Obnoxious wealth now a turn-off

Remember Robin Leach's Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous? The odd fascination of the Filipino public with Imelda Marcos' shoes? The prime-time soap opera Dallas?

It looks like the world just might be starting to lose its obsession with wealth, especially the obnoxious variety.

Admittedly, I've never seen the TV show Wall Street Warriors, the subject of this report in the Los Angeles Time, and I'm probably better off as a result.

The times they are a' changin'.

It had the makings of reality-television gold.

The third season of "Wall Street Warriors" started filming this spring, as the financial sector's meltdown accelerated. The show's camera crews captured the pain and anger of the biggest stock market crash in decades.

But right now, the show doesn't have an audience.

"Wall Street Warriors" was shot for Mojo HD, a high-definition cable channel that's shutting down Monday, leaving the reality series without a home. Its producers are shopping the show to other networks, with no takers so far.

Its problem: Americans are too depressed about their own finances to entertain themselves by watching shows about money, according to industry executives and academics.

The show will not be missed.

ooo

This week's cartoon from The Economist: