Many of the Hollywood leading men and women are able to command an insane amount of money for their appearance in the next potentially blockbuster mega-movie. Equally impressive are the contracts negotiated for TV stars, both per episode and ongoing royalties. The salary earned by most of the entertainment superstars is just plain crazy, especially when compared to that of the more common but equally talented teacher or child-care worker.

What about Reality TV? How does the money stack up? Are the contestants considered actors and paid union wage? It seems like there was mention once of some token fee paid to The Bachelor and The Bachelorette cast. And the celebrities on Dancing with the Stars reportedly all receive the same appearance money whether they finish first or last. None of it seems outrageous. Then we heard news of that popular young couple who blew a few million dollars that they had earned as part of The Hills cast. It’s really hard to say what is the worth of any Reality TV personality.

Well apparently the folks at MTV have decided to reward one out-of-control pregnant teenager for her bad behavior by paying big bucks to be dumb and stupid. One Teen Mom reality personality, recently arrested for assaulting the babydaddy, and reportedly pregnant with her second child, pulls in $280,000 a year. What? Wait a sec…maybe she’s not so dumb and stupid after all.

This isn’t really about Teen Mom. It’s more about our modern American culture and the message MTV is sending your teenage daughter and her bff, that it’s ok to be 18 and pregnant, and now 20 and pregnant again, with no real means to support either child, and even worse, that it’s ok to assault another human being just because you’re not able to control your anger management issues.

And what part of the $180,000 do we think is actually making its way into a trust fund for the one or two young’uns? It’s not about pro-life or pro-choice. It’s about growing up and taking responsibility for your grown-up actions. It’s also about MTV promoting this as a viable life choice. Teen Mom is MTV’s second-highest-rated show. It might even be closing in on the top show, Jersey Shore, yet another shining example of high morals and strong values.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to learn that MTV is paying such a large sum of money to this Teen Mom just because they want to be good guys and help out a young mother in need. Not! It is disturbing to note that Teen Mom, and it’s spin-off 16 and Pregnant, are huge ratings draw. And there’s another season on the way. Viewership is at an all-time high. Could it be that parents are watching these shows with their impressionable young teens to see what not to do? One can only hope.