Not to mention how much other stuff was stolen from young people, like how awesome the internet was in the mid-2000's before it got absolutely destroyed by corporations - game consoles that didn't require 35 accounts to play a game ONLINE ONLY and a subscription to EVERYTHING in your life. Sure, it's always been bad (because capitalism) but not THIS bad. And it'll only get worse as the population becomes less tech literate.

Kids just go with it now, and it's really sad, they don't know anything different.

Yeah I mean where do you think all these billionaires got their money from?

This was "middle class" and not everybody. The goalposts moved and middle class is now in the mid 500ks take home. Wages never kept up, so the classes shrank by default. It was and is all planned by those at the top to syphon off more and more so they can elevate themselves from us common plebs. Almost like cycles in nature? We fight and gain concessions, they slowly roll them back until we start again...

Which people lived this life? Is how we are organised today incompatible with the way they viewed the world?

And to make that happen:

1. The gilded age made some robber barons insanely rich (though not as rich as the current American oligarchs)
2. There was a huge economic crash, called the Great Depression, during which the excesses of the rich were incredibly unpopular and the rich felt in real danger
3. To get out of the Great Depression, the US Government created all kinds of "socialist" programs to help people get back on their feet, strengthen unions, regulate business, make massive investments in US infrastructure, etc.
4. Right as the Great Depression was ending, WWII began
5. For a while the US was "neutral", and was manufacturing war materiel for the various countries at war, though mostly for the Allied side. This involved huge amounts of government spending.
6. Then, a few years after WWII began, the US entered the war, and spending ramped up even more.
7. Virtually every other modern economy in the world had its infrastructure destroyed during the war. Britain was bombed relentlessly, Germany was flattened, Japan was nuked, France was turned into Rubble, the USSR's factories were destroyed as Germany advanced and partially rebuilt in the middle of nowhere.
8. The war ended and while every other country was rebuilding their shattered infrastructure, the US infrastructure was running hot and able to supply the world's needs
9. American workers were massively in demand because it was almost the only remaining industrialized country with intact factories
10. American workers still retained the massive worker benefits and union membership that was the result of the New Deal economy

So, take that sequence, and for a brief moment a white, male worker in the US could support a family on a blue-collar salary in a way they hadn't ever done before that. Once other countries rebuilt their infrastructure, the US lost that edge. Once American businesses pushed for the roll-back of worker protections, blue-collar workers lost that benefit. Bit, by bit, the world returned to the way it has normally been, where the lowest class barely survives and both parents work hard, while the rich benefit.

1. Shows and sitcoms don't portray mundane life, they portray what people want to see, not perfect, but not reality either. Similarly to how "backdrop" style in mall buildings and such isn't normal life. It's glossier, even if not palace-like.

2. USA. The country that is known elsewhere as having been filthy rich relatively to the rest of the world those years.

3. The "normal" good life was, yes, more common. But that life was also more labor, it required you to know how to fix your shoes and clocks and wiring and plumbing, even if you'd be able to call plumbers and electricians, - because calling someone to do a job wasn't what it is now, you didn't have the Internet and aggregators and contact centers.

4. There were no Google. You'd do more work on decisions and relationships, and every action would be more unique. Cost you more and give you more. You still can find such life for yourself. You will be happier, but it will be harder. Of course, you won't change the economy in general.

5. Stolen ... Well, what are you going to do about it? Your life is approaching what's normal elsewhere (still bigger living spaces, bigger food portions and more pretentious communication are normal in the USA as compared to Europe). I agree that things becoming worse are, ahem, not good. So what will you do?

I'm reading Saint-Exupery's "Citadel" now, and he's right about one thing, just sharing everything equally is not the way to improve your life or anyone else's. Happiness will follow work leading to something. You feel happier when participating in building a railway bridge, not so much when making a restaurant's website. Level of life, I think, follows happiness. It's not about what the society as a whole has, it's about bravery and ability to dream of all people in it.

Ah yes, the art of "Enshittification" i.e., profit over product. And obviously you are the product for the billionaires and vertainly not other way around. https://www.themurrowproject.org/p/the-enshitification-of-everything

I'm only in my 30s. My dad supported our family on a high school education. I don't have a college education but I did two different certification programs to work in my field. I'm single with no kids and live alone and I'm still struggling. I don't know how anyone has a family right now. I can't even afford me. I'm so mad that my dad raised an entire family and bought and paid off a house and I can barely pay my damn rent and buy groceries with a better education and job than what he had.

Don't worry. It'll get worse.

It wasn't even that long ago either. It was still relatively common to have single income households in the 80's when I was born.

My mum wasn't working at all when my older siblings were born, and she only started working when I started preschool.

Also, her minimum wage income boosted my parents savings so much they were able to buy an investment property and drop money into other things.

This is some white shit right here

Those same people also had pensions for life once they retired in their 50s. They also didn't have to pay for health insurance.

My folks got married in the 60s. They bought their first house in the early 70s for 32k. 3 bed / 1 bath house with a big backyard in a decent neighborhood (albeit on a busy street). My mom and dad both worked, but my mom stopped when I was born (early 70s). House was tiny, about 800sq ft. They upgraded in the mid eighties for 120k. Bigger place on a quieter street. Mom was back to working again but we were able to take multiple vacations a year. Camping, Disney, etc. Today, I'm not sure they could do it. Sure they would be making more but the first house? 640k. Thats a 1900% increase. Thats about 6% increase year on year compounded. How has the salary growth been for the same period? 1% - 1.5% compounded yoy (inflation adjusted). Fucking gross.