... it's almost like they've been sold the idea.

I would suggest that someone paid, someone else (media, etc.) to dish it out to the public. The public received this idea for "free"... :-/

Capitalism has its merits when properly managed.

Heres an example of what I mean by managed. "Free market" is a hijacked term.

It now means private control of everything in the economic system.

It used to be a philosophy of lowering prices on commodities, such that the cost was almost free; as in you pay what it costs to create which makes it functionally a "free market".
This requires some source of external management to ensure that prices aren't inflated, monopolized, etc.

Utilitys are a great example of this concept. It's not free, but the price is driven to some small % of the actual cost.

• Water is cheap.
  
• Electricity is cheap (energy cartels notwithstanding).
  
• Usage of the roads for commerce is functionally free.
  

This system of resource management benefits the overall community and minimizes the reach of oligarchy.

Unfortunately, the oligarchy tried to corrupted academia and failed.
So instead, they created their own fraudulent universities with bogus economics, etc.
The Chicago School of Economics is a prime example of this bogus economic fraud.
The Grant funding system was also institututed, which controls research allocations and further incentivizes academic fraud.

I don't pretend to know what the best economic solution is.
Every system is susceptible to authoritarian control, which it's the actual danger (the philosophy of each is theoretical).

I would recommend instituting the classical free market philosophy, regardless of the "fill-in-the-blank-ism" system that is selected.

This system demonstrably works, and maximally benefits all members of society.