I don't think either of those was GP's intent. I think it's more of a lament about anti-intellectual and anti-engineering culture in the U.S. I interpret it th

I don't think either of those was GP's intent. I think it's more of a lament about anti-intellectual and anti-engineering culture in the U.S. I interpret it that you shouldn't need these gimmicks to get people interested in math, but rather change the system so people would be more interested in those jobs or fields, by making engineers, academics and teachers into more respected members of the society. I am from Czechia and I see this as a feature of neoliberal capitalism. The socialist movement, both in the Western and Eastern bloc, had a lot of emphasis on educating people. China now does something similar. But under neoliberalism, the respect of people is tied to money-making or entrepreneurship. This view, critical of low priority of education under neoliberalism, seems to be shared by many people outside the U.S. today.