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There are more TV shows than ever devoted to the exploits of rich, privileged brats, reports the Times—even though the acquisitive, cosseted lifestyles of the likes of Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass are in stark contrast to what's going on in the wider world. But don't blame us, say TV execs, we're just giving the public what it wants, or more specifically, what the most important consumer group—tween girls—wants. It's 11 and 12 year old girls who are "the least psychologically affected by a wildly fluctuating stock market and grim headlines," says sociologist David Grazian, and they have more disposable income than "at any other time in our history." So now you know why every other commercial at the moment is for Clearasil—or indeed why names like Ashley Tisdale and Zac Ephron are as annoyingly familiar as Sarah Palin and Joe Biden.