I think that we aren't exactly in a Golden Era, mostly due to a strong perception of middle class economic stagnation. This is regardless of the fact that mater

I think that we aren't exactly in a Golden Era, mostly due to a strong perception of middle class economic stagnation. This is regardless of the fact that material conditions around the world are improving very quickly. I think the victimization infatuation is just one of the symptoms of economic anxiety. The "Elephant Curve" (ref. enlightenment now, or googlable) has more explanatory power for middle class economic stagnation than anything else. If you are rich, things are great. If you are first world middle class, the amount of economic stagnation you've seen over the last decade or so probably provides a lot of anxiety. If you are living in a third world country, things are booming. This boom is fueled by geographic arbitrage of wages that in turn leads to the economic stagnation of the first world middle class. These middle class folks are paying a not-too-terrible price to pay in order to raise billions of people from extreme poverty. In net, it's an extremely good thing. But for the middle class at large, a lot of self-percieved human happiness is determined by the hedonic treadmill. If things aren't showing constantly material improvement, the feel like they are gettting worse, because humans are insatiable without progress. At an individual level, mindfulness and stoicism can help you get off the hedonic treadmill. At a societal level, the zeitgeist will become very anxious when this stagnation occurs, and if you let this zeitgeist infect you, you risk becoming cynical, depressed, and developing a victim mentality.