They’re especially bad because they always seem to come at a time when one team is doing really badly. They wouldn’t be so bad if both teams were dead even.
My recollection is different, and I keep forgetting to post how annoyed I was by this when it first aired and then the following week. The women didn’t ask for blankets, though they were clearly happy about it. Russell chose blankets over tarp by fiat in one of those snap decisions they’ve required the leaders to make a couple times so far this season. (I hate this new leader thing, btw.)
In his confessional Russell explained that he would have rather gone with the tarp, but he chose blankets to keep the women happy. I found this quite unpleasant in a smarmy, condescending way, though not because of the way he said it. Just the idea that the poor wimminfolk should be appeased to the detriment of the tribe was offensive to me. What, were they going to pout and cry and stamp their feet if Russell chose a tarp? Give me a break.
Then on the next episode Russell got the tribe together and actually stated that he man grunt he take care of his wimmin grunt the wimmin on the tribe are his wimmin now grunt. Obviously that’s not a direct quote, but he absolutely used the possessive form “his women.” So offensive I wanted to punch him in the face. What, are the women in your tribe china dolls? Jesus Christ, that was some hardcore belittling he did both indirectly with his stupid choice of blankets and then directly by that little speech. Ugh.
Then, to make things so much worse, the next episode he kept talking about how the choice was between cutesyness versus performance, and of course he’d choose performance without question. I’m sorry, what? Did you really just say that? Hey moron, you chose cutesy blankets over a performs-like-a-champ tarp like 3 days ago. Moron.
Given that he didn’t suffer serious harm, I’m thrilled that he went out like a punkass bitch. Fuck him.
Ellis Dee: I have similar, though less intense, mixed feelings about Russell. His “I’m gonna take care of my wimmin” speech was creepy. I don’t think he was intentionally misogynistic more than misguided. I clearly remember one of the Galu women saying something to the effect that “maybe Russell should have gotten the tarp” when it started raining, so even they seem to agree that Russell blew that one.
OTOH, you do need to wonder where “comfort vs practical” would break him. If he were offered a multistory steel lodge for nine players vs a day at a spa for everyone what he would have chosen? That we might wonder about that decision says something, but I don’t think we should attribute to evil what can be attributed to stupid.
I wouldn’t characterize him as evil. Misguided, dumb as a rock, and paternalistic to the point of misogyny. In and of itself, that made me dislike him. What made me glad to see him go the way he did was the condescending douchiness with which he delivered his (possibly unintentional) misogyny.
Oy. “Even” the women managed to figure that out?
You remember correctly, and I’m choosing to ignore the implication of the editors that the women were in fact so monumentally stupid that they didn’t realize a tarp is better than blankets until it actually started to rain. I mean, that’s like choosing pillows over a flint, or a fish over fishing gear; it really doesn’t get much dumber.
OK, I deserve a :rolleyes: for that, but I intended it as “even the people Russell was trying to please thought it was a stupid idea”, not “wow, even some dumbass chick figured it out”. OK?
I figured as much; just busting chops. (And to offer an unnecessary clarification, my final paragraph wasn’t directed at you, but rather raging into the ether. Are the women that stupid, or are the editors that malicious? Gah!)
It’s cool, thanks. I was responding to what I’d quoted.
Yes. Of course not all women are that stupid, but that goes without saying, right? 