This is one of the main absurdities on Earth. Since during the last thousands of years, the leadership has been always hijacked by MIC and its negative predecessors, and since the public opinion has been almost always manipulated by the leaders, the mainstream was almost always saturated with deception and negative propaganda. Main capitals of the world carry the visible trace of this deception: look at the architecture of Rome, Moscow, Washington, Paris, London and other major capitals. They all carry the spirit of empire hijacked by MIC and opposed to the interests of humanity. On the other hand, people looking for truth started many alternative movements. Typically alternative movements, or in other words, grassroots movements, opposition to the mainstream are much more truthful and are full of the good energy of people wishing good to humanity. After these movements become visible, they become also hijacked by MIC agents and fill up with nonsense and disinformation. Some truth is kept as an esoteric knowledge by secret societies which are also hijacked by MIC and used for education and control of its members. So most often, as a rule, the opposition on Earth is better than mainstream. It is most obvious in culture. The best cultural movements in history have been in opposition to the mainstream.
I will name a few of my favorites. Many intellectuals will agree with me. Auguste Renoir, Clod Monet, Osip Mandelstam, Ray Bradbury (check him out, you ought to love his writings), hippies, Beatles, Alexander Galich, Vladimir Vysotsky, Bulat Okudzhava, Andrei Sakharov, Sergei Nikitin, and "Arkady and Boris Strugatsky" and Pyotr Chaadayev. Start with these nodes in our culture and you will discover a wonderful layer of our alternative culture which may resonate much with your ideals.
MIC = military-industrial complex