In a heartbeat. My son loves me, and that’s all that really counts.
I didn’t watch the show, but am amazed at how much unavoidable information about it trickled through.
Maybe the question could be recast as, “how valuable to you is your reputation?”. I get the drift (I think) that this Richard played by the rules, but there weren’t many rules. Which was probably the point of the show. What would people do (what rules would they set for themselves) to make a buncha money?
Personal opinion, but flaunting manipulation, treachery and ruthlessness as means to grab money is pretty dismal. Total indifference to the respect of others isn’t hardy individualism; it’s appalling. The ethic of “I got mine; screw you, sucker; and may the nastiest SOB win” turns my stomach.
I can understand the “who cares what you think; I got the cash” mentatlity, as repellent as it is. But I truly wonder about the internal landscape of people who live that way. They may get the spoils, but stuff can’t fill the internal vacuum.
Maybe true predators don’t care. Sounds more like a curse than a blessing to me.
I wonder how many “survivors” will regret some of their choices and spend some sleepless nights wrestling with their consciences.
Veb
Oh boy! I get a million dollars with no conditions whatsoever! 
Sheesh, YOU were the one who brought up people spitting in your food and cursing at you in the street. I doubt that Richard is going to be suffering that. A person dressed up as Hitler, however, probably would. In New York, anyhow. Excuse me all to hell for having that image pop up after reading your post.
Lighten up, schmuck.
I just heard something that pertains to this. Apparently, Karen (from the show Big Brother) has already divorced her husband and moved away. She said a lot of things on the air that would probably have been better not to have said. So her husband divorced her, and almost her whole town took his side and ostricized her.
Would it have been the same if she had won? That’s the thing, you’re not guaranteed $1MM on Survivor. Now, it’s not as bad as on Big Brother, but you still do a lot of talking, and it’s all caught on air. So I think that a better question would be, would you be willing to be considered an asshole by everyone, if you had a chance at getting a million dollars?
Someone may have already put forth these sentiments, so sorry if I am repeating them.
Alternate title for this thread: Would you change places with Donald Trump?
No way. Although this was unlike any game show we have seen before, it is still a freakin’ game show!
These people did not know and did not care about each other before they ended up on this island. The premise was simple… the last one standing wins the prize. Those who decided to make nice and act like it was some summer camp did not deserve to win, and they did not.
Given the clear objective and the fact that there was no trust or friendship at stake when the game began, it is not possible to be unethical in your methods. The rule is to survive. Not to have fun, not to make friends, not to be trustworthy, not to adhere to anyone’s moral code, not to carry your pathetic emotional baggage on your shoulders, not to hook up for some wild island monkey sex. Nothing but to win.
And the person who recognized that more quickly and completely than anyone else emerged victorious.
Me? I’ve gotten a lot of people to think I’m an asshole, some temporarily and some forever, and received nothing in return. That’s their opinion, and it doesn’t bother me in the least.
Give me a million bucks, and weak-minded or foggy-headed people who cannot or will not distinguish between a TV game show and the conflicts of real life can think whatever they want.
I couldn’t agree LESS
Rich went in to that game knowing it wasn’t about “Surviving”, it was about not getting VOTED OFF. He put brilliant strategies and tactics in to play to get as far as he did. I certainly do not think he is an asshole. I admire him for the way he was able to manipulate others to get him to the top.
He’s not an asshole…he’s a funny guy I think.
Without the beard, he reminds me of John Cleese.
I had to post this link somewhere, so here’s another view on Richard’s a**holeness:
http://www.survivorsucks.com
The episode summaries are priceless, even if you’ve never seen the show (like I haven’t).
Sure, if I could grow a moustache. 
I totally agree with this. A lot of people believe that the nice guy wins, and playing fair should be rewarded. Those people don’t usually have a firm grip on reality.
As far as the OP goes, yeah, what do I care what papers think? My family loves me, my friends are loyal, and the papers can say what they want.
I think the general public views Dicque as ruthless but not really an asshole. It is a game show after all and not summer camp as Kelly has said. Susan’s rant at the the last tribal council showed us how a real asshole acts.
I’d take the money.
Yup, this is definitely the SDMB I’m reading here! lmao!
Can I get an Amen? Guess what? The meek shall inherit…whatever the nonmeek don’t want.
Hope for the best, plan for the worst, and take whatever you get. That’s life.
$1 million and the world thinks I’m an asshole?
Put the check in the mail, Manny, baby.
Hell, I’m a poor man and more than half the people I know already beleive I’m an asshole.
The Meek Shall Inherit The Earth.
…After everyone else is done with it.
I also said that if that happened only a idiot would do that, over something like that. ie. It would not happen. A person dressed up as Hitler on the other hand, would probably be found dead in a alley.
Hoo boy. :rolleyes: All right, kids, fun’s fun, but let’s try to get back on track here, mmkay?
From what I’ve seen (the first episode I saw was #7), Richard wasn’t “evil”…should not throw around terms like that so casually, BTW…nor was he trying to be evil. He formed a strategy which gave him the best chance of winning (i.e. the alliance) and he helped his cause by contributing to the well-being of his camp (i.e. catching fish, which only he could ever do with any degree of reliability). The only thing that really worked against him was his attitude. I’m sure at least a few others thought the same things he did, but I’ve never seen anyone so…blase about it in my life. (He talked about sacking former Pagong members like he was planning a barbecue, for crying out loud.) As for the heat he got for masterminding the alliance, I really think this was more resentment than anything else. No doubt some of them were kicking themselves for not thinking about it first. 
However, even a couple of the castaways themselves missed the mark in their evaluations of Richard. Susan chastised him for “whining and making excuses” whenever he lost a challenge, but I really think he was just tanking…he was confident enough that he didn’t need immunity to survive. Gervase rode him pretty hard for his victory dance after the one and only IC Richard won, but it looked to me simply like a spontaneous burst of joy. Trust me, it would’ve looked a lot less dorky if he’d rehearsed it.
As for what I think of the man…look, he’s a corporate executive. He has rules, duties, schedules, dress codes, and chains of command. Now put him in a setting where he can speak his mind, wear anything he wants (including nothing), form whatever partnerships he wants, and contribute what he feels obligated to…in short, have some fun, and all for the chance to bring home a million dollars and a new car. He’d be crazy not to go for it, don’t you think?
Thats funny, DKW.