Humanity's collective consciousness is an odd thing. Cultural reflection is a ship on a voyage through the centuries. It swims above the mainstream and below the elites. The mainstream is submerged in a manufactured reality, and the elites prefer facts over speculative fiction.
If you know the important players face to face, you can ask them directly about their motives, instead of listening to news reports or op-ed propaganda. Most people in positions of power seem to be quite averse to the bullshit that has to be said in public.