> That's because shadow stats is a joke. If you adjust US GDP using their inflation figures, you'd find that the US economy has been on a continual decline for the past few decades.
Today families need dual incomes just to purchase a modest home and carry health insurance. How is this not a decline in standard of living from a few decades ago?
Where's our new airports? New rail transit systems? New infrastructure? Everything in this country is old and getting older.
Inflation is and always will be relative value story. Some airports are crumbling, some are newer. Today we have iPhone's, virtual doctor's appointments and no horse manure in the street.
And 40 years ago we had real doctors actually available for patients, no horse manure in the street, and no capitalist manure wired into our pockets 24/7 controlling our information flow thru a select set of international media conglomerates.
I’m skeptical that the things you don’t like about 2022 are because 1982 was strictly better. Seems much more likely that we simply have a different set of compromises and priorities, with some things better and some things worse and no easy way to untangle the complex interdependencies into sweeping linear statements like “decline”.
Who are you talking to? When did I make any statements of that nature?
I was pointing out the provided example was stupid. Smart phones are "cool" and all, but it'd be a tough sell to argue successfully that connectivity has increased societal cohesion, education, information dispersal, or any of the other virtues you might hope for.
Instead, iPhones and virtual doctor appointments are like bandaids on a societal-wide decline, where increased privatization combines with government inflation to create a caste system they disguise as capitalism. Inflation-adjusted salaries are lower than ever across the board, housing prices are skyrocketing both absolutely and as a function of salary-years, corporate control of information has reached unprecedented levels, and the "relative value story" of now vs 40 years ago makes it pretty clear it's tougher to have a good life now even if you can have fancy toys to interact with corporate-controlled data-mined ad-laced entertainment
I’m responding to the thread. Decline is mentioned a few posts up. Regardless of all the bad things you list, I would still prefer to live in 2022 than 1982 because I believe those bad things are stated hyperbolically and where there are genuine negatives they are more than compensated for by other factors. Are things perfect? No, let’s keep working on this and make 2062 even better.
> Are things perfect? No, let’s keep working on this and make 2062 even better
The naivety is almost making me feel better, but I don't think you understand what capitalism has done to our world's power structures if you think we stand a chance to change anything
Problem is that wages did not increase with economic growth. Those that benefit the most are a small minority, so yes, now both parents would need to work to achieve the same.
Originally, my plan was to earn enough to secure a house & future as a working person, and then try to join politic and change the discourse.
Now, my plan is to accept that even with a good salary securing a future at good QOL costs a lifetime, so I will try to enjoy myself and hopefully buy a home that doesn't get burnt down in the increasingly frequent and devastating forest fires of my native home.
Today families need dual incomes just to purchase a modest home and carry health insurance. How is this not a decline in standard of living from a few decades ago?
Where's our new airports? New rail transit systems? New infrastructure? Everything in this country is old and getting older.