CRT is so extreme to most peoples tastes, they actually become willfully blind to it. It's some version of default to truth. They think it's innocuous and reasonable. It's about ending racism, helping disadvantaged students, trying to make everyone more compassionate and caring. All the good stuff everyone can agree on. So when presented with the reality of how extreme it is. They dismiss it. They can't see or accept that. Assume it must be more reasonable and not that. That's not CRT, they misunderstood or made a mistake in thinking it is. Or someone is misleading them as to what it is.
This is because CRT has been snuck in under the guise of good intentions and not what it really is. So they just can't accept or see the reality.
Then there are people with some understanding of what it is. Where they simply can't believe it is ever something that will become mainstream or gain influnece. It's just too extreme and so poses no real-world threat. It's just right-wing people having a moral panic and bullshitting about the danger. When they see examples of CRT being put into action. They dismiss it. It's just a fringe example.
While the activists are knownly pushing CRT, I think people in these camps are getting in the way of the issue properly-being covered and discussed in mainstream discourse.