MTV cribs does appear synonymous with that era of unfettered capitalism where young minds were instructed, via the music industry, that the pursuit of riches and gaudy Mcmansions was the norm and the path to happiness.
"Naturally, “Cribs” wasn’t alone in manufacturing what’s now called clout chasing. The decade it belonged to was flush with wealth worship, class striving and conspicuous consumption. MTV’s “Pimp My Ride,” VH1’s “The Fabulous Life of …,” ABC’s “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” and NBC’s “The Apprentice,” hosted by Donald J. Trump, are all indelible.
But soon enough, the people watching experienced the lies a corporate-sold American dream can spin when the housing bubble — built on fraud, debt, earnest ambition and “Cribs”-like McMansion dreams — burst."