What I see is a media BLITZ that says...
THIS is the standard
EVERYONE has one
YOU are "less than"
When I grew up - we all had about the same, not too much space between the low-middle-top.
Today - a 16 year old drives a brand new BMR to school for his 16th birthday. BRAND NEW!!! What parent thinks that is a. OK and b. appropriate?
I think it is the perception of what is "standard". Just as back in the Depression, everyone went a little hungry... but there were few resentments, because EVERYONE was a little hungry... and in my day, we had beater cars.. but there were few resentments because EVERYONE had a beater car.
Today - there are MANY resentments... and that sense of being "left out" and "not good enough".
Why does the media portray life that way? ... that is the mystery to me.