1 + 1 = 2, or does it?

My friend and I were walking around campus today, in between classes, and we came across a stand for the San Jose Spartan Cheerleaders. Apparently, they were having a bake sale. Now my initial reaction to cheerleaders, I must say, is not good. I immediately think that they are not that bright, but in today's society, people can surprise you. So lately I have been trying to give people the benefit of the doubt and assume that cheerleaders are smarter than I have always stereotyped them to be.

So my friend and I walk over to this stand to check and see if they are selling anything good. It turns out that they had rice krispies treats and my friend wanted a donut too. So we end up getting two rice krispies treats at $.75 each and one donut at $.75 each. Can you do the math? I will tell you one thing, the cheerleader that helped us sure couldn't.

.75 + .75 = 1.50 + .75 = ???? Oh, yeah, $2.25.

My friend hands her a twenty dollar bill and the look on her face was priceless, she froze, it seemed as though she was unable to comprehend the situation.

$20.00 - $2.25 = ????

So my friend tries to help her out. He hands her $.25. Which to most people would make the math easier. But to a cheerleader, apparently it causes even more confusion.

So the math has come down to this...

$20.25 - $2.25 =

In her words..."he gets $18, right?" After saying so, she looked at her fellow cheerleaders trying to find her answer.

My friend and I both looked at her with shame and disgrace.

As we walked away, we couldn't help but laugh. We both felt bad, but as much as we both try to eliminate the stereotypes we place on cheerleaders, it seems as though, whenever we give them the benefit of the doubt, they shoot us down and make the stereotype worse than it already is.

Is it possible for a cheerleader to make it to a California State University and not understand how to make change for a simple transaction. It confuses me, no wait, it completely baffles me. I worked hard to get my Associates Degree to get here, the only public school in California, that at the time of application, to offer Public Relations as a major. But is it so simple to get in to this school that you don't even have to know how to do math? How does it happen? How do they do it? What has the world come to? It is no wonder why the adults of today's society are so concerned for the education of our youth. I am too.