I would expect to read something like this in a novel by Dickens, but apparently it's rather more recent...
It seems CBS are so obsessed with the precious 'bottom line,' they decided to indulge in a little child labor. A production crew recently stranded 40 children in a New Mexico ghost town for over a month. They were required to work more than 14-hours a day, seven days a week, and even make their own meals. This repugnant exploitation took place during the School year, yet no Tutors were present. And despite the children being contracted for a television production, their parents were not allowed near them.
The motive for this mindless, greed-fueled abuse is a new 'Reality' show called, "Kid Nation." Several people told CBS the show was impossible and that the network would be staring at several potential lawsuits if they even tried to make it.
So what happened, you ask? Was the idea dropped and replaced with one based on at least a modicum of concession to the notion of treating the stars like human beings, instead of mindless drones with no humanity or rights? Not even close. CBS simply declared the entire production venue a "summer camp," thus squirming through a loophole in New Mexico's labor laws.
I despise all reality shows; They exploit the stars and patronize the audience. And judging from their falling ratings I'm not alone in this implacable allergy. But the desperate lengths to which a network that prides itself on family appeal and concerns is prepared to sink in this latest, fawning homage to the all-conquering dollar is so devoid of reason, compassion and any hope of justification, it should foretell the demise of the entire, fetid genre.
How can 'The Eye' be so utterly blind to human rights and simple reason? Any parent who watches this show should feel almost as ashamed as those who allowed their progeny to be used on it. And any advertiser shallow enough to participate should be the focus of a nationwide, parent-driven boycott that would impel them to the brink of ruin.
I was sure those responsible for the proliferation of Reality TV could not sink any lower in their avaricious craving for ratings and profits. Clearly, I was mistaken. If this hideous aggregation of greed, inhumanity and ignorance ever makes it to air, it chills the blood to consider what might come next.
It seems CBS are so obsessed with the precious 'bottom line,' they decided to indulge in a little child labor. A production crew recently stranded 40 children in a New Mexico ghost town for over a month. They were required to work more than 14-hours a day, seven days a week, and even make their own meals. This repugnant exploitation took place during the School year, yet no Tutors were present. And despite the children being contracted for a television production, their parents were not allowed near them.
The motive for this mindless, greed-fueled abuse is a new 'Reality' show called, "Kid Nation." Several people told CBS the show was impossible and that the network would be staring at several potential lawsuits if they even tried to make it.
So what happened, you ask? Was the idea dropped and replaced with one based on at least a modicum of concession to the notion of treating the stars like human beings, instead of mindless drones with no humanity or rights? Not even close. CBS simply declared the entire production venue a "summer camp," thus squirming through a loophole in New Mexico's labor laws.
I despise all reality shows; They exploit the stars and patronize the audience. And judging from their falling ratings I'm not alone in this implacable allergy. But the desperate lengths to which a network that prides itself on family appeal and concerns is prepared to sink in this latest, fawning homage to the all-conquering dollar is so devoid of reason, compassion and any hope of justification, it should foretell the demise of the entire, fetid genre.
How can 'The Eye' be so utterly blind to human rights and simple reason? Any parent who watches this show should feel almost as ashamed as those who allowed their progeny to be used on it. And any advertiser shallow enough to participate should be the focus of a nationwide, parent-driven boycott that would impel them to the brink of ruin.
I was sure those responsible for the proliferation of Reality TV could not sink any lower in their avaricious craving for ratings and profits. Clearly, I was mistaken. If this hideous aggregation of greed, inhumanity and ignorance ever makes it to air, it chills the blood to consider what might come next.
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