'Kid Nation' reality show a new low
Kid Nation is to debut Sept. 19 on CBS. This new reality series features 40 children, average age 11, who were taken out of school for 40 days recently and left with limited supervision in a ghost town in New Mexico and videotaped by film crews.
This production may have violated state labor laws in New Mexico. The kids were reportedly worked 14 hours a day as they struggled to begin an economy and town council. The unscripted kids’ tears and fears are captured.
Let’s not kid ourselves: This is not a social experiment — it’s about dollars and ratings.
CBS verified that four children required medical attention after accidentally drinking bleach from an unmarked pop bottle. A little girl had a grease burn while cooking. This child exploitation borders on abuse and neglect.
We hear pediatricians and child psychologists were standing by. Oh? Just standing?
No doubt this will prompt public debate and buzz. But to me, it’s a new low for CBS.
Jeffrey I. Dolgan,
Senior psychologist,
The Children’s Hospital
Denver
It is an all-time low for CBS, but I would suspect, not for their parents. They sold their children into this with full knowledge of the exploitation and danger involved. I hope they are convicted of being criminally neglectful.
Posted by Sheila on September 8, 2007 07:52 AMI think it’s about time that children learn that life is more than just texting and iPods.
“CBS verified that four children required medical attention after accidentally drinking bleach from an unmarked pop bottle. A little girl had a grease burn while cooking. This child exploitation borders on abuse and neglect.” – really? My neighbor’s son broke his arm skateboarding, twice. So? Those describes what’s going on very day (grease burn), throughout the country. What are you gonna do, put every parent in jail? There is obvious differences between abuse, negligent and normal wear and tear. Thanks to the small but vocal minority who thinks that we should just bottle up our kids until they grow up, now they can’t even play tag in Col Springs. Nice work.
Shakespeare is often paraphrased (incorrectly0 that we should "first kill the lawyers". I'm of the opinion that if they had the mental health profession in his day, he would have been referring to psychologists and psychiatrists.
Take one of those anti-psychotic drugs you're trying to hook today's children on, doc. While it probably won't help -- in fact may cause more harm than good -- you'll be supporting the pharmaceutical industry that supports your industry.
Posted by mongoose on September 8, 2007 01:02 PMSome benefit can definitely be derived from consulting a trained and dedicated "head shrink." However, I agree with monogoose's implied assessment that the mental health folks are moving too rapidly into treating troubled people, especially children with drugs; usually without being able to substantiate any chemical or biological cause underlying the behavior. Anyone's behavior can be modified with drugs -- but to what end, and with what long term biological and psychological effects?
And, I definitely agree with Sheila. The parents of these children should be evaluated for their exercise of questionable judgment in placing their children in a situation of "limited supervision", IF in fact the degree of supervision was truly minimal.
Posted by carl on September 8, 2007 02:53 PMWhy do you watch TV at all? It is mostly a waste of time. Go for hike, paint a picture, do something useful.
Posted by hikingartist on September 8, 2007 03:26 PMI am all for kids going out, playing, trying their hands at a host of activities. My position isn't that they should be kept inside, remaining safe' and without risk in their lives. Oh, contrare. But, these kids were needlessly put at risk. Let's imagine for a moment that the parents were at home, not paying attention to the kids, letting them have autonomy in their young lives. MOST courts in america would say that they were being negligent, at best. But, put it under the guise of "entertainment' for television and its okay.. so long as we 'don't watch and go for a hike'. I agree: watching TV.. no matter what the program, is likely going to turn my brain into marshmellow, but that doesn't mean I should turn a blind eye when crap like this is happening. Someone should stand up to the parents and ask them 'JUST WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING???'
There's a recent study showing ADHD is being over-diagnosed.
Seems to be a way for some parents to absolve themselves of personal responsibility for their children's behavior. Not all, of course, but some..
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gKwl41dH0-O0e_iehl9086oVOrUw
Posted by Charles B on September 8, 2007 08:38 PMWhen I see a new "reality" TV show... I still come up with the same notion. This is staged, a fake, flim flam and the participants are actors. I have not seen this show at all...but I did see a report on another "realty" show "flip this house" which turned out to be a total fraud.. If the kids are not professional child actors...why does it take a so called mental health professional to eveluate them as to why they let their kids do this...it is simple...money, exposure to other job opps...again money. Also, CBS, the production company as well are in it for the same reason...money. This reminds of the movie "The Fisher King"...where the agent of of the talk show host wants to make a sit com about the homeless
Posted by Yaakov on September 8, 2007 10:09 PMWhen I see a new "reality" TV show... I still come up with the same notion. This is staged, a fake, flim flam and the participants are actors.
I get the same notion when I see a White House press briefing. When is Fox going to pull the plug on this weak reality show? I mean, the pretext is laughable...who would actually vote for those guys? Twice!? C'mon...that's just ridiculous.
Posted by on September 8, 2007 10:31 PM"This reminds of the movie 'The Fisher King'...where the agent of of the talk show host wants to make a sit com about the homeless."
That proposed sitcom couldn't have been any less realistic a depiction of the homeless than in the movie itself.
Posted by Hans Christian Brando on September 9, 2007 10:08 AMOn a lighter note there is a program called "Survivor Man" that you all have to watch.
This fellow does go out alone into all kinds of environments, photographs himself living off the land and his one of the most entertaining and funniest program I have found.
His night in a brush shelter, listening for the bears to come and eat his was wonderful.
The only time he gave up and left a place was in Utah when he completely ran out of water. Watching him cook and eat a desert rat, guts, fur and all was very funny.
I don`t think he meant this to be a comedy, but it is.
Okay, now back to the serious stuff.
Posted by Sharon B. on September 9, 2007 11:16 AMI see this show as a veiled attack on the nuclear family and the roll of parenting in society.
Lets put a bunch of kids together ,and, supposedly ,with no adult supervision ,wa la, they will create a self sufficient Utopian society.
The message being you don't really need a Mom and Dad,or extended family to instill important morals and values.
First there were shows extolling the notion that one parent families . or two gay parents, somehow was as good , if not better,than the traditional family concept.
Now,parents aren't even needed.and kids apparently can just raise themselves.
Posted by Get Real on September 9, 2007 12:34 PM"Lets put a bunch of kids together ,and, supposedly ,with no adult supervision ,wa la, they will create a self sufficient Utopian society."
This must be a wetdream for poster "Un" Truth. He can see his dream of socialist utopia in action. A virgin commune, so to speak
Posted by on September 9, 2007 12:49 PMGet Real, really? You see your agenda here? I see tv running out of ideas and getting desperate.
Posted by Sharon B. on September 9, 2007 02:26 PMLets put a bunch of kids together ,and, supposedly ,with no adult supervision ,wa la, they will create a self sufficient Utopian society.
I guess you guys missed the day they assigned 'Lord of the Flies' at school...
Sharon B-
You are probably right about the lack of ideas.
Most likely the agenda is to make a lot of money off a hit show.
I guess we wont really know if any other agendas are at play until it airs.
I'll assume it will be , like most reality shows,mostly staged and pieced together.
It is being billed as sharing aspects of Lord Of The Flies,which would make one think it would end in chaos and failure.
I bet they will show plenty of that but ultimately will have the kids prevailing against all odds in the end , probably by utilizing some sort of " share the wealth " system. Junior socialists in action.
Hey, there's a possible agenda for you.
Posted by Get Real on September 9, 2007 06:18 PMWhat wealth? Okay, after depending on 11 year olds to feed themselves, food will probably be the medium of exchange. The one who can cook rules.
Posted by Sharon B. on September 10, 2007 12:00 AMANONYMOUS AT 6:05 Ah, Lord of the Flies. I was wondering if anyone was going to remember that classic. Great book. Lovely fiction. But, this is the real world and these kids are being used as entertainment ... more than likely for adults... and with full knowledge that cameras are rolling. Therefore, the comparison to the book is weak, at best.
Hi Shelia, there were no girls in Lord of the Flies. Girls would have organized the boys into some semblance of society. Just kidding here.
Posted by Sharon B. on September 10, 2007 04:28 PMYeah, no girls there. Instead, we had a bunch of boys, let loose and without adult supervision. The result was anything but positive. (remember one kid was murdered 'cause the others, not looking carefully before acting, killed him by mistake?)
Ah.. the joys of boys.
Sheila, do you have a son who recently returned from Iraq?
Back to the topic, it is really interesting how the Federal government has set it up so that they can screen all children for 'mental issues' and then prescribe anti-depressants and other drugs to kids who they feel dont measure up. Also, maybe this show is just to prepare kids for the day when their parents have been hauled off to the FEMA camps for whatever reason the 'Powers That Be' determine is a valid reason to do so.
Jay there isn`t a Federal program to screen kids for mental issues.
Man, get out of the house and talk to some people, you sound like you are alone too much.
Shelia, lots of boys in our family, then a girl is born and we don`t know what to do with her. Just kidding here too.
Posted by Sharon B. on September 12, 2007 01:12 PM