Hey, thanks for the Rushkoff citation, I'm going to go read that.

I know from interacting with some family members that the one thing that can seriously bug or confuse people is when you say a cheerful "no." Most of the time I'm not even trying to be a jerk about it, it's just that I only have so much energy and I have to ration it very carefully. That's a reason I'm a poor consumer too, I would rather just sit quietly than buy anything.

You describe consumerism very well. Mainly that it's very profitable for all the wrong types. Blech.