Are we talking about totalitarian regimes or about post-communist states turning to consumerism? Not a whole lot of overlap there.
In my experience "crass consumerism" usually refers to somebody else trying to get what he wants. What we want is never crass.
How would you propose to repress acquisitive impulses in post-communist environments? Restrict people's incomes? Control the goods available for purchase? Doesn't that suggest a return to communism, or something much like it?
Obviously one can't prove such a contention either way, but I doubt that many who watch China on a day to day basis would agree that there's that level of consensus supporting the pseudo-communist regime. There's a great deal of discontent in China, and if they encounter serious economic problems - which is looking more likely by the day - it's hard to say what will happen.
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