Bingo. I felt exactly the same way after I read the Brave New World. The part about hobbies being “legitimate” only if they feed the economic machine hit home so hard. When people here in the U.S. ask each other about their weekends, any response that does not involve “i did <insert x that costs money>” is considered bland. If one says “I walked around in the park and enjoyed a sandwich”, it is considered odd and boring. The greater the amount of money spent, the more “approval worthy” an activity automatically becomes.

I can’t shake the feeling that this social conditioning is by design.