I think they actually do know but they don't want to admit they fucked up.

Those, who got that they was fooled, are in sutuation like they was tricked into publicly eating shit under guise of chocolate. They just can't admit that they ate shit.

I think if we could create a narrative that let them keep their sense of superiority, they would come around.

I don't think that there exist any sane way to find out any superiority in eating shit. Normalizing coprophagy is the only way.