Bloomberg Businessweek chart, that presents a nice bookend feel to the 1990s/2010s.
But before you lapse into thinking it was all a mirage, be grateful that only four of those years saw us up above 9% combined for unemployment and inflation. Globalization has been one tumultuous ride for all concerned, and our ride has been relatively smooth compared to the rest of the planet.
For comparison's sake, remember that the misery index ran much higher in the 1970s--when it lived and breathed between 10 and 20 percent.
See the 60-year-slide for some appreciation--from this child of the 1960s who came of age in those tense times (economically-speaking, far more tense than the 1960s).
My point? Don't sign yourself up just yet to the Most Suffering Generation list.