the economic inequality always seems like a strawman argument to me that detracts from the real problem affecting the middle and lower classes which is real falling wages. the two often happen together but don't necessarily have to. it's possible to be better than before in absolute terms, but people have been shown to be more concerned with relative well-being than absolute standard of living. incomes are being edged away as corporate revenue is turned into profit rather than wages (arguably very linked to income inequality) but every dollar diminishes as healthcare, food, and energy costs continue to rise (not related to inequality)