News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on the US economy and the EU were the same size in 2008, the US is now nearly 2X. Parent comment

Re:the US economy and the EU were the same size in 2008, the... by troupo on Monday July 17, 2023 @05:13PM (#36764194)
The world is dramatically better, but it already was dramatically better 10 years ago, and in the developed countries a lot of those improvements stagnated or are slowly rolling back due to stagnant wages, insane costs of living etc.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:the US economy and the EU were the same size in 2008, the... by onlyrealcuzzo on Monday July 17, 2023 @05:17PM (#36764248)
The world is getting almost noticeably better by the day - due to all the progress people make every day, building on top of past progress.

If you're staying "stagnant" and the world is getting better, you're better off.

Even if you're declining, you can be better off.

If you think poor people in the US and Europe have it rough today, you should read up about what it was like to be a normal person in the 1600s in Europe.

If you think poor people have it rough today in California, you should read up on what it was like being poor in California in the 80s and 90s.

Etc.

The average lower middle class family today has it better off than nobility in the 1700s.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:the US economy and the EU were the same size in 2008, the... by bamboozled on Tuesday July 18, 2023 @01:20AM (#36768126)
When people use the term progress, what is meant by it? What are we progressing towards exactly? Utopia?
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:the US economy and the EU were the same size in 2008, the... by troupo on Tuesday July 18, 2023 @02:09AM (#36768486)
> If you think poor people in the US and Europe have it rough today, you should read up about what it was like to be a normal person in the 1600s in Europe.

The fact that we're better off than people in the 1600s does not contradict what I wrote.

> The average lower middle class family today has it better off than nobility in the 1700s.

But in many countries is worse off than a couple of decades ago.

[ Parent | on HN ]