(S01E02) It's a bit of an odd twist to the Shakespeare quote, but certainly fitting for this episode of Kid Nation, don't you think? For some reason, I'm not too surprised that 11-year-old Jared has a slight familiarity with the classics. In the first episode, Jared was the king of the one-liners.It's a shame he didn't continue ...
To kill or not to kill, that is the question
Whether 'tis nobler to slaughter chickens
Or cover thine eyes whilst Greg does it
To die, to sleep, perchance to dream
As the chickens shuffled off this mortal coil
For the sake of reality television
Yes, Greg slaughtered the chickens and I slaughtered Shakespeare. Which was truly nobler, eh?
Okay, it's the second episode and I'm intrigued. Oh, it's not living up to all of the child labor hype as far as I'm concerned. And, I'm sure some folks will have issues with what was shown tonight in the chicken slaughter segment. But it happens.
The children once again were directed by the mysterious (cough) journal from 1885. I won't even touch on how silly that part of the show is, but it put the idea in their heads that they needed meat and have 18 chickens in Bonanza City. I can't help but wonder what the children would have done if they were actually left to their own devices without adult intervention. We'll never know.
They put the issue to a town vote. Valid arguments were made on both sides of the issue. In the end, it seemed like most of the kids really wanted the meat because their canned food is tasteless and boring. They want the protein, too. However, most don't want to kill the chickens. They just want to eat them.
Leave it to Greg. He wants that gold star worth the $20,000 for college. Yes, it's sort of a selfish goal, but I don't think it's such a terrible thing. Somehow this 15-year-old has experience slaughtering chickens, cows, goats, elephants and more. Well, I put in the elephants. But if he had thought of it, I believe he might have claimed it. Later in the episode, he's an expert with PVC pipes. Is this kid a ringer or what?
Let's see, last week he went on a graffiti binge and pushed smaller kids around. This week, he's Mr. Been There Done That. For real or coached? That is the question, I say!
Although a freshly slaughtered chicken is something I witnessed during my own childhood, I didn't expect the show to air exactly where the expression "like a chicken with its head cut off" came from. I think of less graphic animal killings on other shows which brought about complaints; I'm sure folks will be crying animal abuse, child abuse and more on this issue.
As for me? Not that I'm not an animal lover, but Greg actually killed the chicken in the same manner I saw on the neighbor's chicken farm. I think it's probably a less seen sight these days than when I was young, but it does happen every day. I couldn't do it then, doubt I could do it now.
But I do understand even the horrified children standing and watching. I watched, as well. Especially when you're a child, you have to watch. Although their reactions varied, this will be something each of those children remember for the rest of their lives, whether good or bad.
As the purpose was food, I'd venture to say that when they're adults they'll look back on it like I do my own experiences. A scary thing, a sad thing, but as Jared said: "The natural cycle of life and death. We just gave these suckers a short cut."
PETA may have a different response.
The kids had other fish to fry, though. No, not real fish to fry or they wouldn't have killed two chickens. It's just an expression, sheesh! They had a frozen water pump, a team of cooks led by 10-year-old Prima Donna Taylor (and her posse), and a showdown ahead.
In the former, it was Wiser Than His Years Michael, one of the laborers, who came to the rescue. Gosh darn it, that kid deserves a gold star! Oh, wait...!
As for little Miss Taylor, she's getting worse and worse each week. Oh, yeah, she's a beautiful young girl, but she's spoiled and lazy. I think it will do her in. As Michael later said, she can't keep using her age as an excuse. There should be some way for these kids to mutiny -- to overthrow the town council members. Although handpicked by the producers, I think some of the other kids are more worthy of being on the council. With the exception of Laurel, I'm not too impressed with Anjay, Taylor, or Mike. Sophia or Michael, or even young Zach, would be better suited for the responsibilities.
This week's showdown had the kids doing some convoluted piping with plastic pipe pieces that probably would take me four days to figure out. They missed out on winning the big prize this week -- a choice between a huge heated waterslide or several water pumps which don't freeze. They were so excited about the waterslide that it would have been interesting to see which they chose.
