"Well then they should be made to." -Anakin Skywalker

Breaking free of peer pressure can be hard, especially if that's the social group you depend on for support. If ppl can't feel safe moving away from those groups, then what incentive is there to leave?

Never is a long time. I would reframe "love living willfully ignorant" as "feel safe in their crafted reality". It can be hard to face accountability, like it's a lose-lose situation.

I disagree. When someone calls you stupid, it doesn't feel great to hand them power. It might be slow-going, but listening to and speaking to their needs could win them over in the long run.

You too can be bought!

Honestly, it's hard to enjoy any day...

I think you were still productive. Films might do 30 takes of a single scene and cut it from the final edit. And that's normal.