As you’ve indicated, there’s a difference between setting ‘low’ expectations, which often comes from laziness, lack of ambition, or fear of failure, and setting ‘realistic’ ambitions, which comes from knowing one’s limitations. I don’t suggest that everyone try to be the best in the world at everything, but I do think that most people have some talent at which they’re capable at making a dedicated effort. Also, many people don’t really know their limitations until they’ve tested them. As an unathletic kid I never thought I’d ever be capable of running a marathon, but after getting into running for the first time in my 20s, I ran two marathons in my 30s.
The calculator basically just does arithmetic. If you work as a scientist or engineer you might need to know how to solve complex equations and use higher forms of math.
I was about to post something about Spuds being female as well, which might not have yet been known when this particular strip was published. Ironically the subject of Spuds being a female posing as a male would later be brought up when it was revealed that a certain Bloom County character previously assumed to be male was in fact female.
As you’ve indicated, there’s a difference between setting ‘low’ expectations, which often comes from laziness, lack of ambition, or fear of failure, and setting ‘realistic’ ambitions, which comes from knowing one’s limitations. I don’t suggest that everyone try to be the best in the world at everything, but I do think that most people have some talent at which they’re capable at making a dedicated effort. Also, many people don’t really know their limitations until they’ve tested them. As an unathletic kid I never thought I’d ever be capable of running a marathon, but after getting into running for the first time in my 20s, I ran two marathons in my 30s.