Real estate mogul and reality show guru Donald Trump made a guest appearance on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives last week and, in a real stretch, he played himself. The brief cameo was in the context of Mr. Trump's visit to the Horton Foundation, a charity based on the fictional town of Salem. The dialogue between Trump and Mickey Horton gives us some insight into Donald Trump's view of economic success and the resulting responsibility:

Mickey: Thank you very much, Mr. Trump, for your generous contribution to the Horton Foundation on its anniversary. And I can assure you that it will be put to very good use.

Donald: Well, I'm glad to do what I can, Mickey. I've always believed that with success comes a responsibility, and that responsibility is very important — helping those in need. Your foundation's been doing a great job for a long time. Happy 40th anniversary, and keep up the great work.

Mickey: We'll try. I want to thank you for taking time out of your very busy schedule to come all the way up here to Salem.

Donald: I've been hearing so much for so long about what you've been doing, and I really had to come up and see the place for myself. It's great. It's really terrific.

Now of course in many ways this view might be an artifact of the need to find some device for Donald Trump to appear on Days. But this season of Trump's reality show, The Apprentice, gives us some other clues in this regard.

On his own show, the reward for the winning team in Week 3 was to "give back to the community" by "distributing tens of thousands of dollars worth of free electronics to kids in the hospital." This is in distinction to past rewards, which include jet-set getaways and expensive jewelry and gifts.

"It puts everything into perspective," said Josh. "You can't really quantify the value of giving a gift and a smile to a kid." Added Mark, "It was like being Santa Claus."

And on Martha Stewart's version of The Apprentice, for which Trump serves as executive producer, the Week 2 reward again was "an opportunity to give back to New York City. The corporation banded together with New York Cares to help the Hudson Guild community organization create a garden in Manhattan's Chelsea district. They transformed a dingy dirt patch into a beautiful oasis of flowers outside the Guild's new recreation, arts, and children's center. Working alongside volunteers and neighborhood children, the candidates of Primarius [the winning team] were touched by the joy of giving."

These are just some of the most recent examples of compassion coming to the small screen. The newest show this season is NBC's Three Wishes, hosted by Christian musician Amy Grant. I've discussed before the issue of mixed-motives in the commercialization of compassion, especially with respect to ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. I'm still inclined to give such shows the benefit of the doubt...whatever the motivations, there is good being done. And even if there is duplicity and the motive is purely that of economic self-interest, this merely attests to the foundational reality of mutually beneficial exchange at the heart of the market system. ED/PUB:LM