I always used to question how people I worked with who are demonstratably much more intelligent than average could fall for things like this but then I realized

I always used to question how people I worked with who are demonstratably much more intelligent than average could fall for things like this but then I realized I seem to have a unique set of circumstances in my life that kind of led me to question everything and be maybe more aware of propaganda than an average person. The more I've observed, traveled, interacted with people, etc the more I have realized people who are book smart are often highly susceptible to propaganda as they often will build up a mental image of the world from 3rd party sources, rather than first-hand experience, because they are so proficient at reading, analyzing, etc.