I don't disagree with what you wrote, but it has 100% been a two way street. Retail therapy, whatever you want to call it, a large segment of the American public spends money for a dopamine hit. Were they exploited? Sure. But they were also willing participants for the most part. Other than the disadvantaged, they could have opted out of the system if they wanted. I've set foot in a Walmart a grand total of twice in the past 20 years, and that was for immediate medical supplies. I've been boycotting Chinese made goods as much as humanly possible just as long.
This has been a serious bugbear of mine for decades, 2016 has nothing to do with it. We as a people enabled this. I mean look around this forum, people gleefully shopped at Wally World, buy all sorts of disposable garbage that does nothing but make them feel good for a second, then get discarded. Just waste. Waste of resources, energy, you name it. It goes so far beyond simplistic shit like American factory jobs or whatever and gets the the very core of what sort of philosophy we have as a people. We should spend a lot more money on a lot less stuff, and that's really the long and sort of it. Stuff that is made by people with real skills. Your coffee maker, your car, your guitar, your clothes, your food, whatever, all of it. We are losing everything valuable and replacing it with stuff devoid of any value.