I always knew Charlie and the Chocolate Factory had all the answers.  Veruca Salt (the character, not the band, of course) was just begging for her comeuppance. Hank Williams draws a wonderful parallel between the detestable, spoiled girl and our society.

I want it now daddy!
That is what drives us. It is what drives every financial meltdown. It is the gorging on stuff that is trivially accessible, while foregoing that which, regardless of value, presents too much challenge. It is the seeking of the low hanging, but tasteless, while eschewing the slightly beyond easy reach but ever so much more delicious. At some point the market always figures out if you have a basketful of flavorless fruit. The apples look like apples, but taste like cardboard. And no matter how easy they were to pick, no one wants cardboard apples.

via Why does everything suck?