Actually, Individualism make me personally consume less, want less, and spend less!

Hmm, I'm thinking Gaylene's and Angie's thoughts aren't incompatible. Maybe it's less desire to consume, but from a smaller pool of desirable choices-so brand loyalty, colors, cuts, fabrics, etc. Less but "better" (for me as an individual).

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that we all react to the individualism-marketing concept in the same way, but I am curious as to why the concept of “individualism” is suddenly appearing on everyone’s radar.

Suntiger, that’s just how it’s happening in my world. Good explanation.

Gaylene -- You highlight excellent points that I need to think about some more. You have slowly brought me around to your way of thinking. Thank you for patiently taking the time to break it down.

Individualism, to me, is like telling "the man" that "YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!"

I think we have started waking up to how we've been brainwashed. We are tired of being told that our hair isn't shiny enough, our music isn't cool enough, our cars aren't fast enough... For Pete's sake, I recall a commercial for deodorant that minimized discoloration in women's armpits, and I thought "somebody is really trying to tell me my armpits are the wrong color? WTH?"

And I think The Great Recession made many people realize that they had been spending money they didn't have to buy things they didn't really want to impress people they didn't even like. (Was it George Carlin who said that?)

Individualism is my reaction to that, at any rate.