Partner said he wishes I were more curious about the world

[Bzzzzzzz]

I am educated to Master's level, have lived in a couple of different countries and speak other Languages so I did think I was curious to some level at least. I read the news daily.
My partner doesn't have the qualifications and has mostly worked in 'menial' roles but he certainly reads a lot, has a lot of general knowledge and knows a lot about music.
I'd say I read more non fiction, I do occasionally read fiction but sometimes feel a bit embarrassed that I should have read a lot of the famous novels that I haven't.

Anyway I can occasionally be ditzy.
I was chatting to him yesterday and I said something about the topic of indigenous people. Looking back it was clumsily worded really, but I know what I meant.
He reacted as if I'd asked him to spell my own name. He said, "Omg seriously!!" "Like come on!!" "How on earth can you not know that!!" "What the hell!"
He was clearly annoyed, and I told him that I didn't think it had warranted such an angry reaction, I hadn't said anything controversial or offensive.
Later on we got into a discussion about it and I asked him if he'd have reacted like that if someone else had said it, i.e. a colleague or family member. I couldn't imagine him doing so. He said, "No, as I don't think they'd say something like that." He then calmly explained the mistake I'd made about indigenous people and I told him that's all that had been required.

His elderly aunt said she couldn't picture where NYC was on a map and he didn't say anything to her, but told me later on that he was frustrated at her 'lack of knowledge and curiosity."

Anyway during our discussion he did apologise for overreacting and then told me that I'm great but he "wishes I had more curiosity about the world."

I told him that I understood but I suppose now I'm second guessing. I like to travel, I watch a lot of travel documentaries, I'm interested in current affairs and happy to try new things. It's not the same as saying " You're great but I wish you did the dishes more." For instance.
Just interested to see what others think. I don't want someone to feel intellectually superior to me, though I'm probably just being too sensitive. Not sure what to do.

For those saying he didn't shout:

OP said this:

"He said, "Omg seriously!!" "Like come on!!" "How on earth can you not know that!!" "What the hell!"
He was clearly annoyed, and I told him that I didn't think it had warranted such an angry reaction,"

Multiple exclamation marks to indicate raised voice, description of reaction as "annoyed" and "angry". Sounds like shouting in all but name to me.

Mate, he is a cunt.

Just accept he didn’t shout.

The racist-or-not-comment is highly context dependent, I’d have thought. There is a huge distinction between using a term that is offensive out of ignorance and with no offensive intent and someone employing it with full knowledge of how and why it offends. Still needs to be called out, but the reaction is surely going to be less extreme than in the latter scenario. Similarly, I’d perfectly understand someone within the ‘indigenous’ group in question dispensing with politeness even if such a term was used out of ignorance alone, whereas I don’t see the need for anger in someone not directly affected.

Years ago my DP used an offensive term relating to intellectual disabilities about someone driving badly. I was shocked as it’s known to be a derogatory and ableist word in the UK. In his country the term was still commonly used. I knew he doesn’t use offensive language so I explained why it wasn’t ok to use it, and he was mortified. He’s never used it or anything like it ever again. There was no ableist intent and I ‘caught’ it before it could hurt anyone so I fail to see what anger would have achieved.

No idea how this fits with the op, of course.

@IrisVersicolor were you there?

Just accept that neither of us knows for sure.

Multiple exclamation marks to indicate raised voice

Exclamation marks are just punctuation, they don’t indicate a raised voice/shooting/yelling.

What does indicate a raised voice/shouting/yelling is putting something (other than an acronym) in all caps. So if it had been written “WHAT THE HELL!” that would be the text/written way of showing shouting.

But the OP says nothing about him shouting.

so you're just making shit up to suit your narrative.

No but OP was and she made no mention of shouting, nor did she use the convention of all caps to imply shouting.

Yes, this! CAPITAL LETTERS indicate shouting, but using an exclamation mark doesn't!

Look, i can speak so, so quietly - even whisper, like I am doing now - and still use an exclamation mark! and it it's fine!!!

@thedancingbear sorry, what part of "my narrative" needs to be reinforced by asserting that he was shouting?

@thedancingbear you do realise I can't actually hear you? (Thank goodness).

Why are you getting all drawn into an argument about shouting when that is completely irrelevant to the point that you and I were debating earlier? You just seem determined to disagree with me for kicks now.

The sky is blue by the way.

I don't think you have been unreasonable, he may overreact but eventually our partners want us to be better in every sense, so I wouldn't take it as bad.

<slips out quietly to go and find Angola on a map>

Because if you ever raise your voice these days you're an abuser. It's fine to debate, discuss, talk animatedly. But on MN if you've ever done anything as ghastly as raising your voice then you are 100% abusive and probably narcissistic for good measure. It's never okay to shout.

I don't know what decibel has to be reached for it to be abuse though.

Is this relationship a quiz show?

Any use to you @Bzzzzzzz ?