Stars Earn Stripes Under Fire From Critics & Online Petitioners

The NBC reality show Stars Earn Stripes has earned critical derision and now there is an online petition circulating demanding NBC cancel the show for "glorifying war."

Per Mashable:

"An online petition urges NBC to cancel Stars Earn Stripes, a reality television show in which celebrities compete in military training exercises to win money for charities.

“This show makes war a game, and war is anything but a game,” the petition on iPetitions says. “In real war there are no prizes only the hope that you survive to come home to one’s family and friends.”"

Stars Earn Stripes features celebrities, such as Nick Lachey, Dean Cain, and Tod Palin competing for various veterans and other military based charities in simulated military training missions.  The show purports to demonstrate to the viewing audience just how tough the day to day job of military personnel is.

However, critics of the show say that the show not only glorifies war, but makes light of the difficulties of military life, by suggesting that celebs can learn to do military missions in one day.

I watched the premiere episode and I thought the show portrayed the military in a fairly positive light, though the show did have a feel much like a live action version of Call of Duty.  I certainly don't think it was the intent of NBC to glorify war or make light of the difficulty of military training, but I can definitely see where people are coming from with their concerns.

As a competitive reality show, I found the series to be mildly entertaining, but I can see why people might be concerned about the message being sent.

You can watch the first episode of Stars Earn Stripes here:

http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=1413226