman: I have the same experience with cashiers at the supermarket. I buy three items, there is a queue so I add the cost of the items in my head and have the exact money ready. The cashier is amazed!

How do you get these young carers please? I want to know your trick...

[Burgerman]

Easy. They generally are bar staff in local pubs, on min wage, and expected to cash up and clean the pub AFTER their paid hours. I tend to prop the bar up and chat up anyuthing pretty. Seldom works, been sunk without trace so many times I dont bother counting. But you get talking to them... So you just tell them that you can pay moore, less stress, if they can do X. Only qualifications required, live close, have mobile phone always on, and reliablility!!! And get a phone number. Then if someone leaves, call. Although this one is a younger sister of 20 year old teagan, already working as a carer to cover hols etc. Yes another young one. Dont like tatty old ones! I have to see them first thing, for years at a time.

I find younger ones more reliable, than older ones that generally have babies, or husbands, or other jobs. I am then not priority! Downside, they drink your vodka, smoke your dope, and tend to know nothing! Most will step over something I dropped 2 days ago, unless you ask them to pick it up. Also it never occurs to clean, thats always been mums job... They cant cook. But I live on takaways pretty much. Swings and roundabouts. Also have a 29 year old from prague, called Zdenka and a martin who is very useful if you can persuade him to do anything that involves chair building, drilling, cutting, gardening etc. He isnt young. He is the same age as me. 58...

[Burgerman]

@ Burgerman: I have the same experience with cashiers at the supermarket. I buy three items, there is a queue so I add the cost of the items in my head and have the exact money ready. The cashier is amazed!

If you want to see utter confusion and get the wrong meal, go to any mcdonalds, and ask them for a burger without mayo. Its actually impossible for them. You end up returning it, as they ONLY give a burger, or you get a massive bunch of questions about what you want in there! And theres no button for that. So mayhem and failure is the usual result several times over.