I've never lived for very long in a place with access to British or American television, so I've not been exposed to many of those programmes like "The X Factor" or "Britain's got Talent." In fact, I don't watch all that much TV in general, so it was kind of by accident that I stumbled across "La Voz Kids" when it started in Spain a few weeks ago.
I've never seen "The Voice" in the UK, so I didn't know what to expect, but I was immediately struck by how different this show was from those kinds of programmes when I've seen them in my own nation. The few times I have seen things like the X Factor, I couldn't help being struck by the fact that these so-called reality shows seem to attract an unusually high number of people who enjoy showing off and who are sometimes rather arrogant about their own talents. These Spanish kids seemed completely different, and it got me wondering why there was such a noticeable difference.
If you know how these things work, ten thousand kids (aged 8 - 15) from all over the country went to the casting and 94 were chosen for the blind auditions. So you already know that these children and teens are the best from a large pool of talent. But of course, the three judges or coaches can only choose 15 each, and so at least half of the kids are going to be sent home again. This, in my previous experience of such shows, is a recipe for drama, if not trauma, when heartbroken wannabes have their hopes dashed and have to face the pain of rejection after already making it so far.
This Spanish version even looked different from the beginning. None of the kids were wearing make up or outrageous clothes or showing off; they seemed like ordinary kids turning up in their T-shirts, shorts and summer dresses. (I guess the blind auditions were filmed in Madrid last summer.) They turned up with their parents and grandparents and didn't seem the least bit embarrassed about having family members kiss them, Spanish style, before they went on stage. Some had plenty of self confidence, while others were a little more shy, but the thing that was striking about all of them was that they were a really polite bunch of kids. Nobody cried their heart out when the coaches didn't turn round for them; nobody started arguing that the coaches didn't know talent when they hear it; everybody thanked the coaches for their feedback; several commented that it had been a fun or learning experience, even if they were disappointed not to be chosen… In short, it was a breath of fresh air compared to what we see in some of our British and American talent shows. It was just really good entertainment from talented kids.
It made me wonder what Spanish families are doing differently, to raise kids that responded so differently to the opportunity of becoming a "star" or the inevitable disappointment of not being chosen by the coaches. And I couldn't help thinking that it must be linked in some ways with the value that Spanish culture places upon the family and upon accepting a child's failures as well as his successes. We don't always see those kinds of role models among the pop stars and other celebrities that shape the values and opinions of our young people.
When I mentioned my observation to a couple of friends (one in South America and one in Central Asia) they told me that the judges or coaches in their nation's version of The Voice, engage in rivalry and mudslinging in order to convince a popular contestant to join their team. And I couldn't help realising that this too had been different in the Spanish version. Although all three coaches may have turned around and told a kid that, "I would love to have you as part of my team," they always added comments like, "Take your time; there's no pressure. Feel free to choose whichever coach you would prefer to work with. It's your choice." Here again, there was a sense of respect for the individual and for the fact that this was "un juego" (a game) and not a matter of life and death.
Are we in danger, in some of our nations, of raising divas and encouraging arrogance and competition among our young people? Are we idolising and lifting up celebrities whose attitudes and example make them poor role models for our kids? Have we forgotten how to prepare our children to deal with life's disappointments as well as its successes?
It's kind of scary the way television influences the worldview and value system of the next generation. Amidst much that is not healthy or helpful, I've experienced La Voz Kids (so far, at least) as a breath of fresh air.
