"One need not hope in order to undertake; nor succeed in order to persevere."
(William the Silent)

For those of the "Boomer" generation, television has always had a presence in our lives. When we were kids, it entertained us with catroons. As we grew older, it kept us informed about important current events. It outlined cultural changes, spotlighted political upheavels and allowed us to escape our mundane world. Nowadays, it warns us of danger, and even teaches us how to protect ourselves and our families in case of disaster. Once upon a time, entire families sat in front of the TV every night of the week, and parents never had to fear what children would see or hear. There was an unwritten rule for network TV; adult oriented programs came after the holy "family hour."

But back when I was growing up, networks offered quality programming.

Then someone thought up the reality show. It was a novel concept. It had an appeal for audiences and for the networks. After all, reality shows are cheap to produce, and networks are all about saving money. By using ordinary people, there was no need to pay actors. Have people build their own shelter even in an exotic locale, and who needs elaborate sets? Before you could say, "Danger, Will Robinson," every network jumped on the bandwagon. There were reality shows about strangers sharing homes, millionaires finding wives, and people hoping to get hired by Donald Trump. When idea wells ran dry, producers looked to TV history for inspiration and re-cast old sit-coms with ordinary people. They even revived the GONG SHOW (complete with sarcastic host & has-been entertainers as judges), and named it AMERICAN IDOL.

But those shows have one thing in common: all the participants willing to risk public humiliation are adults. Now CBS has come up with a new twist on the reality show: 40 children age 8-15, sans parental supervision, in a New Mexico "ghost town" are to set up their own government, and "show adults how it's done." Of course, the kids aren't really unsupervised, but even the preview of KID NATION was disturbing. Younger kids are bullied by older kids. They are pushed beyond physical and emotional limits during competitions for privileges and prizes. All this in the name of winning "scholarship" money. Several are in tears after other kids yell at them.

KID NATION takes the old "nobody wants X on their team" to extremes. This show may be only be the latest program to use kids as fodder for fun and profit, but that doesn't make the trend any less disturbing.

And people question why we protested the cancellation of JERICHO. Take one look at KID NATION, and anyone with an iota of intelligence will see why we fought so hard. JERICHO is a program the entire family can watch together. Parents don't have to worry about nudity, graphic violence or strong language. The stories are well-written, the episodes well-acted, the cast professional and skilled. Compared to mindless drivel like KID NATION, JERICHO is a veritable heaven for those of us who remember quality programming. That's why Jericho Rangers eagerly await the 2nd Season, and why we hope for an even longer 3rd Season! The viewers are out there, CBS. All you have to do is compare the numbers from last year's JERICHO premier with the substantially lower premier of KID NATION to see that.

We can only hope KID NATION doesn't last. Goodness knows our children have enough to worry about in today's society. Do we really need network TV exploiting them even more for entertainment? I think not. Speak out now in protest of KID NATION. Write CBS and tell them they need to re-think this abomination!

"Television is the first truly democratic culture --the first culture available to everybody and entirely goverend by what the people want. The most terrifying thing is what people do want." (Clive Barnes)