First Impressions and Commentary on Kidnation

So yesterday was the premier of CBS's Kidnation. And, while it doesn't quite live up to my previous expectations, it still is an interesting show.

But first, more on the dashed expectations. I was expecting this show to set out a bunch of kids out in the wilderness, with them assumedly forming their own society. However, after watching this show, I came to the epiphany that such a show probably would never come to fruition. Watching those kids fall apart with no cohesion contributed to that sentiment. It does not seem like kids are capable of creating a society with little or no guidance, Lord of the Flies be contradicted.

Another interesting thing about the show is the adult “interference.” With a name like Kidnation, one would expect the show to center around the children. And it does. However, one would also expect the role of adults to be greatly under emphasized. In my prior unrealistic expectations, the adult interference would be next to nil. However, such a thing could not happen, at least not if you wanted to see all the kids at the end. Still, it does seem odd to me in having the kids do all these seemingly survivor inspired events.

But as my dad remarked, “It's like kid survivor.” However, this is simply not true. Sure, there was a tiny bit of a survivor element to it. But whereas in survivor the rules are forced upon the contestants, in Kidnation the kids are coaxed into it. And, with their apparent enthusiasm for everything, it seems as though they enjoy it. To clear things up, the kids were split up into 4 teams, then later participated in a competition; this being the extent of Survivor's influence. However, the game was not to see who survives, a la survivor, but rather to determine classes. Yes, this will need a whole 'nother paragraph. Also, there was a town hall meeting, but that was just like a normal town hall meeting and not like the trial by tiki light characteristic of Survivor.

One of the more interesting elements introduced to the show was the concept of “class.” In the first game, there was a large goal that would be granted were all the teams to finish within a set amount of time. But in addition to that, there was a competitive element; one's “class” would be determined by the result of the team, the with first place being most desirable and then on. First place was the “upper class,” with the highest pay ($1) and few if any concrete responsibilities. Next were the merchants, who were paid ($ .50) and were to operate the store, where children could spend their money. Then there were the cooks ($ .25) with the job as titled. Finally, there were the laborers ($ .10), who were assigned the so called dirty jobs of hauling water and cleaning toilets. And if you were wondering, the grand prize for all of them was either 8 more toilets or a tv. Not surprisingly, the council chose the toilets.

But who is this “council?” At the beginning of the show, there were 40 kids gathered all in one place. The one present adult explained to them how it would all work out. Then he laid out the announcement that their leaders were coming to them in a helicopter. Now, I don't know what you were like when you were 8-15, but that would be pretty darn impressive. Out from the helicopter came 4 people, introduced to the 40 kids as their “council.” The leaders got their first trial of getting all the wagons to their city. During that time, and soon after, there was a bit of tension regarding a certain leader's performance, “Mike”, who was accused of being too much of a supervisor. Initial impressions on the group of 40 weren't entirely positive, either. However, as time went on, such resentment went the way of the dodo. Of note, the aforementioned leader redeemed himself by beating the odds and winning the first competition.

No, I will not comment on the individual children. I'm not watching this show like a fan watching survivor, I'm watching this show as a self styled psychologist and social commentator. I mean, if the actions of a particular kid were to be essential to the social commentary, then yes, they shall get their mention of fame. However, I will not list my “favorites” on this blog. That is not my point.

One interesting and seemingly psychological thing I noticed was the tendency to not help another team. In the competition, the first two teams were neck and neck. The next two seemed like they could be close, but weren't. When one had finished, there was just one team left and about 5 minutes to go. Even though there was a large prize to be had were all the teams to finish within the time limit, no one went out to help the last team. Granted, they egged them on with their shouts as best as they could, but they all kept their physical distance. Quite a statement about human nature.

Another interesting social phenomenon I didn't notice was the outright resentment at one's job. It was briefly hinted at, but never mentioned afterwards. Then again, only four days had passed. But still, the current conditions do not look favorable for a “dictatorship of the proletariat.” Granted, the job disparity isn't quite as extreme as real life. And, there might be a feeling that they “earned” the job they got, as it was decided by their placing in the competition. So it is too early to tell why they don't feel resentment, or even if there will be a revolution or not.

Another interesting social phenomenon was when a girl named “Sophie” began dancing in an effort to raise money for herself. As she was a laborer, she had little money of her own. She also wanted a bike, valued at $3, which was far out of any single person's wallet, especially a laborer's. So she started dancing in order to earn donations. And she was effective in raising the money and purchasing the bike. When she finally did get it, it was met with much fanfare from the other kids who were present, leading me to believe that begging does not quite have a negative stigma with children. Either that, or they sympathized with her “plight.”

And while there's undoubtedly more I haven't commented on and could, I bet you wanted to see less here. So, until the next episode of Kidnation, that's all for now.