Ignorant people are intimidated by people who know more things than they do. They put themselves down and avoid those people. Intelligent people know that there is always someone who knows more than they do and that there is always someone who knows less than they do. Given that, intelligent people do not put themselves down for not knowing as much as someone else and they are not intimidated by talented people. They very smartly take advantage of what talented people have to offer.
This hilarious and spot on video from Bill Maher points out how the former attitude has hurt Americans. This article shows how the RNC is trying, again, to convince Americans that it is good to be ignorant and avoid talented people:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12414.html