"And when young impressionable voters on reddit read 'capitalism = slavery' out of context, they'll vote for even stupider systems that throw everyone into poverty."

That's probably the best statement to make me want to detract my comment. It was made light hearted and in jest but you're right in that it portrays the wrong image of what capatilism entails. The saving grace is that it has at least generated discussion.

As far as using psychology to manipulate people on a mass scale one of the best examples of this and how it has been implemented as a system of control in democratic capatilist systems is shown through the influence of people like Edward Bernays who stated they could use psychology to control the masses and how, and then implemented these theories with resounding success. Our entire culture is driven by what our media influence tells is the standard of living is, and our media is heavily controlled by PR teams. PR is literally propaganda (the term was coined as a more appeasing alternative to the word propaganda). The whole fabric of the American way of life as it is now relies heavily on this business model. The idea is to use methods to trick people into consenting towards the wants and desires of those in control by making them lust after superficial wants and desires. As Bernays called it, this is 'engeneering consent'. I can't really be bothered explaining more right now but researching more into Edward Bernays can set you on a path that will shed more and more light on these issues and the way in which they work.

As far as numerical values go, business are often driven by specific profit margins and quotas they have to adhere to, even in our government institutions such as the police. I can't be bothered going fully into that right now as well but if I find myself with the time I will come back and link to some literature/studies/documentaries that discuss the matter further.