Open up a classic mathematics textbook written by a Welshman, Robert Recorde, and flip past the preface and the table of contents.
There, you'll see the bold statement that math is "contemptible and vile."
Recorde didn't believe that himself. Quite the opposite. But, writing in 1543, he had to acknowledge that this was a prevailing view at the time — that math was profane. Not worth knowing.
That's something many school children today might agree with, but why such a disdain back in the 16th century? And not from kids, but from lots of people.