That's history, today's world, and the future.
If anyone can point out a time in history where the rich and/or powerful didn't tell the rest of the world what to do, please educate me.
The only issue to consider is how happy people are living in that world. I believe, apart from the worst offending dictators such as Stalin, Mao, and Trump (if he wins), you can make your own happiness by not playing the game they set out.
People make themselves unhappy by blindly following a consumer society that requires everyone to buy the biggest car and best house their bank will loan them the money for.
Once they have the loans, they are trapped in their jobs regardless of how much they hate work, and always need a pay rise. Essentially, companies have set up a system where they have everyone by the balls.
The same goes for beer, coca cola, and all the other stuff advertisers tell us we are going to be so happy if we buy, eat and drink. I generally drink water but I'm a bugger for coffee. My favourite place is near my office. It has no air conditioning, but has very nice coffee at 10k a cup.
I often spend an hour there after work.
It's true that the rich and powerful dictate to us, but it's often because we let them.