I can't help but think that if I were a child once again, I'd want to be on this show. If I were to have younger children, I'd be watching this show with them.
Despite the controversy regarding Kid Nation, there's a whole lot of good to be had here -- from warm fuzzies when the losing (once again) green team gets consoled by the other teams to the brazen laziness of the Taylor posse, there are lessons to be learned.
Although originally split between Greg and Michael for the gold heart award this week, the council members gave it to the one who wasn't doing things just to receive it. Greg busted his butt working, but at the end of the day, they saw through his act -- he was doing it for himself, not the good of the whole. Michael deserved it. The kids made the right decision.
Then there was young Emilie, advocate of the chickens. She locked herself in with them; she seriously considered going home. Some of the other children were even unkind to her because she felt so passionately about the chickens. But when asked if she wanted to go home, she chose to stay. That was a much braver act than killing a chicken.
And, just to bring a smile, there was a segment which was pure kid as some of the girls set up a stuffed animal pet daycare center. I think I'm going to have to chug down a mug of root beer in honor of the kids on the show. I'll be watching again next week, will you?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-27-2007 @ 5:19AM
KMF said...
Other than for ratings and drama there was no reason for those kids to kill the chickens. As you said they had tinned food and could eat chicken eggs. I'm assuming the canned food would be beans and such, which is protein, so are eggs so they didn't need meat for protein.
You also pointed out if it hadn't been for that journal they wouldn't have got it into their heads. So obviously the producers thought it up which is sick. The chickens would keep on providing eggs but if they keep on killing them eventually the kids will run out of eggs and chickens.
This was animal cruelity for no other reason but high ratings.
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9-27-2007 @ 9:26AM
Bash said...
*snicker* Man it says a lot when you think "Beauty and the Geek" has more to contribute to TV history than this show.
Honestly, the only way this show would've worked was if even the cameramen would've been children.
This is big brother for kids. The title implies that the kids form their own society - just like "Man vs. wild" how are we supposed to believe that they will act on their own if they have an abundance of other people around who most likely live their life to the fullest, supplied with everything to survive the harsh conditions?
Honestly, I wonder whether there are cameramen out their eating snickers bars on set drinking their frappuchino from a Starbucks cup...
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9-27-2007 @ 9:26AM
Bash said...
out there... gawd kill me...
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9-27-2007 @ 10:00AM
h8rain said...
No problem with them killing the chickne at ALL! How many kids grow up on a farm and by the time they are at those ages, they either know about it, have seen it, or even helped. They are chickens people. We eat chickens.......hmmm....errr I mean mmmmmmmmm. I would call animal cruelty it they killed the chicken for fun, or beat it, but they killed it for food. Yes eggs and beans are proteins, but meat is meat. We (realistically) need meat to survive. I have never killed a chicken and cleaned it, but if I was eating beans and such (because they were not getting tons of eggs), I think i would step up to the plate (pun intended :)).
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9-27-2007 @ 10:30AM
darlin741 said...
Sometimes in the earlier years kids did indeed have to kill chickens to eat for dinner-It was a way of life..I know some kids think it cruel but if they ever went into a grocery store with their parents they would e the first to ask for fried chicken for dinner..They should have just put the older kids in this choice decision and left the younger ones 10 and under out of the decision and made them man some other post....Its reality......
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9-27-2007 @ 10:51AM
Ashley said...
Whats wrong with a few dead chickens? I kid, I kid, but really I can honestly say that I don't see anything wrong with it all. I know I am a country girl but I have seen a few chickens killed and even a hog killed when I was a kid. Some of those kids had experience milking goats so I am sure they know a thing or two about animal death. In the end it all worked out, this show is great.
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9-27-2007 @ 11:44AM
david said...
JIIIIMMMMMMYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!
we miss you already brah.
