January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
Has TV hit a new low in the race for ratings?
Calls for CBS to drop new its Survivor series that will divide its ‘tribes’ by ethnicity
Survivor: Cook Island, which debuts Sept. 14, will divide its "tribes" (how primal) by race: Whites vs. Blacks vs. Hispanics vs. Asians.
The idea is bad and the motives are worse.
Despite all the high-minded talk from host Jeff Probst that the setup is a "social experiment" that takes the show "to a completely different level," it's all about ratings and buzz.
Though still successful, Survivor isn't the phenomenon it once was. It needed a new gimmick.
Members of the New York City Council's Black, Latino and Asian Caucus are calling on CBS to drop the show. With all this publicity, are you kidding? Probst actually said the idea came from criticism that Survivor was not diverse enough.
Talk about shameless. Producers are using the show's past racial insensitivity to justify even more racial insensitivity. I'd respect them if they dropped the sociology and owned up to why they're putting on this racial rumble. I'd love to see them admit that, yes, they got what they wanted, a debate about a show that has seen better days. And yes, they'd pit Muslims against Jews and Christians against atheists if they thought it would increase market share and ignite water-cooler conversation.
This isn't about the fact that my Norwegian-American husband and I would be split up to play on different teams. (Trying out for Survivor was never on our to-do list.)
It's about reducing America to tribes once again, and doing it for the bottom line.
Will people root for the home team?
Will stereotypes be reinforced? Rush Limbaugh has predictably and eagerly stepped into that opening, suggesting that the swimming challenge is unfair to blacks and speculating that the Hispanics may have an edge because they will do things other people won't do. Ha-ha.
The betting line is already open, with odds on who will win.
While I won't make any predictions, I expect the racial angle will be squeezed into a familiar reality show setup. Creative editing will highlight the most divisive and provocative scenes, every lost temper, every unguarded moment, every flirtation. Of course, there will be bathing-suited hot women of every race.
Contestants don't get a pass in this immorality play. Dangle a cash prize and the chance for a celebrity half-life and throngs will sign a release for anything, even Survivor: Cannibal Island.
Maybe I have the producers all wrong. Their true plan is to show that we are all more alike than different, that friendships and close bonds can be formed between members of every race. I can see the finale now. The Survivor cast - in a tableau Martin Luther King Jr. would be proud of - Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, Asians joining hands around the campfire, singing "Kumbaya."[[In-content Ad]]
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