Abstract thinking is really not that easy. Just try to go to a shopping mall and teach people simple math or programming concepts.
I have taught at least a dozen people to code. A good number had no idea what was going on for a while, but left knowing how to handle the basics.
Coding, math, and related subjects are made harder than needed by focusing on the abstract too much. Most of the concepts taught in a typical computer science degree are not difficult once you strip away the terminology.
I'm also not sure how you see these opinions stemming from an elitist filter bubble. I know what I know because of how I've been educated. Anyone who put in the same amount of work (within a reasonable margin) would know the same things.