It's almost always been so in modern days, and is obvious if only you read news from around the globe and not just yours local.
Judging from my experience traveling around the world, due to the job I have, I must say, sorry, the USA's social environment system is one of the most manipulative and forceful, and is designed for the mass control to desired destinations.
The Overton window is the range of subjects and arguments politically acceptable to the mainstream population at a given time. It is also known as the window of discourse. The key to the concept is that the window changes over time; it can shift, shrink, or expand. It exemplifies "the slow evolution of societal values and norms".
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His primary rules were: never allow the public to cool off; never admit a fault or wrong; never concede that there may be some good in your enemy; never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it.
Source: A Psychological Analysis Of Adolph Hitler His Life... [web-archive]