Current Release: September 11th, 2007 | Vol. XXIV Iss. 10

Illustration by Andrew Foster

“Lord of the Flies” + reality TV = “Kid Nation”

Amanda Gertner

ajgertner@vwc.edu

Remember the good old days when playing house meant pretending that there were no adults around to run your life, but if anything went wrong, mom and dad were never far away? That version of house would probably be Heaven after these kids’ experiences on “Kid Nation,” the controversial reality television show on CBS on Thursdays at 8:00 P.M.

“Kid Nation” premiered on Sept. 19. Forty children ranging in ages from eight to 15 were dropped off in a deserted town called Bonanza City, New Mexico to try to rebuild it. There are no comforts of home such as comfortable beds or more than one restroom (www.cbs.com). There are no adults helping them.

At first all 40 of the children had a chaotic time. They had four leaders, who they had to try to see as both authority figures and friends. They were all homesick and, on top of that, they were in charge of making their meals and doing other jobs. A few days into the game the group was divided into classes such as upper, merchant, and workers. The children got paid according to their class, so that they could buy items in various stores. Their order was decided by a contest. The new society had their first town meeting not long after, and some issues were resolved. At each meeting the children were asked if they wanted to go home; and if they wanted to, they could. Also, at each meeting, the leaders decide who did the best job and give them a star worth $20,000.

It is interesting to watch the young children take care of themselves and form a town. The leadership and teamwork develop over time, which helped all 40 children make it through (at least) the first episode.

By the third episode, though, the participants of “Kid Nation” were becoming unruly. They stayed up too late and slacked on their chores Disagreements arose. A curfew of 9:30 p.m. was instated in the fake town (CBS).

While I found this show entertaining and fascinating, I did not agree with everything on it. The age limit should have been higher. Eight is much too young to be doing many of the things on the show- or at least, to have to. It’s like a kid’s version of Survivor; it will probably produce a large amount of competitiveness. It was clear that “Kid Nation” was too intense for some of the contestants.

Much of the public is raising an uproar over “Kid Nation.” CBS has been accused of child abuse, slavery, and being downright irresponsible (LAChronicle). But, the parents of the contestants signed a contract saying that they agreed to let their children participate, even though they knew that there would be no adults to take care of them, besides a group of medical professionals to take care of any sick or injured participants. The camera crew was on watch to intervene at all times.

It is really about your personal beliefs and whether you would like “Kid Nation” or not. That is why it is so controversial; it is not for everybody.