And the villain who throws widowed mothers of small children into the midnight snow has been around for centuries in drama.
The difference is the amount of media that people are exposed to these days is orders of magnitude greater than the very occasional stage play of yesteryear.
So the mantra of the eeeevil company owner has become ingrained in the minds of too many people. I have rarely followed any soap operas, but a generation ago, they were the daily companions to millions of people. I doubt if there ever was a hero company president in all the years of those shows.
Add public education.