Its not Pollyanism, its based on actual national and United Nations statistics. Its like how many people in a country now ride motor-bikes instead of bicycles, what is the average amount of food being eaten, how many extra years of education, how many villages have electricity. The things that matter to poor people. Its not about averaging out paper fortunes.

I have no doubt that many terrible things are done in the world but overall there has not only been an improvement over the last 500 years but a dramatic improvement over the last 70. Why are you sohung up over the super-wealthy? Its what happens to the poor that matters and if poverty is being alleviated and it is to an extent never before imagined then that should override your concerns about the super-wealthy.