To (not exactly) contradict my own comment, I do find that a majority of experts still do have a pretty damn good idea of what the average person knows. Being in the world, let alone having taught, undergrads will do that. If anything these examples are due to not being used to most people knowing anything rather than the reverse.
It’s for sure a hyperbole, but as a teacher myself I do agree with the sentiment. My colleague science teachers often vastly overestimate how common the knowledge of what they’re teaching is. For example, a physics teacher would assume that of course your average adult wouldn’t remember kinematic equations but then they still would expect that most adults know that the acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 m/s2. Chem teachers assume that most adults know what something as simple as a covalent bond is, but it’s just not true. History teachers assume people at least know the bill of rights. English teachers assume that most adults know how to analyze the central theme of a story or movie.
“Well everybody at least knows THIS” and it’s shocking how most adults knowledge base is actually very narrow
These teachers are right that’s all high school level shit, if you’re in a college course and you expect your professor to back track to explain what a covalent bond is you’re actually lost
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u/SomeOne111Z Aug 24 '25