"Kid Nation" Not The End Of Western Civilization, Says Variety

Cynthia Littleton at Variety says that "Kid Nation" turned out not to be so evil after all. Sure, we all got worked up about it and about the exploitation of kids, and the decline of Western Civilization, and so forth. But in the end, she says, it's no big deal. The season finale airs tonight and then all the kids will fade back into quiet obscurity, some of them with a nice bump in their college fund and a note on their resume that can help them get into tony prep schools. Littleton would have us believe that the show has caused no serious problems for the US or for Western Civilization in general.

I disagree. It's obvious to me that "Kid Nation" has in fact been a key factor in all of the problems the world is currently facing.

After just one season of "Kid Nation," the US Dollar has faded dramatically, especially against the Canadian Dollar, the Pound Sterling, and the Euro. Huge amounts of fraud have been uncovered in the crisis-ridden housing and loan markets. Both the southeastern and southwestern US are facing severe drought. And piracy has increased - both the kind involving boats and the kind involving software. With the writer's strike almost certain to drag on into 2008, we're only going to see more shows like it, and that means more disaster for our nation.

Of course, there are other dangerous shows: The Observer points out that "Gossip Girl" might trick people into thinking New York is a good place to live, and of course "Who Wants To Marry A Citizen?" is almost certainly illegal, and a commenter on TVSquad notes that "Moonlight" might encourage people to ignore the growing vampire menace. Still, I think it's clear that "Kid Nation" is the greatest danger to us all.

Variety is simply unwilling to own up to being part of the media frenzy encouraging this sort of show and its inevitable disastrous result. But viewers must do what is necessary to stop the collapse: Demand quality scripted entertainment! Demand an end to reality!