I have basically lived in hacker terms what you describe for about two years, accidentally (e.g., no new gadgets, happening to fit similar terms.) Developing more and more, I've recently been planning my entry into Appledom (from old T510/N900). Then I heard the This American Life piece linked on this page and was pretty struck by it for some personal reasons as well (nothing to do with heritage). So, back to the pressing need--justifying consumerism as it is. My best friend is a business PhD and the staunchest libertarian that I know, so I knew that he could settle me down. What was the root of it?:

This is better than the alternatives where it takes place. Nobody holds a gun to anybody's head (okay somebody can probably cite examples and that would be valid but this is not what we are discussing I believe). Yes, it sucks. Development is painful a lot of the time.

Could it get better, faster? Sure. But the current situation, while it may be sad and horrible and caring people should enact change, is not occurring by force. Somehow, during the time while I consumed media on this topic, my mind had unknowingly removed the significance of that bit.

Edit: sp