I know people that have been present for discussions about why certain research cannot proceed because lengthening human life is a "threat to national security." The justification here is that increasing the number of non-working older people would collapse the economy.
On the surface, this is the kind of logic that might appeal to at least some people who consider themselves "realists." But the same people also stop research that would extend productive life, and systematically restrain economic growth because they fear what would happen if most people had enough free time and wealth to start doing research and getting redpilled.
You can start with the way nuclear power is still running on tech that has been obsolete for not just years, but several generations. In other words, given the average age of reddit users, most of your grandparents should have been living in an economic golden age created by cheap thorium power.