observations.

“Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.” But what are these chains made of now? No longer forged in iron or law, they appear in the form of abundance — a thousand brands, a million products, each promising choice, each whispering freedom. Yet if most roads lead back to the same house — if the biscuit, the shampoo, the motorbike all trace their origins to a single boardroom — what kind of choice is this? What is the nature of a freedom where every decision is pre-inscribed by ownership? Are we choosing, or merely selecting from a menu written without us in mind? When Parle owns the illusion of every sweet taste and Volkswagen the illusion of movement, do we still own our appetites, our destinations? Marcuse once warned of a society that integrates dissent by commodifying it, making rebellion a purchasable style. But have we moved beyond even that? Has the market so thoroughly absorbed the human that even desire itself is outsourced —...