People are attacking this graph for the difference in scales, but the US population didn't increase by that much in 9 years (2003 to 2012): only about 10%. It's

People are attacking this graph for the difference in scales, but the US population didn't increase by that much in 9 years (2003 to 2012): only about 10%. It's a shame that people are missing the forest for the trees here. If there were a 10-15% rise in student debt, that would be reasonable in the context of US population growth. But it's 200%. Yes, the axes have been chosen in such a way to exaggerate the (still valid) point. This isn't any different from a visual model of the solar system that downplays the (vast) differences between the planets, relative to their sizes. Is it "misleading"? Only if it's presented and interpreted as a scale model. In this graph, the axes are clearly labelled, informing the reader of what's going on. Thiel is right that there's a problem. The Satanic Trinity (housing, healthcare, tuition) that is killing the middle class is fundamentally extortive at this point, and extortionists are known for rapidly ratcheting up their demands. What's happening is that, as the middle-class breaks down, people are panic-buying the credentials and connections that might keep them alive in this game of musical chairs. I don't support Thiel's solution (as an aside, he's an investor in Knewton, one of the most pro-establishment ed-techs out there) but he sees the problem with a clarity that few do.