Kid Nation

Going thru all of the readings about the show Kid Nation I could interpret that the authors of these commentaries were not referring to the kids in this show in a positive way. They hadn’t even started the show and they already doubted whether the kids would make it or not based upon their personal attitudes about teens.

I found several comments that support this negative attitude about these kids in the articles. For example:

“Through it all. They’ll cope with regular childhood emotions and situations: homesickness, peer pressure, and the urge to break every rule they’ve ever known.”
“There is nothing particularly new about the conflicting images of children as innocents and children as beasts.” “Parent bashing is the favorite indoor sports these days.” “With nary a thong, video game or cellphone in sight, the children on the “Kid Nation” promo appear more physically active, intellectually engaged and (no small thing) appropriately dressed than most kids on T.V. (and in real life) these day’s.”

These comments are clear insults to kids on this show and teens nationally drawing from this dominant discourse about teenagers.