When I was a kid, maybe around 10 or 11 years old, a friend and I brought some "near beer" with us during a trip to the Museum of Science in Boston. We were so proud of that feat, even if the drink itself was rather lame.
I thought of that after watching this video clip (after the jump) from Kid Nation, which premiere's tonight at 8 on CBS. I don't know if this is from tonight's episode or a later one, but it shows the kids all gathering at the town saloon and sucking down drinks after a hard week's work. Now, I'm assuming that it's just soda and not alcohol they happened to find in the town, but let me ask all of the kids who are reading this: is it cool nowadays to gulp down down soda like this and pretend you're "getting drunk?" Eleven year-olds getting sloshed and learning how to hang out at some cheap bar - it's so adorable! It's like Charles Bukowski - The Early Years.
And for the record, when I was a kid, we called it "tonic," not soda.
Six shows that I am watching pretty regularly this season
Five other TV shows where Sarah Palin should appear
Brought To You By ... - VIDEOS
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-19-2007 @ 4:51PM
OhDear said...
It does not look like they are pretending to be drunk.
Reply
9-19-2007 @ 4:57PM
Karen said...
I think they are acting how they percieve adults to act when they are celebrating in a saloon.
Reply
9-19-2007 @ 4:58PM
Karen said...
...and I think it is HIGH on sugar rather than drunk on soda.
Reply
9-19-2007 @ 5:10PM
jonathan said...
wow those kids were doing bombs all night, of what i dont know but how they figured out how to do that is amazing to me. (bombs throwing the shot glass into the bigger glass and chugging it down - just to make sure we're all on the same page)
Reply
9-19-2007 @ 5:26PM
Brooks Williams said...
Oh yeah, these kids sure do look like the literary geniuses their online pages made them appear to be.
But they sure do know how to toss a few bombs, something I never knew back when I was their age.
Reply
9-19-2007 @ 5:35PM
matt said...
you called it "tonic" because people in Massachusetts (don't know about surrounding states for sure) called soda "tonic" some places call it "pop" some places call it "soda pop" some places call it "soda". When i moved to Massachusetts I thought that calling it "tonic" was soooo wrong.
Reply
9-19-2007 @ 5:49PM
Rebecca said...
Dude. That was weird. Who chugs rootbeer like that?
Reply
9-19-2007 @ 6:55PM
Mystery Critic said...
You could not pay me to watch this show. I'm happily avoiding this series, as I'm not crazy about the whole premise and how filming was achieved.
Hopefully it'll tank in the ratings after the first week, and will be replaced by something more worth while.
Reply
9-19-2007 @ 8:15PM
Jake Geiser said...
Wow, this is just horrible, yet really funny at the same time. Kids running a town? Thats just wrong.
So, as I try to not switch back to it, I want to, because its just so... wierd, ya know?
Back to you is great tho.
Reply
9-19-2007 @ 9:58PM
jenjifer said...
Dude, where did you hang out? I've lived in the Boston area forever and have never once heard anyone refer to soda as "tonic" unless they were being sarcastic.
Reply
9-20-2007 @ 12:23AM
Luke said...
Its all rather odd to me. I wasn't going to even watch the show but got caught up in it anyway.
I have no idea why 12, 13, 14 year olds would be gettting hyped up over Orange pop and Rootbeer like that. Too many R and PG13 movies maybe. I've never drank Pop/Soda like that before...
I am going to keep watching the show just to see what kind of crap these kids end up doing.
Reply
9-20-2007 @ 8:07AM
Matt said...
I noticed them doing shots of soda at the end of last night's premier episode. I was shocked. Did they really need to give the kids shot glasses in their Saloon?
Bob, since you are from Boston I take it you have been to Bukowski's then? Good times! No Root Beer shots there!
Reply
9-20-2007 @ 8:14AM
Matt said...
I am born and raised in Mass, and my grandmother and aunt called it Tonic. So it was around in Mass.
Reply
9-20-2007 @ 2:27PM
mellonmarshall said...
hey it is actually possible at that age to do it, only at that age mind. I know from the fact both me and a brother's friend did (many years apart I may add)
To do it you need to drink about a litre in an hour, which at that age, let's face kids can do but it what about 3rd of their volume in blood as an adult you probauly need to drink 3 litres which you can't do.
And we call 'soda' here in England Fizzy or fizzy drinks,
in the pub might they be called soft drinks and inculde orange juice though
Reply