What Were They Thinking?

On the latest season of Survivor, CBS will divide the contestants up by race into four tribes. The tribes will be categorized as white, black, Hispanic, and Asian in what has been described by some as “Survivor: Race Wars”. Now what I would like to know is how on Earth did CBS decide that this could possibly be a good idea and have a positive outcome? What good could possibly come from purposely inciting racial conflicts on a reality TV show?

Oh sure, I understand the producers rational. They felt that they weren’t getting enough minority applicants for their show and felt that this would generate more interest among minorities. I also understand their position that they are not in fact promoting racial conflict, but are merely dividing (segregating?) the contestants in a new way. Unfortunately, neither of those arguments really applies to reality in what is supposed to be reality television. If there weren’t enough qualified minority applicants to begin with, where did they get the contestants for this show? Are they unqualified to compete on Survivor? Do they lack the skills and abilities necessary to survive? If so, has CBS set all the minority tribes up to lose? It doesn’t seem like that would be a positive thing to do. That would certainly open up a whole new can of worms. If the contestants are all qualified, then apparently there were plenty of minority candidates and Survivor could have chosen them at any time it wanted for any of the Survivor episodes. If they were only able to get the contestants because they knew that they’d be segregated, what does that say about the nature of those selected?

As for their position that it’s not about racial supremacy, but simple survival like all of the other shows, well it is of course true when you look strictly at the rules of the game. However, the way everyone including the contestants will see it is black versus white versus Hispanic versus Asian. There are four sides to the contest and it’s a battle to see which race will survive. When people discuss the show, they will refer to the contestants based on the color of their skin and they will identify the struggle in terms of race. Any team or individual achievements will be attributed to a race. Any failures will also be laid on a race of people regardless of their nature.

The show may or may not be a success in the ratings. The decision to divide the contestants by race will probably not spell the end of the show, nor will it doom CBS. Regardless of the final outcome, it will however serve to reinforce racial stereotypes and heighten racial tensions in one way or another. If the show ends up being a success, you have to wonder what they’ll do next. Will we see “Survivor: Jews versus Muslims”, or perhaps white supremacists versus black gang members, maybe criminals versus police? If the show is a commercial success, we will be bound to see a progression of more and more offensive and divisive follow-ups.

I am generally not in favor of ordinances, regulations, and censorship. Therefore I believe that CBS and the producers of Survivor have every right to conduct this show in any way they see fit. However, I do believe that everyone should exercise some level of social responsibility and a fair amount of common sense in both their personal and their professional lives. CBS and the producers of Survivor have failed in both regards.

Date Added: 29-08-2006