Hell , not even that . People massively underestimate how much of a ridiculous boon having cheaper goods is to the US economy because of the increased purchasing power that it gives consumers . The biggest factor for the increase in quality of life now compared to 100 years ago is not because of higher wages or new technology at least not directly , but the massive drop in the price of goods in large part facilitated by new technologies . Today you can , on a regular basis , eat meals that Napoleon and Queen Victoria would be unable to eat on a regular basis . And people fail to understand how massively important that is . <| sep |> Yes , and I ' m glad I don ' t hear it often . <| sep |> how do I get to that link ? <| sep |> To be fair . the going up the wrong escalators thing had me in tears laughing . The rest of it was terrible though