Gil Scott Heron his views on mind­less con­sump­tion. This song on the other hand sug­gests that art (and the aware­ness it brings) offers some kind of solace and hope.
Inter­est­ing is this sim­i­lar view by Ter­ence McKenna

Musi­cians:
* Ron Carter – bass
* Brian Jack­son – piano
* Jerry Jem­mott – bass
* Burt Jones – gui­tar
* Eddie Knowles – per­cus­sion
* Hubert Laws – alto sax­o­phone, flute
* Pretty Pur­die – drums
* Char­lie Saun­ders – per­cus­sion
* Gil Scott-Heron – piano, vocals, song­writer
* David Spin­ozza – guitar