That's the trick, you won't. But they want you to think you can

YOU can do it, since you're here and presumably have a technical skill that can pay 2-5x the median income. That opens up the door to saving and investing your way to wealth MrMoneyMustache style

I agree that most people can't, and we need to do something to ward off a populist uprising

Ward off a populist uprising perhaps by actually fixing the system to work for everyone instead of the few with money?

Yeah, that's what I'm hoping for. I guess the other option is using technology to turn the entire country into a maximum security prison. We seem to be running full steam ahead into the prison future, though..