I think you have misinterpreted what the parent comment was saying. He wasn't saying there are limited options, just that we choose to have corporations take care of things for us, and now that we have chosen this we are more dependent on them. He wasn't stating that you could not take care of yourself if you want to. Just that it's easier to let the corporation do it for you.
In many many cases, it's more cost effective to modify the customer's wishes than it is to change the corporation and what it produces.
A corporation's main goal is to drive up profits and if it's more convenient for them to manipulate a populace into acting a certain way than it is to give the populace exactly what they want then that's what they'll do.
There is probably not a conspiracy from corporations or government to undermine people's freedom and what not but it doesn't mean that it isn't the end result.
We don't watch broadcast TV at home. 30 mins in front of a friend's TV and our kid suddenly 'need' a ton of new stuff. At the cinema "you should get that car Dad", etc..
It's psychological manipulation, it's rarely ever a helpful synopsis of a products comparative specifications.
You may want something with accomplishes some goal without knowing exactly what. If a person thinks "I have to go out but I'm waiting for a call", they may not imagine the cellphone as an object, but they still want something that solves their problem.
That said, 73.6% of all statistics are made up. Many ads in fact are designed with both goals in mind.
It's in a corporation's best interest to instil in the customer an idea of what he or she wants.
...and then yes, your version.
Please.
It's in a corporation's best interest to give the customer exactly what he wants.
We still have "our abilities to take care of ourselves and our communities," but we also have the option of a corporation providing for our every whim.