• unless indicated otherwise by brackets, which is the correct way to indicate this

    No it isn’t. The order of operations rules are at least 200 years older than the use of Brackets in Maths. Not sure how you think Maths was done before we started using Brackets.

    put brackets around it or bugger off.

    Bugger off with your disinformation. There are no Maths textbooks which use Brackets for such a basic expression. Students are expected to know the order of operations rules