My favorite comparison in proclaiming ignorance is the English (or pick your non-science teacher category) teacher that proclaims they can't "do" math. Asking the opposite question, is it okay for any teacher to be illiterate? Just because something is difficult does not make it okay to shrug off as unnecessary.

IMO If you claim to be a programmer, you ought to have a whine-free good grasp (at least) of the tools necessary to be successful.