I think you nailed it. I agree with your theory on the author. In many ways you can't blame them. They have been brought up to believe all this stuff and have been pretty successful in the current system. Few people want to rip things apart and learn how they work. Few want to question the majority opinions and listen to "cranks" that are not respectable. Few are willing to be different. I know our culture likes to pretend we embrace diversity but that isn't true at all. I don't believe it has ever been true. So when the average Joe complains about the economy, of course they will side with the elite system that brought them to where they are today.

My theory is that eventually, no matter how many people believe a lie. No matter how blind people are, the truth will smack us all in the face. We can only delay it for a time. I don't pretend to be an economist but I've read enough and paid attention long enough to know we are in deep trouble. Those this author is listening to are incentivized to wave away the concerns of the plebs. The plebs are ignorant but they aren't stupid. They know their dollar isn't going as far as it did in 2019. They know they aren't making more money. They know it isn't a great time to be looking for a job. I don't care what chart they use to wave away these issue plebs aren't buying it. The more they try to wave this stuff away the more credibility they lose.