But what intrigued me here is the degraded consumerist version of that open-minded clarity. Instead of being free of egoistic preconceptions, the consumer is free of conscience and of the powers of critical thinking and skepticism. The consumer follows not God, of course, but the corporate imperative to buy and to sell and to be as superficial as possible. One is a functionary of a supposed higher or inner power, while the other is a slave to the superego or to social convention.