So, the next time you become exasperated at someone's inability to understand something "so simple," remember that their understanding might really not be at that level and try talking to them like they are 12 instead. 7/x

Sure, educational lesson plans may have changed since then, but I don't think the level of understanding has deviated that much for the average American. 6/

As I remember it, specific scientific principles weren't really introduced until high school. Government, civics, and deep dives into history -- high school. Critical thinking? High school. And that's 30+ years ago. 5/

But what if we extrapolated that beyond just reading comprehension? What if we considered the average level of knowledge and understanding of things like sciences, civics, and history for Americans is also at middle school level? When I look at things that way, it all starts making sense. 4/

When I was working as a journalist and writer almost 2 decades ago, I always understood that I needed to write at a 6th grade level -- the average reading comprehension level of adult Americans at the time -- so that I could properly get my message across. 3/

I see a lot of people ask, "Why don't people understand [this basic scientific principle]?" or "Why can't people realize that history is repeating itself?" or something similar. 2/