For Whatever Reason

I'm sort of scratching my head here. I've recently been told that the following statement is controversial, if not indeed "judgmental":

In a setting where brand names are, for whatever reason, no longer as highly valued as they once were, people will tend to operate with less regard for brand names than they used to, and thus will tend to buy more non-brand-name products.

Controversial? Judgmental? I'm wondering what I'm missing here. I mean, it seems to me as though it's pretty close to a truism: As people value A less, they will tend to buy more of not-A.

Unless we're just not supposed to notice: Pay no attention to that non-brand-name behind the curtain. As if noticing before it's too late might perhaps motivate us to reverse the trend.