When I was around 30, working as a manufacturers' rep, I met a guy from Germany who worked for a machinery manufacturer. Over some beer he complained about his inadequate wages, small apartment and how much better his parents had it. I advised him to chuck it and move to the U.S. where his hard work would be rewarded. I look back on that and think "under Bush & Obama the US has swiftly become like Europe, economically." Everybody is jealous of what they think others have, and nobody can really break out of the straight-jacket we've made for ourselves.
You just nailed a big part of the problem. On TeeVee, everyone lives in a McMansion or bigger, drives brand new (or exotic) cars, and does diddley squat in the way of work, unless you count all that eating out, partying, and drinking.
Ethnic backgrounds, as presented in pop culture, vary wildly in their compensation levels (You see ghetto, inner city, but seldom Oprah's crib).
The images of who has what (and what they do to earn it) cause a lot of crap, even in the expectations of those who come from solid middle class backgrounds.