I should say I hate Reality TV, tis true… I don’t get it. And honestly I HATED the book Lord of the Flies. Oh so very, very much. So the idea of Kid Nation just doesn’t work for me and I could be over reacting. I know… shocking…
But I KEEP seeing this show pop up on the ‘net (which is prolly a sign of the marketing machine at work). First there was buzzing this week because some parent is pissed off at how her kid was treated. And now The New York Times covered the show today and really if I was a parent of any of those kids on the show I would grab a brown paper bag and hide.
And the one parent (I think it is one so far) who is crying foul just makes me think “Blame Canada“.
NYT explains:
“Kid Nation,” which is scheduled to have its premiere on CBS on Sept. 19, took 40 children, ages 8 to 15, and placed them in a New Mexico desert “ghost town” near Santa Fe for 40 days, during which they had little to no contact with their parents. The program has been criticized by New Mexico state authorities who have said that they were not notified in advance of the conditions, which they said appeared to violate state laws.
I don’t care about how the set was, how the kids were treated, what CBS did or didn’t do. Honestly as far as I can see none of those kids should have been there. I understand contracts take the whole CYA thing to the hilt. Sort of like medication warning you it could cause insomnia while saying it could make you sleepy.
But if you are a parent. If you have a child. Do you sign a contract that states:
…the minor and the parent are being held solely responsible for any “emotional distress, illness, sexually transmitted diseases, H.I.V. and pregnancy” that might occur if the child “chooses to enter into an intimate relationship of any nature with another participant or any other person.”
Huh, WHA? Read those ages again people. 8 to 15 years old. Some bright mom talks about her 10 year old feeling she was more than ready to take on the challenge. 10!!!!!@@@@!@!@!@!@!@
Stupid chick. If something happened to that kiddo, no one is responsible for it except the parent that let her be there. The parent that inked the deal, giving up her rights to expect her TEN YEAR OLD child to be protected from situations that could result in sexually transmitted diseases, H.I.V. and pregnancy.
Who does that? Don’t get me wrong. I would bet the show was just peachy keen and they had trailers, catered food and all the comforts of home – after all this is reality as TV would create it. But still… someone asks you to sign away the right to decide what medical care will happen to your child in the case of an emergency, up to and including surgery, while saying they are not responsible for the “qualifications or credentials” of professionals that could treat your kid. Does that sound like something you sign?!? Does that not set off little warning bells in your head?
Most likely this is just free press and noise to make the ratings better. Sadly it will prolly work and they are already looking for stupid ass people looking for their 15 minutes of fame off the backs of their kids parents for a second season. I could be wrong maybe this really is creative and great tv. As I said I hate reality tv or what tv tries to pass off as reality. So maybe I am missing something nifty here. What do you think?
Source: ‘Kid Nation’ Parents Gave Show Free Rein
The Smoking Gun has the whole contract up here.
It’s what you said at the end – parents wanting their kid to be the next Britney. People are stupid!
CindyS
It’s a BAD, bad, bad, bad, bad, BAD, horrific idea. Dumb ass parents.
Dumb ass kids.
It’s a fucked up sociology project is what it is. Disgusting.
And I hated Lord of the Flies when I had to read it too.
Wow. Bad, Bad, Bad idea!! My son is 8 and I would never in a million years allow him to do something like this. There is no way he could handle something like this anyway. I have no idea what was going through those parents heads when they signed that form.
I had my head in the sand because I am very resistant about finding new shows to watch so I had no idea this was going on.
I am a RealityTV ho but I would never watch this. LOTF freaked me out. Also, I saw a notorious Japanese film called “Battle Royale” that sort of had the same premise. That was one f*cked-up, violent film.
I hate reality TV too. Most of it is just too cruel and people are treated horribly sometimes. I don’t enjoy stuff like that. The networks like them because they make a bundle of money on that crap and they don’t have to pay actors to put on a real show. These people who go on these shows sign up to be humiliated and abused and embarrassed. What were those parents thinking? Greed, pure and simple.
I heard about this show for the first time yesterday. I’m horrified by the premise, by the network, and mostly by the fact that any parent would put their child in such a situation. Every day, the newspaper carries articles about bullying in schools, children who are harmed by other children, and that is in a controlled, supervised environment! It sounds as though these children were in a physically and emotionally unsafe environment for the 40 days, and that is abhorrent.
OH.MY.GOD. Ages 8-15. Are these
parentsidiots nuckin’ futs! I’m trying really hard not to let loose with a complete rant, but you KNOW parental responsibilty is one of my hot buttons. Particularly when it comes to children 10 and under– that age range should be treated completely different than the 11-13 and 13 to 15 age groups. They have a completely different set of interests– or at least they SHOULD. I believe parents SHOULD ensure that the younger group is encouraged to just be KIDS, not miniature teenagers.If I let my kid get into something like this (HIGHLY doubtful), OUR contract would be the exact opposite of theirs. Ours would say that, if ANYTHING happens to my child, each and every adult involved in the production WILL be held personally responsible. Guess none of my kids would qualify for the show, huh?
Now, I guess to be fair, I should admit that I DO sign those damn field trip release forms. I assume they are universal, so hopefully you’ll know what I’m talking about. They always state that we agree to hold the school harmless for any injuries to our child. I sign them because otherwise my kids can’t go on field trips. But the fact is, I damn well WILL hold them responsible! I’m entrusting my child to their care and it’s their inarguable DUTY to take care of that child!
OK, how are they getting away with this legally? Seriously, we’re talking about kids and even if a negligent parent signed this waiver there are child protective agencies. At least New Mexico is griping, good for them. And holy crap that’s not a state to mess around in. Hello, Hanta Virus will kill you fast!
The way I read it they are getting around it by not ‘paying the kids for being in the show’. They are given ‘bonuses’ and shit.