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Subscribe at GravitasMag.com | 37 of life reflected through the Internet today. Social media has tapped into the shallowest caverns of the human psyche, fulfilling the need to appear happy and special, regardless of the reality or the price tag. The Price Tag of Prosperity American ideals of prosperity have driven the global freight train of production for the last century. e altruistic intention of some to distribute prosperity, and the unbridled greed of others, has shuffled pro- duction and currency around the globe. Although corporations and countries have prospered on paper, the fabric of society is coming apart at the seams in many places. From China to America, the little people have paid a hefty price for our cheap stuff. Chinese farmers have been relocated to industrial communes, trapped in state-sanctioned slavery. Farmers in America have been pushed off their land by the strong arm of industrial farming, their towns gutted and aban- doned as their children flee to the ever-expanding suburbs to survive. Our big, beautiful homes, typically twice the size of homes forty years ago, are crushing us in debt and stress. Keeping up with the Joneses is a pricey proposition these days, with seemingly never-ending upgrades to ratchet up the competition. People everywhere have more possessions and conveniences than ever before, so why are we so depressed? Each year, over 200 million antidepres- sant prescriptions are dispensed in the United States. A whopping 80% of all antidepressant medication in the world is taken in the United States. Even our children are falling victim to the epidemic. Accord- ing to the American College Health Association, the percentage of college students diagnosed with depression increased 56% from 2001 to 2010. ese statistics alone illustrate the lack of happiness in America today. For decades, politicians have identified the health of a country by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but this has proven to be an untrustworthy measure- ment. Portions of economic activity are weighed regardless of the impact on society. As the editors of YES Magazine identified in their book, Sustainable Happiness: Live Simply, Live Well, Make a Difference, "Dig a strip mine and sell the metals, minerals, or coal, and the GDP will thank you — even if you pollute the drinking water for thousands. Raise fresh food in your garden, share it with friends and with the local homeless shelter, and stay healthy and happy, and the GDP doesn't budge." AVERAGE INCOME PER FAMILY Distributed by income group $23,846,950 Top 0.01% $2,802,020 $1,019,089 Top 1% $161,139 Top 1-10% $29,840 Bottom 90% Top 0.01-0.1% CHANGE IN U.S. REAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME AND SELECTED GOOD AND SERVICES (2000-2012) Middle Quintile Real Family Income Real Change In Price Rent -8% 7% 21% 24% 62% Medical Care Child Care Higher Education CUMULATIVE CHANGE The benefits of increased productivity over the last 35 years have not gone to the middle class. Productivity and real median family income growth, 1947-2012 350% 300% 250% 300% 150% 100% 50% 0% 1 9 4 5 1 9 5 0 1 9 5 5 1 9 6 0 1 9 6 5 1 9 7 0 1 9 7 5 1 9 8 0 1 9 8 5 1 9 9 0 1 9 9 5 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 5 2 0 1 0 Productivity Real Median Family Income THE PRICE TAG OF PROSPERITY Continued on page 38 Data Sources Top to Bottom: Emmanuel Saez, University of California Berkeley. Annual and Economic Historical Income Tables and Bureau of Labor Productivity Statistics. Center for American Progress: "The Middle Class Squeeze" September 2014.