I submit that the macOS interface leads to a reasonable expectation of greater security than an old-school executable running in the 90's or 00's, because macOS requires that the user explicitly grant permission to access so many other sensitive resources, such as location and contacts.

If an app has to ask me permission in order to access my keystrokes, I think it's fair to assume that the same would be true of apps that read (anything outside their window regions) from my screen. The fact that macOS doesn't require this is discoverable by sleuthing (browsing the Privacy pane, or remembering that screenshot apps don't ask for it), but there's reasonable, and probably common, mental models that don't make it obvious.

It would be like renting a house with four locks on the front door and none on the back. Yes, you could audit the house, but it's a weird asymmetry to have to look for.

(P.S. I'm older than you, FWIW :-)