I am talking less about waste and more about consumerism as "you are what you have". It's this idea of people defining their identities around the brands they value or (even worse imo) the idea that having "expensive tastes" or paying exorbitant amounts of money for exclusive items makes someone "special".

There is an old saying: "the only difference between boys and men is in the price of their toys". It's kind sad if you think about it, and sadder still that some people treat this as a virtue.