People talk about “selling” their souls to this-and-that all the time. I don’t find it the big deal that its made out to be at all – whether you join big law because you have gargantuan student debt, or if a singer goes “mainstream”. It’s a reflection of compromise that just happens in life- we don’t always do what we want to do. In some regards, the ability to go against our own desires is a good thing.
What’s worse, in my mind, is unwitting hypocrisy. When people do stuff (out of convenience), that they don’t even realize is contrary to whatever values they otherwise claim to stand for.
You only have to observe partisan politics to see that, or things like Amy Schumer being funny but not.