“;Does 'Octomom' deserve a reality TV show?”;

That question was recently asked to a state beauty pageant finalist who replied in the negative. She subsequently became the winner. More power to you, Ms. Hawaii 2009.

I was beginning to wonder if everything has turned into a money-making machine, even raising a family? Is this the direction that society is headed where the likes of the Gosselins and Sulemans will eventually (by their sheer numbers) overwhelm and push out the Sullenbergers?

Has it all come down to making a buck, or making a quick buck? Is it about opportunism or out-and-out profiteering? Have we evolved to the point where we now sniff out any situation for quick and easy gains?:

The greatest obstacle to progress is not man's inherited pugnacity, but his incorrigible tendency to parasitism. (William Ralph Inge)

Or have we simply become economic predators? Is it about taking a strong stand on an issue or simply trying to “;position”; oneself?:

The men of the past had convictions, while we moderns have only opinions. (H. Heine)

Isn't society supposed to avoid creating systems where everyone simply wants to “;cash in”; because everything (e.g., traditions, institutions, standards, values, ethics) now exists to be sacrificed to the altar of profits? What kind of economic world are we creating for future generations?:

Not even a collapsing world looks dark to a man who is about to make his fortune. (E.B. White)

And after an institution turns into an industry, then what happens next? Doesn't the industry turn into a racket where it's all about making sure to collect as much money as possible while being doubly sure to give back as little as possible? And then every so often being triply sure to raising the price?:

People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices. (Adam Smith)

Every institution goes through three stages — utility, privilege, and abuse. (Chateaubriand)

Has the pursuit of wealth become what life is now all about?:

Money always implies the promise of magic; but the effect if much magnified when, as now, people have lost faith in everything else. (Lewis H. Lapham)

I am almost afraid to hear the answer to the question: Is nothing sacred?

Another question I am afraid to hear the answer to is: In the future, is Ms. Suleman planning to get pregnant again?

Considering that my generation grew up watching Cronkite with our families, youngsters in the years to come will probably be subjected to the never-ending series, “;The Nadya Suleman Reality Show”; which will be punctuated by commercials for DVDs of “;The Suleman Choir sing Your Favorite Christmas Tunes”; and “;Octuplets sing 'Buckle Down Winsocki, Buckle Down' and other Show Tunes for Couples Hoping to Conceive.”;

Or maybe there will even be, “;The Nadya Suleman Channel.”;