Originally Posted by Andrewl

None of your proposed answers are mutually exclusive. They are all very likely to play a role IMO. That being said, one of the possible factors you did not mention was the ever increasing power of advertisers/corporations (and other self-interested groups), and how they consciously work to mould the psyche of the target audience.

The Benetton ads are an oft cited example of this. You mentioned the slaves going from property to fully enfranchised citizens... I would argue that yes legally they did achieve full rights, but the perception of black people still needed to change. (not quite there yet probably). In the '80s Benetton had all those adds that promoted mixed race lifestyles, made it seem acceptable, if not cool even. Many people credit these Benetton ads for their ability to change peoples perception of their environment.

The reason i mention this is because all your answers seemed to be of a 'natural transformation' from one state of mind to the next, but what about the possibility of artificial or forced transformation in the way we view the world, brought to us by corporations, organized religion, or government propoganda?

Andrew