I think the media is to blame for a lot of America's discontent. Early TV shows were about middle class families living middle class lives. June and Ward Cleaver were not very different in their lifestyle from the average viewer. The comedians, Lucille Ball, for example, were likeable in a girl next door type of way. Famous people lived better than average Americans, but their lives were more private, not the outrageous, in-your-face-pimp-my-life way of many celebrities today.
Recently, the media has elevated class envy to an art form. TV is a constant parade of the lifestyles of the rich and famous; the shows are full of beautiful, thin people who spend lavishly. We're treated on a daily basis to homes and cars and boats and private jets the average person on the average salary will never be able to afford. One evening spent watching HGTV, the Fine Living Channel, or any of the ominipresent "beautiful people" entertainment shows is enough to depress the average person who looks around at his average life and thinks, "Is this all there is?"
Add to that the great personal and spiritual void many feel when they must move frequently for jobs, work and commute long hours away from family, or give over their lives to unsatisfactory jobs in the pursuit of material possessions that, in the end, will never satisfy. It's not hard to see why, materially, life has never been better, but Americans are more discontented than ever.
You make good points. Thanks for the post.