I think this is the biggest factor, along with complacency, and the importance of image above all else...
As a whole, our societies biggest drive is to keep up with the Joneses...
Of course, then there's those of us that take pride in our work. We work hard, don't spend money that we don't have (for the most part) and enjoy challenges. I'm glad that I can surround myself with this type of people, and that we have such a large gathering of them, here on the Marlin board 
Yup. Naturally, the result is that those who think beyond the end of our noses and try to contribute more than we drain from society end up paying in extra to bail out those who think only in terms of image and convenience. When your primary concern is what you want to buy next, other factors (such as where it's made, or how long it lasts, or how long you'll remain interested in your new purchase) take a back seat...
Side note: I'll admit to a weakness for convenience, and it is costing us more money than I care to admit. Momma doesn't like to cook (she says she does, but a lot of my meals come from paper bags and cardboard boxes) and I am too tired when I get home to do much in the kitchen. I may have to do all the cooking for a while until she notices that her four hours of school allow more kitchen time than my ten hours of work do. Either way we are trying to change the bad habits with a menu of things that make it easier to eat real food at home, and less tempting to buy something from a blow-molded clown head with a speaker in its grinning mouth. Could be a difference of a couple of hundred dollars a month we are just throwing away.
