...the world seems so steeped in egoistic corporate power and the de-selfing of the common person (as seen in the term "consumer" usurping the place and implicit rights of "customer") that I go overboard with exaggeration at times.

Geoff, just this morning I finished reading Fast Food Nation ~ if any reader finds even *half* of Schlosser's case plausible, you're not exaggerating. It's not particularly word-related, but if anyone else has read it, I would welcome discussion of the topics via PM.