Kid Nation

I love watching the Biggest Loser because I feel really inspired by it. I am inspired by another new show. Today I caught the first episode of a highly controversial CBS show called Kid Nation. The premise is a lot like Lord of the Flies. CBS sends 40 kids, ages 8 to 15, to a ghost town and watches what happens in 40 days. The idea is to see what kids would do without adults.
I think I may need to watch another episode.
Kids are amazing. I think they are a lot smarter than we give them credit for. Kids actually help other kids -- and even cheer for the other team. At times when I, the adult, would have swooped down and saved the day, some eight year-old fixes the issue like nobody's business. CBS chose kids from all walks of life which proves essential when it comes to milking goats and cooking. One part I really enjoyed is from Day One when all the kids are arguing and shouting and bullying (watch it here) and can't seem to figure out what to do. Then one kid, Michael, steps up and gives a speech about how everyone needs to work together. All the other kids begin clapping and Michael stands there with a huge grin on his face. It was like the end of some kid's show about a sports team and the hero somehow defeated all his demons. The kids are really inspiring.
Also interesting... Sophia decides she needs money.
Well, it's not exactly Lord of the Flies. The Host of the show, a real adult, gives instructions and CBS is able to set up a caste system of sorts and give challenges (think Survivor Immunity Challenge). And every so often some one wins $20,000. What I really didn't like was all the network interference. They claim that they are letting the children run amok but they aren't. It's controlled. They set up the system so that we can see good ol' human nature play out. And it does. The moment CBS divides the kids into "us" and "them," crime -- vandalism to be exact -- appears. I guess it could all be a study on human nature.
Now people are saying that it's not good for the kids. After watching one episode I am hardly an expert, however I think this show isn't any more dangerous --emotionally, physically, or otherwise -- than summer camp. The kids aren't unsupervised. Hello? Are the camera people kids too? The kids cry, critics say. And they never cry at home? Life is pain sometimes.
Some people say that it will make parents and children believe that parenting is obsolete. That's poppycock. Kids are kids and they are programmed to need parents and the kids know they need parents. I hope nobody I know is stupid enough to fall for this argument.
If anything the show empowers the kids because they find out how much they can do.