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> By most metrics life is better than it ever has been. I imagine people whose wages haven't risen meaningfully in the last 20 years would disagree. So would p

> By most metrics life is better than it ever has been. I imagine people whose wages haven't risen meaningfully in the last 20 years would disagree. So would people who can only get wage increases by constantly switching jobs.

korantu 5y ago
People are steadily getting out of poverty [1], living longer [2], can afford more and more education [3]. Things like access to drinking water [4] and electricity [5] are also improving. So, yes, world in theese important ways is better than ever before now. And imagining future is needed to continue making it better. [1] https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/distribution-of-population-poverty-thresholds?stackMode=relative https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/distribution-of-populatio... [2] https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/life-expectancy?time=1946..2015 https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/life-expectancy?time=1946... [3] https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/mean-years-of-schooling-long-run?tab=chart&time=1985..2017 https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/mean-years-of-schooling-l... [4] https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-of-the-population-with-access-to-improved-drinking-water?tab=chart&time=1992..latest https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-of-the-population-w... [5] https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-of-the-population-with-access-to-electricity?tab=chart https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-of-the-population-w...
- watwut 5y ago
  I think that thread was about USA specifically. It compares past American production with current.
- jlokier 5y ago
  It's a bit more complicated. A lot of people in the wealthier countries are objectively worse off than their parents in ways that matter to them, and that's a relatively recent change. Many young people are seeing older people, including their own parents, with homes, jobs and comparative stability, and don't see the same possibilities for themselves. Even having more income, for the lucky ones that do, doesn't make up for that. Home prices have risen faster than wages. You can argue that numerous other metrics are in their favour, but that's not enough to make people feel optimistic.

korantu 5y ago

People are steadily getting out of poverty [1], living longer [2], can afford more and more education [3]. Things like access to drinking water [4] and electricity [5] are also improving. So, yes, world in theese important ways is better than ever before now. And imagining future is needed to continue making it better. [1] https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/distribution-of-population-poverty-thresholds?stackMode=relative https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/distribution-of-populatio... [2] https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/life-expectancy?time=1946..2015 https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/life-expectancy?time=1946... [3] https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/mean-years-of-schooling-long-run?tab=chart&time=1985..2017 https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/mean-years-of-schooling-l... [4] https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-of-the-population-with-access-to-improved-drinking-water?tab=chart&time=1992..latest https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-of-the-population-w... [5] https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-of-the-population-with-access-to-electricity?tab=chart https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-of-the-population-w...

watwut 5y ago
I think that thread was about USA specifically. It compares past American production with current.
jlokier 5y ago
It's a bit more complicated. A lot of people in the wealthier countries are objectively worse off than their parents in ways that matter to them, and that's a relatively recent change. Many young people are seeing older people, including their own parents, with homes, jobs and comparative stability, and don't see the same possibilities for themselves. Even having more income, for the lucky ones that do, doesn't make up for that. Home prices have risen faster than wages. You can argue that numerous other metrics are in their favour, but that's not enough to make people feel optimistic.