[opminion]

duct-taped together, so it all works fairly well in the end

There is much talk about being worse than in the past. Of course, what they mean is being worse than what they expected from extrapolating past improvements.

One example is employment inequality: in the past it was taken for granted (you found a job first, it's your right to keep it). Now there is a growing sensitivity to the unfairness in that. Youth unemployment was always high, whereas now, while being even higher, it's also seen as calling for deep trouble. In that sense it is similar to the increased sensitivity to domestic violence.

Another example: In the olden days people would just moan about the disappearance of small shops when big supermarkets came to town. Now there are consumer groups (grassroots urban shopping cooperatives). Not the result of regulatory change, or of the dire economic situation (most advertise themselves as eco-friendly first, cheaper second) but of greater sensitivity.