No, it's not 15 cents a cup. It's espresso, people don't go to those shops to save money, they go there because it's NOT the same coffee, and it's NOT the same assembly line atmosphere.
Am I bombarded by the same mass media that you are? I doubt it. I'll make one simple point - you have a TV. This is just a guess, but if it's true, it means you watch it, and while that doesn't make you some sort of mind-slave, it makes you much more immersed in the mass media than I am.
And what has this to do with pop culture? I love pop culture. I love shouting out things like "But what about the RUM?", and "Down the garbage chute flyboy!" at appropriate times. Do I like watercolor paintings of Campbell's soup cans? Not so much, but I do like wacky experimental electronica.
You DO pay out the wazoo for the "print" of a painting. Those things you get dirt cheap are called "posters", and they are certainly not "print" quality. The "poster" version of Dominions might be called a "demo", you should give it to your friends.
Pop culture is the fruit, mass media is the farmer. I'll let you figure that one out yourself, since you take offense to me belittling your intelligence.
In case you hadn't noticed, the prevailing, substantiated, and
overwhelming opinion around here is that the current price for Dominions 3 IS in fact a reasonable price. This is not some sort of logical debate, where if you just pull another rabbit out of your arse, you will bend the laws of physics. This is reality, it's not going to change for you that easily.