Most of the people in poverty in America right now are materially better off than almost everyone 500 years ago, and most of the poor in America remain better off than most of the people in say Afghanistan.
Or even better off than most of the people in America, 1960.
Is this true? My grandparents were poor in 1960 yet had a big house and a decent car, a coffee maker, a big yard, etc. Why are poor people better off now? Because they have the internet?
The poor of today also have the house and the car. They also have air conditioning, a washer dryer, a microwave, cable TV and other such things. No one had that in the 1960's. In fact, a big chunk of the 1960's poor didn't even have a flush toilet.
I got curious why you mentioned that your grandparents had the coffee maker. It's because they were actually pricey in the 60's: $29.95 or $215 in 2009 dollars! A coffee maker was actually pricier than a wii.
Or even better off than most of the people in America, 1960.