Besides, that flow of opinion from high to low status apes is only the default. It's important to be aware of the impact of status on ape behaviour if you want to change things, but mostly so that we can be aware of its effect on us and then question it.

You don't have to influence the opinions of high-status individuals: just influence a few lower-status individuals to weigh those opinions mindfully against the facts. Those then gain status among their peers for their clever and original take on things, re-distributing a little ape-status in the direction of rationality.