I firsthand observed the fall of communist regime in my country (1989). A lot of ordinary citizens (some of them with great education and so on) were very childlike when interacting with the non communist world and the new rules. There was naivete in the population that was exploited and cashed to the fullest. Ponzi schemes, predatory advertising, cults, quacks ...

When the rules of the game change drastically - we are all children until we figure out the new ones.