I think a lot of the things we take for granted in society are made to harm us. This documentary from Adam Curtis is about the way consumer/capitalist society was created by Eddie Bernays using the brainwashing techniques he took from his uncle Freud.

Basically people didn't need to buy products outside of satisfying their own basic needs, but companies working with publicity agents like Bernays created the modern consumer/capitalist environment we are all familiar with in order to make people more interested in their products, basically creating modern society. It's interesting because it touches the way people are conditioned using propaganda in order to change their minds.