[ChuckNorris89]

>TVs are cheap now. So are 3D printers, travel, and phones.

Being able to own disposable gadgets made in China doesn't make you rich. Those are not necessities. But you now what is? Housing, stable well paying jobs, healthcare and education , all of which are now massively out of reach for the average joe than they were a few decades ago.

[ben_w]

And a century ago? Because that's what this sub-thread is focusing on.

And, like I said, much of what we now consider basic healthcare had not yet been invented.

And even in the last decades, those cheap Chinese gadgets you're so dismissive of, they give access for free to not just k-12 but also university and post-graduate level educational courses and materials on topics which had not been invented then either.

And the tech also lets more work remotely, changing the dynamics on housing.