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Nobel Laureates Condemn NBC’s New Military-Themed Reality Show

Nine Nobel Peace Prize laureates are voicing opposition to NBC’s new military-themed reality TV show, "Stars Earn Stripes," saying it glorifies war and violence. The program, which was advertised during the Olympics and premiered Monday, has a cast list ranging from Sarah Palin’s husband, Todd Palin, to Olympic skiing gold medalist Picabo Street. Celebrities are paired with former members of the armed forces and go through military-style training, including shooting weapons. The show has been billed as a way to honor veterans. But in the protest letter, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the other laureates say the show "pays homage to no one anywhere and continues and expands on an inglorious tradition of glorifying war and armed violence. ... Preparing for war is neither amusing nor entertaining," they wrote. On Monday, a group of demonstrators rallied outside NBC’s New York headquarters to demand the program’s cancellation.

Melissa Corbett: "These types of game shows are definitely used as tools for recruitment. I mean, the military spends millions of dollars trying to recruit young men into service, young men and women into service. And I think these kind of shows make it look so much more fun and interesting, and it makes people want to go out there and do it."

Anna Berlinrut: "My son is in a real war. He’s not in a game. He doesn’t win any prizes. If he’s lucky, he’ll come home with his life and with all of his limbs and with his sanity."

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