Hardly anybody talks about "tomorrow's higher standard of living." In fact, all the greenie talk the past 40 years has been about doing with less. And they've amped that message up past 11 the past couple decades. No cars, no fossil fuels, no farms, no personal air travel, eating bugs. Give me the good old days of unlimited possibilities!
Interesting.
Thanks for the background on that “cartoon”
Your point is well made.
I recall the post war 1945-1970 era as a time of faith in ourselves and our country and great optimism about the future.
In general, people had far less disposable income and material goods but were much more united, had more freedom, and were more self reliant and independent.
After all - the USA put men on the moon and brought them safely home with slide rule engineering and technology barely past the day of the vacuum tube!
Was there anything at all Americans couldn’t do!!!
For me the big turning point was the 1973-1874 oil embargo followed by the foibles, malaise and despair of the Carter administration.
Since then there have been ups and downs but the general trend has been down.
More people today have been through advanced education but seem to be lest capable, less curious, less insightful and less resourceful than was the post war generation with far less formal education.