> Is there some primitive or primate instinct in all of us? I think so. An instinct exacerbated by marketing. Most of us who aren't wealthy also spend a decen

> Is there some primitive or primate instinct in all of us? I think so. An instinct exacerbated by marketing. Most of us who aren't wealthy also spend a decent chunk of our incomes on unnecessary things. They might not be luxuries as extravagant as the ones described in the article, but they would still pay for plenty of shirts in India -- or my country. Why do we do this? Why do we eat at restaurants, go on vacations abroad or buy nice clothes instead of spending that money in a humanitarian way? After that, it's just a matter of scale and of getting used to a lifestyle that includes 100s of ugly bags and tackily framed works of art.