As you noted, things change slowly at first, then all at once. The Very Serious People and their ilk will continue to offer their obviously wrong ideas and interpretations even as people start to disbelieve and ultimately ignore them.

It seems to be that their grip on the beliefs and attitudes of the nation is slipping. One by one, people will realize they are being gaslighted and duped by these shills, and they will become angry enough to change their minds. After all, the reality of most people's lives (those not in the top 1%) reflects that the prognostications of the Very Serious People simply doesn't put food on the table or help them pay their bills.

The biggest lie over the last 40 years is that unbridled capitalism will unleash economic growth and benefit everyone. Without implementing policies that only benefit the top 1%, everyone will be out of a job. Further, the masses should be thankful that the benevolent 1% are kind of enough to give them a job. It's such bullshit that when people realize how completely they were duped, it will make them angry and reactionary. That's when the pitchforks come out and the guillotines serve their useful purpose in curbing the excess of the aristocracy.