The problem is that the "worse off" parts tend to depend heavily on perception and the "better off" parts are acutely measurable. It's quite difficult to even f

The problem is that the "worse off" parts tend to depend heavily on perception and the "better off" parts are acutely measurable. It's quite difficult to even frame a comparison of living now and living 50 years ago. It's impossible to even explain how food alone has improved in 50 years. Part of what Anthony Bourdain does is "food archaeology" with traditional dishes that are now coming back into cuisine. So maybe 250 years ago , food was better if you had it. A thousand tiny torts over status-based "microagressions"* don't add up easily to equal severe food uncertainty. *lousy word choice if there ever was one... I depend on you as a reader to pick your own replacement. Part of me thinks people are bloody-minded animals and most of this lives only in their head. But it's based in "is this all there is" and that's quite real.