Because the economy isn’t so great. It’s good for some. It’s not for others. In the part of the country I’m from (the Midwest), it still sucks. The Midwest was the industrial heartland of the US where a kid could graduate high school and get a job at a steel mill or an auto manufacturer and have a family. That’s not the case any longer. Worse, for some, the sacrifice of chasing a higher income means moving a distance that would be more painful than struggling. So they make do with a lot less than the generation before.

There’s a flip side to this as well. We normalize whatever luxuries we have. Once normalized, they become a necessary component for existence. What basic necessities do you have that wouldn’t be beyond the wildest dreams of Caesar Augustus? Running water? He’d recognize that in the abstract. Electricity? Gas? Internet? Paved roads? Modern medicine? Public schools and healthcare? Unemployment insurance?

WE think we’re not spoiled but we’re no different than —say— Paris Hilton going into a breakdown because her hair stylist made her late for her nail appointment. We all roll our eyes, “Cuz, when Paris suffers, we all suffer.” But the thing is, she’s simply normalized the luxuries to which she’s become accustomed. So do you. I know I am uncomfortable when my cable goes out. God forbid the electricity goes out for a few hours in summer and my AC isn’t running full blast.

This is us. Never mind that 95% of Americans live on more wealth with more “stuff” and more freedom than most of humanity. That doesn’t matter. Americans have normalized a big house, two cars, a family vacation, loads of presents under the tree every year and that’s our God-given right. Take that away, and it wouldn’t be much different than taking away Paris’ fancy meals at Le Cirque or the running water from a housewife in 1960. We’ve normalized our luxuries now and because they’re normalized, we want more. We always want more. That insatiable drive to have more has brought us all the social and technological advancements we enjoy but it can also be slavery to things we’ll never obtain.