To most of the population even just 150 years ago, almost all of western world now lives like literal Kings.
Effectively unlimited food, hot showers, running water, education, etc.
Don’t take how lucky you are to be a human right now for granted, kids!
Putting this out here as a sign to tap when folks respond with "things are worse today" or "middle class shrinking" or other wrong ideas they have.
Everyone should internalize and have these charts as core understanding of the world today.
The time price of everything has gone down over this same time frame (see Superabundance).
And while the middle class might technically be smaller, that is only because the upper class is much, much bigger. And fewer of us are in poverty.
Globally, and nationally. Things are better.