You know what's worse than being a basement dweller? It's being unaware that you're vulnerable to propaganda, being unaware that you're an emotional creature and your brain doesn't try to make sense, it tries to connect stories and ideas to explain why you're feeling what you feel.

In other words, you can be a smart person and easily influenced into positions that either are not your own, or not even connected to reality just because you had a feeling once validated by someone saying the right thing at the right time and you don't question the story that you start piecing together in your head.

So the question you would need to always ask yourself, is what is it that you feel that you need to cling to such cynical and hateful stereotypes to the extent of even invalidating or denying the testimony of others who are directly contradicting your obviously exaggerated tales of "listening to hippies talk about jews."

You are describing a personal experience and because it validates some feeling you already had, it feels like a real evaluation of the broader world. Other people who do this include: scientologists, flat-earthers, modern nazis, cult members and generally people who just go through life angry and miserable and blaming that misery on others. Don't be a pawn to others or your own brain, have some control over your narratives.