> Am I being overly charitable No, you're being reasonable in your assessment. It's an entirely common reason for why it happens. People rationalize away thing

> Am I being overly charitable No, you're being reasonable in your assessment. It's an entirely common reason for why it happens. People rationalize away things that make them feel uncomfortable, scared, or things they simply don't want to deal with (if they confront it, it forces a change in their life, or a difficult choice and similar). There's a finite load that people can handle at one time, whether that's trying to quit smoking or dealing with problems with their children or work, etc. Ignorance plays an important role, no question, however it's related to the unwillingness to confront an issue first and foremost. An unwillingness to confront a thing (eg ignorance about SARS-CoV-2) is a consequence rather than cause; that unwillingness is often caused by the existing mental tax, life stress, the person is under (and all people have varying capacities for absorbing that, some people can't absorb much). This is another reason why childhood education is so critical, it can be very difficult to find the time to properly educate yourself later in life, as life's burdens attempt to swallow you; and your brain is more often going to spongehappy (knowledge nom nom nom), versus a more resistent adult brain that recognizes the effort and untangling required in dealing with/reconciling internal knowledge conflicts once incorrect information is in place. Teaching children how to think is hugely important, versus the person attempting to remake their brain processes later in life (such as during a global pandemic, as they're losing their job), when it's guaranteed to be a huge struggle with existing cruft/debt.