Everyone who made it past the eighth grade in my town was forced to read William Golding's Lord of the Flies,
the story of planewrecked and stranded English schoolboys who eschew
British niceties when attempting to govern themselves and instead turn
to savagery and murder. The formula for upcoming CBS reality show Kid Nation,
on the other hand, is forty kids ages eight to fifteen stranded alone in a ghost town for
forty days, tasked with creating a workable society, and all without
modern conveniences.
Though
kids on the show won't be voted
off, some will be nominated to be part of the "Upper Class", and
occasional winners, or Gold Star Kids (a designation worth $20,000)
will be declared by the town council every few days. It's hard to say
whether the backbiting and intrigue of other reality shows (Survivor) will be a part of Kid Nation,
but early reports indicate that it may actually show some depth while
portraying kids earnestly attempting to work together and create
something worthwhile. Which means that maybe I can use it as a tool to
help my kids let go of their constant fighting. It's worth a try.
