One thing that plagues our culture and consciousness, derived from a devilish mix of popular culture and paranoid polemics of the past is the belief that Some Vast Competent Conspiracy is responsible for our problems. Too many people believe, even if they won't admit it, that all our problems are due to some well-organized conspiracy running all things.
Sorry, we should be so lucky.
We lack Lex Luthor. We're denied Doctor Doom. We're sans Sinestro. When you watch things that go wrong with the world, such as . . . I dunno, the Fraudclosure mess . . . you don't need supervillains and constant conspiracies to explain them. In fact, if our world was run by secret brilliant conspirators they'd probably do a hell of a lot better.
Here's what you need to know – greedy people with issues manipulate gritty STUPID people with issues. That's it. That's all you need to know about most of the pain, suffering, and stupidities in the world.
So look, yes conspiracies are fun in fiction, but frankly most ideas about them are ridiculous. They distract us from real issues – and from how easily people are manipulated by people that aren't like Sephiroth, The Leader, or Darth Vader. We get too busy looking for conspiracies and miss what's right in front of our face.
If you're going to face the economic issues of the day, the job issues of the day, you'll be well served by abandoning the idea that anything relating to vast, conspiratorial competence runs the world. Greed, stupidity, ignorance, and pathology explain quite enough thank you.
Remember. If Lex Luthor was real, you'd probably have an easier time finding a job. At least Luthorcorp would be hiring.