The “Lord of the Flies” Problem

Soon everyone will be watching Netflix’s new 4-part Lord of the Flies. So let me repeat what the great Peter Gray says about that story: IT. IS. FICTION. We can’t use it as a reason to give kids less freedom because “this is what happens.” Because it’s not. (The REAL story of 6 kids marooned on an island found them working cooperatively and rescued more than a YEAR LATER. Look up “Tongan Castaways.” The boys not only maintained their humanity, they worked as a group, kept a fire burning the whole time, and even held funerals for the birds they cooked for food.) As for the Netflix series, the book was adapted for the screen by Jack Thorne, co-writer of “Adolescence,” which was ALSO FICTION. Not a documentary! These twin visceral, dystopian soap operas about how horrible kids are when left to their own devices — left with not enough adult supervision — have a tendency to seep under the skin because they are so dramatic and shocking. I just wish there was some way to dramatize how…