Their answer seems to be magical communist brainwashing, teenage rebellion, or lack of historical knowledge. They completely dismiss becoming a leftist out of actual demands.

It's very weird that liberals have an idea of politics being about knowing things. If you know enough things, you simply become a liberal and if you're not a liberal, it's because some facts elude you. It couldn't possibly be about class affinity and direct experiences shaping your outlook. You simply haven't looked at the correct bar graphs yet showing liberal democracies have the highest freedom quotients per capita.