What would happen?

This project could be a great social experiment, and with a few cameras it could be an incredible worldwide television hit.

Grab 100 single volunteers ages 20 - 50 from around the world, 50 males and 50 females.

Japan - 2 male
England - 2 female
Spain - 2 male
France - 2 female
Germany - 2 male
Iran - 2 female
India - 2 male
Korea - 2 female
China - 2 male
Uganda - 2 female
South Africa - 2 male
New Zealand - 2 female
Arctic Circle (Inuit) - 2 male
Iraq - 2 female
Zaire - 2 male
Russia - 2 female
Egypt - 2 male
Norway - 2 female
Chile - 2 male
Burma - 2 female
Palau - 2 male
Israel - 2 female
Nepal - 2 male
Pakistan - 2 female
Sri Lanka - 2 male

The requirements (besides mandatory physical and mental checks) are that the candidates primarily speak their native language and typify their country's traditional identity as closely as possible, hopefully they were born in their country and lived there all their life. Their schooling represents the levels of education you'd find in any large population, some may be day workers and some may be architects, politicians, doctors, etc.

The 'players' are placed on an isolated farm. They are provided with the training and means, materials, and tools to create a self-sufficient, non-industrialized society (think Colonial America), for four years.

The amazing things to watch would be the way the society develops, the way the economy builds, the interpersonal relationships, and of course the romances (which would provide the television appeal for common viewers). If no more than two people had a common primary language, the struggle to find a common language could produce interesting results.

The reason for the pair-bonding by nationality is to provide each person with a familiar with whom they can communicate. The reason males and females aren't pulled from the same nation is to prevent couples becoming introverted. The urge for companionship provides motivation for socializing with unfamiliars in the community.

Lack of a common faith could lead to interesting comprimises and adaptations. It'd be neat to see, for example, the eventual development of a shrine-mosque-church-synagouge. It'd also be neat if everyone kept their worship independent. I just wonder what exactly would happen.

The project could also hold implications for globalization. On the one hand, everyone who believes in international brotherhood will be hoping that they all get along and make a sort of utopia. On the other, nationalists will be hoping they all end up fighting one another and the project turns dystopic. It could go either way, and if the show is produced after the project's conclusion, the society's path could hold a lot of drama.

I hope someone would make a show like this. After traveling in many places in the world, and then seeing this PBS show called 'Frontier House,' I've daydreamed about it often.

What would happen?

They would all travel to the Canadians place, not mentioned, and party like it was 1999. Gotta have some Aussies too, you know, us party people.

BTW, I've got dibs on the Russian girls, wow.

[edit on 31-7-2004 by intrepid]