This is the fundamental problem with democracy and a free press. The banks help their cronies consolidate the media, the media defines the terms of the debate and what people know about. The people process the limited amount of inputs they receive and basically do what they're told to do.

The internet disrupts this, so it is a threat. Even so, for the most part, it's still amazing how deaf dumb and blind the conversation on the internet is in that the mainstream media, who define the terms and scope of the debate, are the only link to the world outside of immediate perception for the participants.