You’d be surprised how many right wing or “free-thinking” people have been successfully isolated from any conception of a left perspective.

Not just righties, libs too. I didn't truly encounter the left perspective until I was in my mid twenties. I was on Bernie Reddit, and I was really surprised to see people saying positive things about the evil commie dictatorship of Cuba, which prompted me to read a biography of Fidel Castro to learn more about him and it.