The part that gets me is the 'modern'. There have been periods where things were somewhat easier in certain regards, but those aren't the norm and were for unsustainable reasons. The US had a nice honeymoon period after WW2 where our position as the world's factory and plentiful natural resources afforded food and housing to be cheap.
Young people look around and think things are harder now than they've ever been and it's simply not true. My mom didn't have it easy, hell, my grandpa who was born in the great depression and got to be an adult through the 50's didn't have it easy.
Houses and food may have been cheaper relative to other things, but people put in way more hours of way shittier work, at least my family certainly did.
You'd actually have to accumulate everything before being able to make an absolute statement such as "Young people look around and think things are harder now than they've ever been and it's simply not true" (rather, them having it worse than those before them). I don't know how people can make this statement in such absolute terms, while at best their arguments are "well Y is worse, but X is better!" Let's not forget "young people" still have to live to see their retirement years. At least for someone outside the US, I don't expect to see most of my taxes funding the elderly's retirement returned by future generations (nor do I want that, for that matter).
Nor is it very fruitful to have this measuring contest when it is evident several things have gotten worse for no other reason than greed.
I'm actually not super clear on wat you are saying, but I'll try to respond.
> You'd actually have to accumulate everything before being able to make an absolute statement such as "Young people look around and think things are harder now than they've ever been and it's simply not true"
That's not an absolute. I did not say "All young people". I said "Young people". There are definitely young people who believe the US, and some the western world in general, is on some wild decline from a golden age where everyone with an entry level job owned a house at 25. Just look at Reddit (assuming it isn't trolls astroturfing that is).
> I don't know how people can make this statement in such absolute terms, while at best their arguments are "well Y is worse, but X is better!"
I'm actually not sure what you're saying here.
> Let's not forget "young people" still have to live to see their retirement years.
Here too. Are you pointing out young people need to save for retirement? That isn't new. My grandfather was employed his entire adult life and only one of his (out of 6 or 7) jobs came with a pension (which he didn't get). Likewise with my mother.
No one in my extended family, old or middle aged, has a pension, and very few have significant savings.
> At least for someone outside the US, I don't expect to see most of my taxes funding the elderly's retirement returned by future generations (nor do I want that, for that matter).
It's not really feasible even if we wanted it. And it shouldn't be necessary. That is a very long, very separate conversation though, as my the point of my comment lies elsewhere.
> Nor is it very fruitful to have this measuring contest when it is evident several things have gotten worse for no other reason than greed.
This was the intent of statement actually. Calling work indentured servitude is drawing a comparison with the human rights dark ages which isn't apt.
Young people look around and think things are harder now than they've ever been and it's simply not true. My mom didn't have it easy, hell, my grandpa who was born in the great depression and got to be an adult through the 50's didn't have it easy.
Houses and food may have been cheaper relative to other things, but people put in way more hours of way shittier work, at least my family certainly did.