Somebody who finds shopping centres offensive is just being blind to reality, but its they're opinion that they are entiled to. Supply and demand, people want to buy things, I know I like to eat out and purchase clothes and cd's etc. This is the way of the world. No capitalism isn't meant to charm the pants of people with its sophistication, its about giving people what they want and it has proved itself to be the only method of commerce that actually works alongside innate human nature. A mixed regulated economy such as that in England serves a dual purpose of feeding people desire to earn and spend whilst also attempted to protect those against the undesirable and inescapable side effects of such a system. And it is an insult to say that people are "tricked into" buying things, people have free will to choose. If you don't like it, don't go there, and the people that do can enjoy it without a guilt trip about how they are feeding the ills of the world.
For many it is a way of life; for some it is a religious calling. Wandering this oceanic planet of ours under sail is, first and foremost, an adventure, but it also affords unique opportunities for sailors to bond with nature, with each other, and with their own psyches.
