...and technologies, including mass propaganda, have extended their reach and scale. They didn’t have trains delivering millions to gas chambers in Athens, helmed by people listening to Hitler’s speeches on the radio.

Saying “x has always existed” is different from the scale at which x is present. That is, in fact, one way that we measure progress. Inarguably, we will never be able to stamp out our baser instincts and behavior, but we should strive to reduce their presence and impact.