Income does not necessarily translate into an increased standard of life. First of all I have known people who made good money, but spent more than their income could reasonably support and who therefore ended up miserable. Not only that, but I make way more money than my mother's father, but he had a very nice 80 acre farm and was self sufficient. As far as hunger goes, perhaps people are better fed than were the barbaric people of Europe thousands of years ago, but the simple natives in Florida had plenty to eat. It was only when the cruel Europeans showed up and enslaved them did they start to experience a decline in their standard of living. Disease, part of the problem is that so many diseases have occurred like diabetes that are the result of overindulgence as the result of the capitalist lifestyle. And as creature comforts go, capitalism has resulted in enormous filthy slums filled with disease all over the world. For instance, the Israelis have kept over a million Palestinian people in a large slum where raw sewage flows in the street.
Indeed it is my perception and it is based on the reality that capitalism is about making money, and making money is not centered on empathizing with people. I remember when I was young and was struggling in sales. I used to empathize with people when they would tell me things like "O, I am on a budget." This expert told me, look you are not going to sell anything like that. One of two things happens when a you encounter a prospective customer, either you will convince them to buy it, or they will convince you that they cannot. Making money is not about empathizing with people.
