It sounds like you're starting from preconcieved beliefs and then working backwards to determine how you'll interpret the validity of new information based on how they conform to your beliefs.
>pure propaganda
I'm not sure if it's 'pure'. Lots of people who studied economics actually believe CPI and PCE are good measures.
Our feudal system demands we wrap ourselves in hallucinated expertise and LARP the validity of our professions outputs to earn food and shelter though
Academia grooms students to propagate curriculum, not define new ideas