Future historians will date the long slow collapse from 2008. That's when the housing bubble popped and things started getting worse for the majority of not only Americans but all people in the so-called "developed world." Despite some good years fof stocks and some recovery in housing in certain areas, most people just aren't feeling the love.

What died in 2008 was, quite literally, the American Dream. The idea that things would always get better, and that some day you would be rich. Its last gasp could be seen in the dreams of the dotcom blueshirts and the housing flippers. Never mind that the American Dream has always had an illusory quality for many (just look at the grapes of wrath)...it still brought hope.