[caseyross]

Success stories would have been mostly accurate in prehistoric times. In a tribe of a few dozen people, it's quite imaginable that one person might be able to "disrupt" the status quo through singlehanded grit, determination, or heroism.

But these kind of narratives are a poor fit for the complexity of our modern world. Even without considering the issue of deliberate propaganda, it simply isn't possible in practice for a modern citizen to wrap their mind around all relevant factors that led to success or failure.