# A racially divided Survivor? Are they fucking smoking crack? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 24, 2006, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-racially-divided-survivor-are-they-fucking-smoking-crack/369968 "2006-08-24T00:12:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-racially-divided-survivor-are-they-fucking-smoking-crack/369968/41 "2006-08-24T13:42:01Z")
Trunk, there’s a very good possibility that I may be in love with you. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![pizzabrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@pizzabrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pizzabrat)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-racially-divided-survivor-are-they-fucking-smoking-crack/369968/42 "2006-08-24T14:12:10Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > What a whiny PC brat you have to be to have a problem with this. > > No one is segregating society. They’re segregating contestants on a game show. Pitting teams of particular races against each other in various challenges for the amusement of a society with ostensibly anti-racist ideals, but is still hopelessly racist. Having a problem with that makes you a whiny brat? ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-racially-divided-survivor-are-they-fucking-smoking-crack/369968/43 "2006-08-24T14:26:53Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > It’s a double standard, yes, but there’s a reason for that. Not a good one, though. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-racially-divided-survivor-are-they-fucking-smoking-crack/369968/44 "2006-08-24T14:33:38Z")
I’ve never like the idea of _Survivor_ in the first place, and generally despise all reality TV as lowest-common-denominiator entertainment not far removed from watching a sideshow geek bite the head off a chicken. Some years back a network was planning to do a real life _Bevery Hillbillies_ show using poor whites placed in luxurious surroundings. That one was aborted by protests from Southerners. Let’s hope something aborts this atrocity. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-racially-divided-survivor-are-they-fucking-smoking-crack/369968/45 "2006-08-24T14:34:31Z")
> [@Revenant Threshold](#): > > Unless they suggest one team is better or worse than the rest simply due to their skin colour, then I see no racism here. > > And as horrible and cliche as this is, I have to say race relations aren’t going to get any better if people act squeamish every time people are seperated by race. That’s just great. The network should allay any fears of racsim by calling the show “Survivor 13: Separate, But Equal.” Who could complain then? In another cheap shot, when did Senator Allen become an executive producer at CBS? ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-racially-divided-survivor-are-they-fucking-smoking-crack/369968/46 "2006-08-24T14:37:45Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I feel guilty because I want to watch this trainwreck. > > The set up is a little worrisome because I think the viewer’s natural tendency will be to root for the team that matches their race. That tendency is a manifestation of the same in group/out group social dynamics that is responsible for racism, xenophobia, sexism, etc. So the show will be exploiting our biases, encouraging us, at best, to see those in the less favored teams as inferior in a way that is associated with race. At worse, it will encourage us to see those in the less favored teams as inferior _because_ of their race. And really do we need more of that? > > But one potentially positive outcome is the opportunity to see how people perceive “the other” when they let their guard down. When the teams talk trash about one another, will it be the same way as it always has been? Or will there be overtones of racial prejudice and bigotry? Will we see stereotypes and generalizations being overused? Will the producers be objective in their editing, or will there be a sense that they are trying to portray conflicts as being more racially-charged than what they really are? > > Interesting questions. Interesting experiment. I just hope the show execs know what they are doing. If the members of each team were randomly selected, the game could play out on it’s own. If the producers selected all doofuses from one race (any race), then viewers would be subjected to scenarios portraying members of that race as all doofuses. That’s the part that bothers me. I bet the races would all fare well as long as no stacking of the deck was done by the producers. ---
**Author:** ![DragonAsh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DragonAsh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DragonAsh)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-racially-divided-survivor-are-they-fucking-smoking-crack/369968/47 "2006-08-24T14:46:43Z")
You have to have the PC police baton pretty far up your ass to get worked up over this. Are we so afraid of each other’s different racial backgrounds that we have to pretend they don’t exist? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-racially-divided-survivor-are-they-fucking-smoking-crack/369968/48 "2006-08-24T14:48:16Z")
The show will never begin. The producers will attempt to divide the players in to “racial” groups but after months of trying to split them up they will discover that race “is just a social construct” and we can’t with any accuracy ascribe a “race” to any individual because there are greater differences between members of the same “racial” group than there are between people from different racial groups etc ---
**Author:** ![pizzabrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@pizzabrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pizzabrat)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-racially-divided-survivor-are-they-fucking-smoking-crack/369968/49 "2006-08-24T15:00:48Z")
> [@DragonAsh](#): > > You have to have the PC police baton pretty far up your ass to get worked up over this. Are we so afraid of each other’s different racial backgrounds that we have to pretend they don’t exist? You’ve got to be a crack-addicted child-rapist not have any problems with this. They’re not merely acknowledging racial backgrounds - they’re pitting teams representing races against each other for he American public to root for until they crown a winner. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-racially-divided-survivor-are-they-fucking-smoking-crack/369968/50 "2006-08-24T15:07:55Z")
