Daily Dose of Television – Survivor

I am a Survivor fan.  Blame TW.  Until she came along, actually until we moved in together, I was not a Survivor fan.  I didn’t get the big deal.  I had enjoyed reality TV, in the form of Real World in the early days, but Survivor – bah. Whatever.  Then, I got hooked.  I think I enjoy it more than TW now.

The upcoming season, I was looking forward to it.  Now.  I’m not.  I’m considering reducing my television watching to only one hour a week and simply skipping Survior – The Races Divided.  I really really dislike the idea of four tribes divided by race.  For the record, I wasn’t fond of the age/gender split last year either.  And that whole male/female thing several seasons ago in the Amazon (I think it was the Amazon), I wasn’t a regular watcher of the show so I never formed an opinion but today, I don’t think I like the idea.

It’s brilliant, I do believe that.  The buzz alone about it is worth its weight in ratings.  The possiblities… when tribes are merged, will members vote along tribal lines because it makes sense or because they are exhibiting racism.  The chores around camp – who is going to do them? And if a person of color avoids the hard work does that indicate the entire race is "lazy"?  Brilliant, definitely.

Unnecessary, also definitely.   Racial and cultural issues and barriers come up in every issue of Survivor.  It’s obvious, whether it’s clearly stated or not.  Racial and cultural alliances are also formed, whether it is clearly stated and obvious or not.  We are a tribal people. Why force the issue unnecessarily from the start.  Isn’t it more interesting to watch people join together on their own or separate from each other on their own?  Don’t we learn more about ourselves and each other by watching a more natural interaction between races and cultures and genders? 

Bah!  I’d rather see another dumb all-stars grouping.