People don't matter. The vast majority of people are uneducated idiots who never decided one thing or another. The educated masses matter, those with knowledge as you call them, who have decided the trajectory of history at every turning point.
I happen to disagree. Americans are not 'uneducated idiots' but rather the target of perhaps the most sophisticated, ubiquitous, and persistant propaganda effort ever seen in human history. When you consider the stakes involved (massive military, very large economy) it is not such a surprise. As for what to do about that, I propose going to the source: reduce the size of the military, and reduce the size of the economy (by splitting it into several pieces).