[jambalaya8]

Because they consume so much more?

Up until the 1960s, there weren't that many things the US consumer felt they 'needed'. Heck, even in the 1980s, people considered a microwave, cable television, air conditioning (in most places), a second car, televisions throughout the home, etc., a luxury. There still aren't that many things the American consumer needs... they just perceive they do. In the past, consumers prioritized their wants better, probably because they had no choice. A whole lot fewer people had a whole bunch of credit and credit was rarely used for that sort of thing.

Of course the American consumer is dissatisfied. It thinks it is buying out things that aren't and never were for sale, like parts of a jigsaw puzzle called 'the american dream', earning a piece for every time it feels compelled to do somethink like plop down $1200 on a backyard grill. but there is no bigger picture. It's just stuff. Sometimes good stuff to have (god bless cool air in a heatwave). But stuff we didn't feel judged not to have before.