--> KMF
Emilie learned to deal with it and you are gonan have to also. I think you are giving the producers a little too much credit by saying they thought up eating chicken.
I am gonna step on a bug later and dedicate it to you.
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9-27-2007 @ 2:05PM
The Midnight Penguin said...
I think the star should have gone to Greg regardless of his motives. There are plenty of other weeks to give Michael the star! Honestly, would the kids really have been eating chicken if Greg wasn't there? He knew HOW to kill it, and how to defeather it (which I did not) and then how to chop it up all nice to look like it came from a store. Solely looking at that, can you imagine what the scene would have been like if no one knew how to kill a chicken? I have a feeling we would have seen a lot of kids running around after a chicken with knife in hand.
Not only that, but Greg did seem well-mannered here. And he was instrumental in helping the blue team win the contest. The idea he had to listen to the pipes? I never would have thought of that. My first response as I watched was "that must suck to have to try every hole" which is what the other teams did.
Greg also helped out even though he didn't have to. I thought the gold star was supposed to be awarded the the kid that the council thought contributed the most to the community. I'm not saying that Michael is a bad kid, but he didn't stand up and give a speech this week - sure he's considered to be leading by example, but other than his JOB and the unfreezing of the water pipes idea, did he really contribute as much as Greg did for the episode? I do recognize that there is a lot of editing and off-camera stuff that we don't see here, but still . . .
I think Mike is a very stubborn child and NOT a very good leader, just a brat who is used to his friends listening to him I think. It seems that even if Greg were to keep up all of his good deeds that Mike would never EVER agree to award Greg a star just because he doesn't like him. Unfortunately we see in the previews that Greg doesn't keep it up, I wish he had just to show Mike up.
I also think they need to get Taylor to step down. I can't believe that the kids aren't making more of an issue of the fact that they all are having to do yellow's job. I would have asked for their money back - or not sold pop to them if I were red.
And I can't believe there's no comments on what the little boy said to Emilie - he said that he'd string her up upside down and take her (toe)nails out! Did that not appall anyone else? That child has some serious anger/fairness/rules issues going on.
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9-27-2007 @ 8:56PM
Becky said...
I too feel like Greg deserved the gold star. And I think Taylor is a spoiled, little lazy brat. I do not think she belongs in a leadership role.
As for killing the chickens, where do they think chicken nuggets come from, huh? Or that Sunday fried chicken? I wonder how many of the will go vegan when they return home? I bet none of them do.
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9-28-2007 @ 2:24PM
mark Heminger said...
I haven't eaten meat for five years. I've never been healthier, happier or more energetic in my life. So we don't (realistically) need it to survive. That's another one of those myths perpetuated by our conditioning and the multii-billion dollar agricultural industry. A myth that's furthered by shows like this, out for ratings only.
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9-28-2007 @ 6:10PM
Mary said...
Decapitation is NOT painless or an instantaneous death. Just because it is done doesn't mean it is justifiable, and it certainly is completely inexcusable to allow children to kill animals - even for t.v. ratings, which is the only reason it was done. The show is worse than garbage and I won't waste my time watching it.
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10-04-2007 @ 10:10AM
Lee said...
Neither agreeing or disagreeing with killing a chicken, I believe it’s given a whole lot of people something to think about. None of those children will ever forget seeing that…problematic?...maybe. Controversial? Definitely. However, I think some who eat animal products may have had a rude awakening. Anyone who has made a decision not to partake of the animal kingdom…that’s your personal choice—don’t preach.
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10-07-2007 @ 11:48PM
Marie said...
In a world full of so much violence, these children did NOT need to be exposed to, let alone participate in murdering innocent animals ---They were NOT going to starve without killing and eating chicken. They could have learned to prepare food without killing animals as there are numerous vegetarian protein packed meals that are very nutritionally complete AND non-violent. I'm so outraged and disgusted by such an atrocity. In my household we will NEVER again view ANYTHING on CBS and I will encourage other compassionate and concerned folks to do the same.
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