Columnists Carol Daniel
What were they thinking?
In order to prop up slumping interest in the reality show Survivor, producer Mark Burnett decided to separate the tribes based on ethnic background.
Honestly, I missed the season premiere because I’ve missed the last two season. I’ve just lost interest in watching people trying to win a million dollars on a gorgeous island protected from the elements with stylish bandanas, skimpy dirty clothing and 20 cameras filming their every move and attitude. And Burnett thinks including the race card will bring me back.
Well, maybe. But only for a minute.
I once got an email from a girlfriend that read, “How are things on your plantation?” I laughed, knowing what she meant. Now, for those of who might be offended or disturbed by that question, just hang on.
It’s one of those life issues that many in the minority community experience that those of you in the majority will never really get. Being the only one (or one of few) in your workplace can be, I repeat, can be a little disconcerting. The stereotypes seem to never be far off. The hidden fear that you are being treated or mistreated differently because of your skin color sometimes becomes more than a hidden concern; it’s confirmed as true.
Oh, but that can’t be, you might say. We’ve come so far. Yes, we have come a long way from lynchings and Jim Crow. But our comfort level with each other still leaves much to be desired. And, let’s face it, the history of racism has left an ugly emotional scar some of us need therapy to address. It all seems so primal.
You might think the computer age has freed us intellectually to finally see one another as human beings. You might think the global economy, the ravages of AIDS in Africa and the war on terrorism have shown us that we don’t have time for racism in the world, much less in the little ol’ United States. But because we often act out of our base emotions, we remain bound.
Enter this season of Survivor. Do I believe someone is going to call another contestant “nigger” or “white trash” or “wetback” or any of the other dozen racial epithets?
I don’t know. What I do know is that we are still so separate in so many areas that, when pressure comes, those feelings might surface. Aren’t we already living the real Survivor, largely separated by ethnicity? The only difference in this actual social experiment is that it’s for real, and there’s far more at stake than a million dollars.