Is it just me, or do you ever feel a little queasy when you hear about people spending absurd amounts of money on things no one really needs?

Take MTV’s “My Super Sweet 16,” for example. Every episode centers around a painfully spoiled teenager whose parents drop hundreds of thousands of dollars to stage over-the-top birthday extravaganzas — complete with luxury cars, celebrity cameos, and tantrums. It’s like watching the Academy Awards on a budget of bad parenting.