Surviving CBS stupidity
CBS will soon launch their 13th installment of the successful reality show "Survivor." This time they are taking 20 castaways to the Cook Islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. But there is something different about this version of tribal reality. This time CBS will divide the tribes by race.
I'll have to admit, I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand I get tired of hearing the PC police whine about anything that actually suggests people are different. However, I think CBS has taken their "do anything for money and ratings" approach a bit too far this time. This contest - yes it is a contest to win a million dollars - will ultimately take us two steps back in terms of race relations in this country.
I listened to Rush Limbaugh the other day and he was suggesting the same thing. According to Limbaugh, you can't help but wonder how this will play out and who will have an advantage or disadvantage. And you certainly can't help but wonder how often Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and other race baiters will claim some type of racial bias on the program.
But the odd thing about listening to Rush was how quickly he found a caller ready to make the standard racism claim. Not one call after his report, Rush found a guy named Tony who claimed Rush was a racist for discussing the division of race on the not-so-popular reality show. You know how it is, CBS can split teams into ethic groups and its hunky-dory, but Rush talks about it and he's the racist. Ah yes, the life of a conservative these days.
So Rush laughed because as he said to Tony, he's just reporting on what CBS is planning to do for ratings with their sagging program. Last I recall, reporting on a story is not racism. Nor is it racist to question CBS for dividing their tribes by race. If anything it shows Rush as well as folks like myself are trying to get our society to be color blind and not see race.
Yet this character Tony suggested that wondering how it will play out is in itself racist. As he said, "you don't know what's going to happen. You don't know who will win or what the producers think it will accomplish. You're assuming one group will have an advantage over the other."
Tony, the act alone of splitting teams by race in a competition will ultimately leave someone - a race - as the loser. Three ethnicities will lose Survivor and one ethnic group will be crowned champ. They aren't on this show to play to a tie. Talking about that is not racist. Understanding this concept will leave three races "off the island" so to speak, is not racist. Actually having the nerve to play the race card for a rating isn’t racist either...it's just stupid!