Not all of us see wage stagnation, growing inequity, debt accumulation as an improvement.

Net improvement doesn't require universal improvement. I'm not convinced that the world is better off now than it was a decade ago, but citing things like wage stagnation as proof that things have gotten worse is about as compelling as citing GDP as proof that things have gotten better. We will never see the day when all conceivable metrics have improved for all people.

Crime is mostly down; base wages have stagnated yes, but real total compensation has been steadily increasing. Hundreds of thousands of people rise out of poverty every day. Inequality has grown, though, which is probably bad. Debt accumulation is not necessarily bad.

>> Citation?

Donald Trump, Brexit, Facebook, opioids epidemic, cryptocurrencies, increased rents, soul-crushing corporate jobs for all.

How hard do you think it would be to compose an equivalent list for any time period in history?

How exactly is this different from a broader practical standpoint than Bush, the war on terror, reality tv, heroin and crack epidemics, the dotcom bubble, increased rents along side decaying cities, endless suburban sprawl with no major transportation projects being taken seriously, and as always, soul-crushing corporate jobs where before you also had to wear a tie everyday.

The world moves forward just fine, and there hasn't really been many differences between America today and America in the 80s from a broader political standpoint. Maybe our country was a better place when unions mattered and the wealthy had a legitimate fear of a socialist revolution should concessions to the middle class not be made, but the fall of the soviet union in many ways put that fear to rest.

There's no pleasing some people. High unemployment? Terrible. Low unemployment? Oh, it's soul-crushing corporate jobs, it's even worse!