Seeing through propaganda is the first step towards understanding and categorising it. Nowadays, there seems to be more systematic propaganda (manipulation) than, say, 500 years ago. Coercion and oppression dominated then...
If now in modern democracies such brutal methods have simply been replaced by subtle tactics, then something is wrong. And it's very wrong. I think we need to be vigilant and put the brakes on one way or another...
We often forget about critical thinking; it's not that we forget the term, but rather how to apply it. Thank you for your comment.