This is a false read of history that is biased by the false positive trajectory. We've never had this many people completely distracted by consumerism.

The population has been systematically distracted. Chomsky talks about how well read British working class laborers were in the 19th century: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CFwSQiTu3I

The work cited based on a huge study: https://www.amazon.com/Intellectual-Life-British-Working-Cla...