attn : The Founding of ‘Kid Nation’

[rpf2008]

CBS encamped 40 kids in an abandoned New Mexico ghost town for more than a month. The kids performed on camera for more than 14 hours at a stretch, seven days a week, making their own meals.

They were filming during the school year, yet no studio teachers were present. They were working on a major television production, yet no parents were on the set.

[...skip a lot...]

Networks had produced reality shows with kids before (Disney Channel had a show called "Bug Juice" set at a summer camp that’s not entirely dissimilar to "Nation"). But Mr. Forman and CBS reality head Ghen Maynard wanted to go further than any production had previously attempted in terms of isolating children from adults and the outside world.


Thoughts ? Implications ?

LINK @ tvweek.com (http://www.tvweek.com/news/2007/07/the_founding_of_kid_nation.php)

[mdh]

Take away the stupid television people, and it sounds like those kids might've been free of the oppressive "parent/legal guardian" system that is forced upon them by the government. Were the kids allowed to work and earn money to buy their food supplies, or did they hunt, or what? Anyways, sounds like good stuff. Taking oppressive authoritarian figures like "parents/legal guardians" and "teachers" out of the lives of children is always a good thing, and I hope people will start to think more clearly about how harmful these influences really are on society.

[angelatc]

If they had sex heads will roll.

[torchbearer]

Sociological note- what were the ages? our cultural concept of childhood turns adults into children. A 12 year old is an adult in the socialization process... I was driving tractors on my grandfathers farm at 10 years of age.

[mdh]

Ages 8-15 as quoted in the article the OP linked.

[torchbearer]

I don't see anything wrong with it as long as the kid's get their cut of the profit...

[rpf2008]

" The network immediately recognized the appeal—and difficulty—of the show. There were a million "what if?" disaster scenarios, such as a child getting injured on the set.

In a television genre known for breakneck turnaround times, "Kid Nation" spent six months in development at CBS as lawyers, labor and production experts vetted the plan.

One key point: Finding the right location. According to the CBS preview, "Nation" charges 40 kids with "fixing their forefathers’ mistakes" by rebuilding the "completely dead ... former mining town" of Bonanza City, New Mexico, into a functioning community. "

Did everyone forget the days where kids worked at a young age in dangerous environments ?

Regardless of what process causes this effect the end result is the same : companies exploting kids for profit in dangerous situations.

[torchbearer]

Did everyone forget the days where kids worked at a young age in dangerous environments ?

on point.
Like I said, I worked with large machinery, dangerous chemicals, etc, when i was only 10. and that wasn't that long ago... It teaches responsibility and work ethic. "Kids" are smarter and more mature than we give them credit. The only time these young adults act out is when they are treated like children. Imagine someone treating a grown adult like a child, they would act out too.

[mdh]

on point.
Like I said, I worked with large machinery, dangerous chemicals, etc, when i was only 10. and that wasn't that long ago... It teaches responsibility and work ethic. "Kids" are smarter and more mature than we give them credit. The only time these young adults act out is when they are treated like children. Imagine someone treating a grown adult like a child, they would act out too.

In my opinion, a person should be given the full rights, responsibilities, and freedoms assured to any free and sovereign individual at such time that they can declare themselves such.

[rpf2008]

Kids shouldn't purposefully be placed in situations which can hurt them, especially by businesses.

There is a necessary evil in riding in cars, going outside and all that other stuff.

We don't let people drive until they're ~16 for many reasons, one of which is their safety, the public safety and an understanding of the limitations of the child and teenage mind for certain processes.

Ultimately the parents are to blame.

[Korey Kaczynski]

Any establishment run by that age group would fall apart unless the popular (i.e. respected) kids were somehow intelligent enough to run such a thing.... and such children are never really capable of leadership.