You may have meant this more of an expression of shock, regardless it is good to think about the question. Hope you don’t mind if I run with it for the general discussion.

Babies and children have an innate desire to learn, which can be nourished or beaten down. If it’s beaten down long enough, “Ignorant” may become that child’s preferred state as they get older, for reasons of domestic safety and social norms.

This lack of respect for knowledge and the accompanying lack of knowledge makes things that are outside someone’s worldview threatening. They respond as if it was a threat and the cycle continues.

It is supposed to be the job of schools to rescue children from that cycle, by providing them with a space where they can be curious and not have to worry about a bigoted family member coming down on them. Sometimes they succeed but I think more often they don’t, especially in areas where bigotry is rampant and/or where schools are underfunded or beholden to antisocial policies and laws.

I’m on a long bus ride, hence the exposition :)