The religion of capitalism

From Work: Capitalism. Economics. Resistance

Having become merchandise themselves, workers consume merchandise to exert power the only way they can. Once there is nothing to compare it against, purchasing ceases to be a necessary evil and becomes a sacred act; in the religion of capitalism, in which financial power is equated with social value and spending is thus proof of worth, it is a form of communion. The store is the temple in which the act of buying affirms the consumer's place in society. Much of our leisure time is made up of rituals in which spending money itself is the point: it is what qualifies an activity as having a good time or going on a date.