As a method of getting away from the more troubling aspects of work, consumer escapes embody many of the same weaknesses as refrains or cynicism. Whilst buying consumer goods is often very pleasant, providing wonderful opportunities for relief, expression and en joy, Chapter 6 stressed that consumerist forms of pleasure also have a more troubling side. Like refrains, commodified pleasures tend to be fleeting and temporary, not to mention the fact that their enjoyment depends on a steady source of income. Whilst I do not want to submit to a kind of ‘no way out’ pessimism, I think it is important that we continue to ask ourselves whether the escape routes conventionally offered and sanctioned by capitalism represent an authentic form of liberation, or whether they only serve to reinforce our...