Who said we have no control on the world? Do you think one has to be The President or some mogul to have a say in the world? Was Rosa Parks anybody important when she did what she did?
And even if it's not about changing the world, being aware of the pitfalls instead of blindly optimistic can let people avoid lots of dangers of the "it can't happen here" or "it can't happen to me" type...
These are social issues. There are no monetary interests at work.
In the (very, very) long run nobody really cares who you marry.
These are just the little things given to us to fight over so we don't notice what's really going on (i.e 3 wars, but still no healthcare? Come on.)
From slavery and Jim Crow laws, to seggregation and redlining, there were tons of monetary interests at keeping the blacks down.
Others don't give a damn, and they're happier because of it.
Bad things will happen to you personally eventually (assuming they haven't yet). I have enough of that to deal with already, why would I want more?