Excellent point. And this process was very real, not just symbolic. Catholics thought, "If they can change the rules about the Mass, about eating fish on Fridays, about women wearing headcoverings in church, etc., then they can change the rules about anything. I can make my own rules about birth control, sex outside marriage, etc., and they can no longer pretend that their 'rules' are handed down by God."
Frankly, the biggest problem right now, IMO, is lack of Catechesis beginning in the late 1960's. That is directly related to the relaxation of all the "rules". That's when it happened. I grew up in the 70's and was a victim of it. It hasn't been until the last couple of years that I've truly understood what it means to be Catholic - and I didn't learn it from school or my elders.
Another excellent point. Like you I was given a supposedly "Catholic" education in the 1970s, and I was appalled when I found out how little I knew and how much of the faith I was ignorant of.
I feel that way about a lot of my education. Even though I went to Catholic primary and secondary schools, most of my education was done in the home - by myself, or from my parents. My mom encouraged me to look things up on my own, and concerning my faith, she would always "throw" around phrases from the traditional Mass like "Deo gratias" regularly. I think I have learned the most about my faith over the past 2-3 years on my own.