In the context I'm speaking of, it's abstract vs practical. The publicly educated in the US has not been taught any connection between math and reality.
One summer my family had a student from France stay with us. He and I watched a TV show where a magic trick was demonstrated that taught you how to perform the trick for others. We got out a deck of cards and practiced the trick. After a few rounds, he grabs a pad of paper and starts writing. While looking over his shoulder, I followed his work. He was doing algebra, and I could follow it easily, as I had just completed the course the year prior. When he was finished, he said, "There! That is it!", and laid the pen down. "What's what?", I asked. "This is the formula for the magic trick.", he replied. I was dumbfounded. I knew the trick, I had done it before I saw the TV show. I knew the math, and it wasn't complex at all. Why had no one shown me where and how to apply what I was learning to thrle reality I was living in? They obviously taught it in France.