One that seems prevalent is the weird combo of Stockholm Syndrome and an unwillingness to see one has been duped by the people and institutions one trusted or took for granted

"It's easier to fool a man than it is to convince him he's been fooled" - Upton Sinclair

And Americans have huge egos too, and a strong ego won't let you believe you'd be tricked so fully.

I agree with the stockholm thing, it in our media too. Ideas defending the institiutions abusing us surround us like a fish is surrounded by water. We almost can't imagine a world without it because we're so neck-deep in it. It does takes some psychological strength and independence to hold a coherent ideology these days, because the media presents information as fractured pieces that don't fit in to a cohesive whole. It's up to us individually to take the 1000 puzzle pieces and put them together in to one clear image.