Well, I admire your dedication to ideals even though I am a little dubious at the perceived gain.
The obvious path of least resistance is to buy the flowers and meaningless gift so as to not stir the pot of resentment and retaliation. Around here there is a saying "If mama ain't happy, nobody is happy."
But she will remember. I'm guessing one day she'll give you the look and ask "Were you pissed at me that year you didn't give me a mother's day gift?"
That's one of those questions like "Do these jeans make my butt look fat?" There is absolutely no correct answer but you better say something-else the problem just gained a magnitude of potential ugliness.
At the end, I like your style. How did the greeting card industry ever get so much power and influence in our lives? That's the real question but you are probably better off just saying "Yeah. Those jeans make you look like your ass is spreading like a forest fire." Just sayin'
There is no gain I believe :D
I think the first is already established - the retaliation is yet to come.
If asked for my opinion, I give my opinion - she should know that by now so - if scared of the answer, don't ask :)
The whole world is driven by consumption and as a result, we have the crappy conditions we have. No one creates, everything is disposable.