Based on this article, from Raoul's thread on Space.

The below pertains to the author of the article, not Raoul.

I've thought a lot about what makes the fall of Western civilization, the loss of faith in the future, and the general feeling that It's All Going To Hell so appealing to some people.

Short and divisive answer is "Socialist sour grapes."

In the early years of communism, the promise was that collectivized society would deliver the great prosperity only available to the rich under capitalism. Industry was praised. You couldn't look at a Mao poster without noticing the power lines and belching smokestacks in the background. A car in every garage, a chicken in every pot, and a factory on every corner.

This is what you were hearing from academics in the years between the 30s and the 60s, too. It was all about the worker getting the goodies he deserved.

When it became horribly obvious over time that prosperity and collectivism weren't going to match up, the intelligentsia decided in the 60s and 70s that progress sucked. A large chunk of the roots of the modern environmental movement is here, too.

The worker is out of the picture now, and the polar bears are in.