# 50. Self-delusion - the manipulation of self ## 50.5. Methodology/Refinements/Sub-species ### 50.5.2. Personal rebellion - selling out There is a common misconception that consumerism and capitalism are sustained only by immoral corporations, profit motives, advertising and defrauding workers and consumers. In reality, much of modern consumerism and capitalism is driven by competition among ordinary consumers (you and me) for status. Every generation has produced its own counter-culture of rebellion, of raging against the establishment, often from the confines of the relatively comfortable middle-classes. This rebellion has generally manifested itself in some relatively harmless acts of "defiance", in terms of dress, music, hairstyle or social behaviour. Rarely do any of these generational "rebels" fully engage in an attack on the economic system or ruling establishment. Social networking may become the latest highpoint of this delusion of rebellion. Now we can rebel at the click of a button by signing a petition to save the rainforests (whilst being sold an Apple iPad on the same page), without realising that the iPad was probably manufactured by destroying some rainforest. We delude ourselves by ignoring such great contradictions between our "rebellious self image" and our "non-rebellious self reality". On the contrary, when it comes to being rebellious, it is a much milder affair for most of us. Having a dissenting opinion on movies, music or clothes, or owning clever or obscure possessions is about as rebellious as most of us get. This is the way that middle-class people fight each other for status. They can't out-consume each other, because they can't afford it, but they can out-do each other in terms of taste or attitude. For the capitalist world, this represents less of a threat than a selling opportunity, and it is rarely long before the capitalist machine cranks into action to capitalise on these new markets of the "rebellious middle-class". In this respect, many middle-class "rebels" have sold out over the years since the end of the Industrial Revolution. They wear the clothes, use the symbols and language and cluster in groups with other "rebels". They may even demonstrate on the streets for this or that. But, rarely do any of them step outside of the ring of acceptable behaviour and enter into a serious, revolutionary challenge to the establishment of which they are part. The self-delusion of being "rebellious" sustains the victim's ego and self-esteem, but does nothing to advance any real cause for social change. There is no cure for this particular self-delusion, except to be honest enough to admit one's own moral limitations, stop wearing silly clothes and falling for every single conspiracy theory (stick with the credible ones). The alternative, of course is to get really serious about bringing about fundamental changes in our society, and put a laborious effort into this process by joining forces with other committed activists. But selling out is easier for most people.