> [@DragonAsh](#): > > You have to have the PC police baton pretty far up your ass to get worked up over this. Are we so afraid of each other’s different racial backgrounds that we have to pretend they don’t exist? We really don’t need a TV show that promotes racial divisions and tension, especially not when it’s done merely for lowbrow entertainment. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-racially-divided-survivor-are-they-fucking-smoking-crack/369968/51 "2006-08-24T15:15:17Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > What’s worse is the challenges are racially divided as well. The first four challenges are as follows: computer programming, landscaping, basketball, and **oppressing minorities**. I heard the last one was the food challenge - Eating bologna sanwiches on Wonder bread. With the crusts cut off, because crusts are just gross. Ewwwww! ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-racially-divided-survivor-are-they-fucking-smoking-crack/369968/52 "2006-08-24T15:18:39Z")
If I recall correctly, some judge of some reality show chastised the entire American viewing public, probably with justification, for voting against more-talented performers because of their complexion. If Survivor is about voting so-and-so off the island, it’s certainly plausible American viewers will eject worthy participants simply because they’re not white enough. In fact, as the voting sytem has no objective basis, it strikes me as far more plausible this will occur than not. Racially segregating the competitors simply removes this element of bias. Why blame the creators of this shit that passes for entertainment vs. the consumers? ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-racially-divided-survivor-are-they-fucking-smoking-crack/369968/53 "2006-08-24T15:19:20Z")
> [@pizzabrat](#): > > You’ve got to be a crack-addicted child-rapist not have any problems with this. They’re not merely acknowledging racial backgrounds - they’re pitting teams representing races against each other for he American public to root for until they crown a winner. :rolleyes: You’ve seen the whole series then? You know for a fact that the division is going to last throughout the season, and not just one or two episodes like previous initial tribes? ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-racially-divided-survivor-are-they-fucking-smoking-crack/369968/54 "2006-08-24T15:22:55Z")
Oh dear. I thought blacks and white were getting their _own_ islands, not being stuck in opposing camps on the _same_ island. Either way, I still blame the viewers if the formula is successful. Their getting what they want, after all. If we’re really above all that, the show will tank. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Call_Me_Shirley)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-racially-divided-survivor-are-they-fucking-smoking-crack/369968/55 "2006-08-24T15:29:46Z")
Survivor is a horrible show anyway. Maybe this latest asshatery will be the end of it. One can hope. And Trunk- what a tool you are. No rational discussion for you, I see, no hashing out both sides of the question. Just a flat assertion that people who disagree with you are automatically whiny brats. You must be a hoot around that water cooler. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-racially-divided-survivor-are-they-fucking-smoking-crack/369968/56 "2006-08-24T15:39:45Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > No one is segregating society. They’re segregating contestants on a game show. But they’re segregating them by _race_ and ethnicity, and that has a lot of ugly associations for a lot of people. And nobody around here has ever seriously accused me of political correctness, or at least not the left wing kind of PC. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-racially-divided-survivor-are-they-fucking-smoking-crack/369968/57 "2006-08-24T15:40:23Z")
> [@Don't Call Me Shirley](#): > > Survivor is a horrible show anyway. Maybe this latest asshatery will be the end of it. One can hope. > > And Trunk- what a tool you are. No rational discussion for you, I see, no hashing out both sides of the question. Just a flat assertion that people who disagree with you are automatically whiny brats. You must be a hoot around that water cooler. And your flat assertion that “survivor is a horrible show anyway” leaves a lot of room for discussion. Regardless, there’s no need to mention the other side of the equation. We **ALL**** INSTANTLY** see the other side of the equation. . .that pitting races against each other in contest brings up our country’s past that was not always understanding on the issue. We all fucking get it. We’ve all fucking got it since we were in third grade. Some of us are able to understand that this TV show has no effect on that and see it for what it’s worth: an obvious attempt to be a little controversial to draw viewers to a program that has lost some of it’s lustre. It’s a ZERO issue, but brats will whine. Yes, they will. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-racially-divided-survivor-are-they-fucking-smoking-crack/369968/58 "2006-08-24T15:42:46Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > If Survivor is about voting so-and-so off the island, it’s certainly plausible American viewers will eject worthy participants simply because they’re not white enough. In fact, as the voting sytem has no objective basis, it strikes me as far more plausible this will occur than not. Maybe I’m not up on current affairs, but of the Survivors I’ve watched, the American viewers didn’t vote anybody off, the contestants themselves did that. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-racially-divided-survivor-are-they-fucking-smoking-crack/369968/59 "2006-08-24T15:46:10Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > It’s a ZERO issue, but brats will whine. Yes, they will. And yet you’ve argued quite heatedly for a ZERO issue. Perhaps even…whined? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-racially-divided-survivor-are-they-fucking-smoking-crack/369968/60 "2006-08-24T15:48:01Z")
I suspect that the white team will be cast with the fewest likable members. Having the white team do poorly will prove (in their own minds) that the producers really aren’t racist, and of course if white viewers identify with the non-white teams, it will Teach Us a Valuable Lesson in that superficial way that Hollywood loves. In fact, I bet that the whole show was pitched as a lesson to America in racial tolerance, in the “some of my best friends are Asian, Black, and Latino” way. (I’m assuming the idea came from a white person who is desperately trying not to be racist in any way; you rarely see this sort of cluelessness in people who’ve had to live as racial minorities in America.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-racially-divided-survivor-are-they-fucking-smoking-crack/369968.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-racially-divided-survivor-are-they-fucking-smoking-crack/369968.md?page=4)