Not better, just jaded. If you suck at math, you feel better by blaming the problem on the people who are good at math ("they didn't teach me well enough!").

Not better, just jaded. If you suck at math, you feel better by blaming the problem on the people who are good at math ("they didn't teach me well enough!"). So, self-loathing rather than coming to grips with one's mediocrity and doing something constructive about changing it. There could also be a feedback loop that gives others an excuse for failing: it's a failure of 'the system' (the competent people), not a failure of those who won't keep up.