7 Jan, 2010
Let the little children... make me some money!
Oh, Just Answer the Question, Honey
LOS ANGELES — Children can exhibit a remarkable ability to obsess about the most detailed subjects: train timetables, species of dinosaurs, the names of 18 different dolls and their imaginary occupations. But should that ability be put to use on national television, with a whole lot of money riding on the memory of a preteen?
That, in short, is the question being raised by “Our Little Genius,” a game show scheduled to have its premiere next Wednesday on Fox. Developed by the producers of “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?,” the series gives children 6 to 12 a chance “to put their incredible knowledge to the test and win life-changing money for their families,” according to the Fox publicity materials.
The game show’s questions, on topics that the child chooses, like astronomy, the Civil War or Greek mythology, increase in difficulty over 10 levels, with each level worth an amount ranging from $1,000 to $500,000. At each level, it is the parents of the contestant who decide whether to advance to the next question or to stick with the money they have already won. Once they get above $10,000, they are guaranteed at least that much. But any additional winnings will disappear if their child attempts a new question and fails.
The issue of whether preteen prodigies might be under an unhealthy amount of pressure when up to $500,000 is riding on their ability to remember, for example, the location of several different landmarks in ancient Egypt, has bothered some clinical psychologists and behavioral experts.
Michelle Golland, a clinical psychologist who wrote about the series for the Web site momlogic.com, said in an interview that the show was a recipe for “a self-esteem nosedive.”
“These are kids who can already have some issues relating socially,” Dr. Golland said. “They are already being characterized as a genius. The pressure is on the child to answer the question. If they lose out early, what do you think that means to them?” Even if the parents stop before reaching the biggest prize, she said, that might signal to children their lack of faith in them — especially if it turns out that the contestant actually knew the answer.
Story & photo courtesy of — The New York Times.
Matthew 19:14 (NIV)
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
If you've read the gospels you've no doubt noticed that Jesus had a heart for the poor, the downtrodden, the widow, the outcast, the leper, the orphan, the blind - basically the most vulnerable and weak individuals in society. In any time and in any culture children often represent a significant portion of these individuals. In our modern American culture, where wealth, success, and achievement are worshiped as the evidence of a virtuous life, children are often victims of their parents' misguided hopes and dreams for their attainment of these virtues at any cost. If we listen to Jesus, the only direction we ought to be pointing our children is towards him. Jesus even goes so far as to say we should do nothing to hinder children as they seek out the virtues that matter most.
Nothing could be a more disturbing picture of parents pointing their children in the wrong direction than "Our Little Genius". While I'm sure the parents who have entered their children into the game show have done so with no malicious intent, the reality is that they are seeking to profit from the mind of a child, a mind that is fragile, developing, and still in the process of searching for what life is really all about.
I can think of no greater misdirection of a child's search for truth than to risk their self esteem and emotional well being for quick profit and entertainment. Certainly pointing them in this direction is not pointing them in the direction of Jesus. And when we get down to it, only Jesus has the answers to the questions that really matter - thankfully the answers are free.
- Think about if/how you are being "misguided" by wealth, success, and achievement.
- Volunteer in some way with children and invest the heavenly virtues of love, grace, and peace in their lives.
Ask a friend what they think about today's story.
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