That's an awfully pessimistic view. I don't know that I can dissuade you of it as it's more of a mode of thinking than a view that can be proven or disproven, but I don't know that I could continue to live in a world in which I thought that was the case.

I guess I see it like this: despite the various ups and downs we in the first world see, there is more equality and a higher median standard of living today than there ever has been in the history of the world. I can only hope that the trend is generally upwards over time. It has been so far.