Coming Soon the Real "Lord of the Flies"

This is one of those things that needs no commentary...I'ma just present it to you.

CBS has a new reality show called "Kid Nation." If you've ever read "Lord of the Flies," the required reading novel for most high school students that depicts shipwrecked children who must govern themeselves and build their own civilization, and over time become savage toward each other, thereby providing commentary that when left to our own devices, men are base and evil at heart...Well, this show brings that book to life.

Tom Forman, exec producer of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," said he was tired of the shows on TV and bored with adult actors who know what to do on camera, so he got the idea to throw 40 kids together (ages 8-15) in New Mexico where the child labor laws are more lax, and charge them with rebuilding the city. It's supposed to be like a deserted ghost town they must operate temselves - including cooking their own meals!- but it was filmed on the same ranch that was in the Matt Damon movie "All the Pretty Horses." On July 1, New Mex tightened their labor laws; luckily CBS had just finished production. Seven days a week, starting at 7 a.m. and sometimes going to midnight or later, they filmed these kids without parents or teachers.

To get around other legalities, all the CBS documentation concerning the show calls "Kid Nation" a "summer camp," so technically the kids are not employees...they were, however, given a $5,000 stipend upon completion of the project. CBS seems to be proud of itself and surprised there were no injuries and whatnot. Excerpted from TVWeek:

"I expected a lot of off-camera hand-holding, but they just didn’t need it," Mr. Forman said. "The kids were better human beings than you’ve ever seen on television. And when they decide to be mean to each other, they’re horrible. You’re seeing kids at their absolute best and worst."

....If it makes for good television, why not.....I guess