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They don't though. Real GDP per Capita is almost 2x what it was in 2000, and 3x what it was in 1980. Hdi has also increased over those periods, though not as much as in European countries.

I'm actually not sure if there are any metrics that show us living standards dropping, much less "significantly" from the late 20th century to 2020.

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> Real GDP per Capita is almost 2x what it was in 2000, and 3x what it was in 1980

I guess that means real wages have increased almost 3x since 1980, with hours down since people have to work less to survive due to increased productivity.

Actually US real wages have been basically flat for half a century.

GDP per capita increasing is bad for the people working and creating wealth, as the workers creating the wealth see none of the increase in wages, and it gives the heirs parasitically expropriating surplus labor time from workers more power.

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