> It's much more comforting

This kind of psychologizing can be used to subjectively argue either case.

For example, I could say that it's much more comforting to think that current circumstances are artifacts of greedy fools rather than coordination by malevolent and powerful actors.

> that the "top level" had a plan here

You're also being somewhat reductive here. Sure, entry-level conspiracies rely on an all-powerful council with top-down authority, but there are more nuanced understandings where they can arrive out of alliances of convenience between rival factions.

Sure. But when someone says "designed this way", it really comes off as top-down.