YOUR OPINION, PLEASE
Do you think TV shows give children unrealistic expectations about wealth? Do they ask for things they see on television? How do you teach them priorities for spending money? Share your comments here.

Yashika had a problem. Her dad offered to buy her a car for her 16th birthday but it wasn’t the ride she wanted. “This car is only $41,000, it’s not expensive enough,” Yashika complained during an episode of the MTV reality show, “My Super Sweet 16.”

By the end of the episode, Yashika received a lavish party to celebrate her birthday and a Mercedes with a $100,000 price tag. And she isn’t the only one flaunting money on television.

Both reality and scripted shows feature the lives of the super rich. Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, for example, took cameras along while mansion shopping on the reality show “Coming to America.” And the scripted drama “Gossip Girls” follows the life of wealthy school girls in New York City.

Other programs like “Hannah Montana” are supposed to be about middle-class kids but the characters live in huge houses and wear the latest fashions. Meanwhile, many American families are struggling financially. Why is TV so far from reality?

The fact that these shows are unrealistic is why they exist, said John P. Murray, a developmental psychology professor at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan.

“Television sees its role as entertaining, not depressing,” Murray said.

Watching people spend money on reality shows or sitcoms can be entertaining, even though it’s unrealistic. And Hollywood has a long history of focusing on rich characters.

In the 1930s, for example, Americans were experiencing a depression while characters in movies were extremely wealth. “It was far worse than today,” said Irving Rein, a professor of communication studies at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.

Kids during the 1930s, however, only saw these images at the movies. Now kids can also watch the wealthy on television or the Internet. Adam K., 15, of Streamwood, Ill., said he sees many kids in his school trying to imitate the wealthy characters they see on television.

“I see a lot of people wear fancy clothes that they normally wouldn’t if there weren’t shows like that,” Adam said.

Adam prefers shows like “The Office” where the characters work in disappointing jobs and don’t have a lot of money. “Those are the shows that I like are realistic but still funny,” he said.

Picking shows where the characters aren’t super-wealthy can help kids keep a healthy perspective. Murray said kids may feel envious if they compare themselves to the people on television.

And having a healthy perspective is becoming more important for younger kids, especially those who aspire to live like their favorite stars. Rein said the market for kids who want this lavish lifestyle has gotten younger.

“A tween now might have the same aspirations as an 18 year old from 20 years ago,” Rein said.

Emma F, 13, of Chicago, sees that lifestyle on shows like “Laguna Beach” or “The Hills.” But she did a school project on poverty and said she now feels frustrated with shows that feature super-rich kids.

“On my ‘Super Sweet 16′, this girl cried because she got a BMW and it was the wrong color,” Emma said. “And there are kids out there who are dying for a meal. There are kids out there watching, and thinking, ‘I want to be like them’.”

Kids who feel they want to be like television characters may need a reality check, especially if they feel depressed or start spending money.

“Unhealthy ways are spending money you don’t have to try to be like the people you see on television,” Murray said. “That will only get you into more unhappy circumstances.”

By Emilie Le Beau| McClatchy-Tribune

TV LAND VS. REAL WORLD

On “The Hills,” Lauren and Audrina shared an apartment rumored to cost $3,000 a month. Yet, Lauren was a student and worked part-time as an intern while Audrina had a job as a receptionist. Where did they get the money?

Money seems easy to achieve on television. Characters have high salaries and lavish lifestyles. But the rest of American lives quite differently. Here’s a look at what Americans really earn:

HOUSING
TV land: “The Gossip Girls” teens live in million dollar New York apartments while the Kardashian sisters dwell in a California mansion on “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.”
Real world: The vast majority of Americans could never afford million dollar digs. The average US house costs $185,200.

JOBS
TV land: From “Grey’s Anatomy” to “CSI,” many primetime characters have jobs — doctor, lawyer, forensic scientist — that require serious schooling.
Real world: Most Americans don’t qualify for these positions because 73 percent of adults older than 25 do not have a four-year college degree. Only 9 percent have an advanced degree, the type needed to be a doctor or lawyer.

MONEY
TV land: Characters and reality stars earn major money and shows like Vh1’s “The Fabulous Life” reveal to audiences how reality stars such as Nicole Richie is set to inherit her dad’s $200 million fortune.
Real world: Most American workers don’t earn $45,000. For female workers, half earn less than $32,659 a year. Meanwhile, half of all male workers don not earn more than $42,210 a year.
Source: 2006 American Community Survey by the US Census Bureau

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