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Thursday, March 28, 2024
The Eagle

Politopics: Racial Competition as Entertainment?

If you believe in a racial bell curve, "Survivor" is the show for you. By now everyone has heard that CBS plans to separate the teams on the new season of "Survivor: Cook Island" by race: black, white, Asian and Hispanic. I thought it was a stupid rumor and was disappointed to find out it is anything but. I'm surprised CBS would attempt this after the idea failed miserably in the planning stages for last season's "The Apprentice" on NBC. Since everyone and their grandmother have put their two cents in, I'll add to the fray.

First, I'm not a fan of reality TV because I feel uncomfortable watching people show those true, ugly parts of themselves better left behind closed doors. That being said, let the race wars begin! Web site Gambling911.com reports that although the whites were initially favored to win, the Asians have pulled ahead. And if anyone thought that stereotypes would not play a role, check out what a columnist has to say about the odds listed on a site called Bodog.com:

"It seems that stereotypes are already coming into play with Bodog.com assuming that because Asians are often classified by the gambling establishment as big gamblers they get the highest priced odds," comments Payton O'Brien, columnist for Gambling911.com.

We're definitely off to a good start there.

Some are in favor of this strategy; most are against. Some city officials are even trying to keep the show from airing on their local stations. The show's biggest advertiser for six years, General Motors, pulled out, but swears it's not because of the content. Other sponsors have followed. The creators behind "Survivor" are defending this decision as a creative choice and even a response to complaints that there weren't enough minorities on the show. They even suggested their purpose is to create a healthy dialogue about race, which is pretty ambitious for a game show.

Somehow I get the distinct feeling that the message boards will not be filled with comments of racial conciliation. According to TVweek.com, I'm right. TVweek.com says posters are obsessed with the race-based programming, and white supremacist message boards are so excited that the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups around the country, felt it necessary to make a public statement about it.

One poster commented, "This will get all those millions of couch potatoes who watch the show [rooting] for their own. Win, lose or draw, millions of whites will start to remember that they ARE part of a tribe. If the Whites win, they will feel pride. If they lose, they will feel resentment towards those who won. It's win-win for us."

All this aside, for me what it comes down to is the purpose of the show and that's why I have a problem with this choice. I thought the whole point of "Survivor" was that differences like race wouldn't matter. That's why it was so cool that the gay guy won the first season. The underlying message, aside from being manipulative and savvy gets the prize, was that being gay doesn't matter in survival situations. Neither does being black or older or whatever. It's what you individually can accomplish, how well you can outsmart others and when the time calls for it, how well you can work with others to survive. And if it doesn't matter in these situations, does it really matter anywhere else?

The answer was supposed to be no, but this setup is going to send another message. If we have learned anything in this country, it is that when you inject race as a factor, race becomes THE factor.

Angela Winters is a student at the Washington College of Law and a columnist for The Eagle focusing on race and gender issues.


Still mourning that one show that was cancelled before you could see how it ends? Couch Potatoes co-hosts Sara Winick and Sydney Hsu have you covered as they discuss all the series that shouldn't have ended when they did.



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