Thursday, August 24, 2006

Survivor : A Race Against Time

So imagine this:

Faced with sagging ratings, the producers of CBS' Survivor decide to mix things up. They decide to have four tribes in the next edition, each based on race: black, white, asian, hispanic.

Survival of the Races.

Seem far fetched? Nope, not so much.

Welcome to Reality TV Gone Wild: Outwit, Outplay, Outlast, Outrace

Oh, and one more: Outrage.

Someone, it seems, thinks this is a good idea. Uh boy. So, very soon, we're going to see black folk competing against asian folk in competitions involving puzzle-solving and athletics. How can this possibly help race relations in a country where segregation was alive and well only 40 years ago? Even with a kumbaya ending, the only thing people will remember is whicvh race beat which at what.

Will people watch? Yup. Perhaps even in record numbers. Will people be talking about it the next day around the water cooler? Yup. Will advertisers be lined up to get a piece of all those eyeballs? Yup.

...but they shouldn't. If this plays out anything like it sounds, advertisers should pull out and denounce CBS as loudly as they can. I don't know, I think, "My America Doesn't Include This Racist Bullshit" is a pretty catchy slogan.

Only in America.

Martin Luther King must be spinning in his grave.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You are a very intelligent young man. Not to mention good looking. Must be the good genes. read below:

General Motors Plays It Safe: Automaker Yanks Its “Survivor” Advertising Before Controversial TV Season—But Claims Move Is More About Visibility

After having an ad partnership since the show’s debut in 2000, General Motors has decided to end its sponsorship of CBS’ hit series “Survivor,” but the world’s largest automaker said Wednesday that the decision had nothing to do with the reality show’s controversial decision to divide its contestants in the upcoming season by race and ethnicity.

GM spokeswoman Ryndee S. Carney said the company made the decision in the normal course of making its media buys months ago, before the show made its recent announcement, the AP reports.

GM is shifting some of its media dollars from prime-time television to more live sports, awards shows and other big events, Carney said. The company also decided that its media strategy should feature cars and trucks integrated into shows, which was difficult on “Survivor,” she said. Although one episode did feature a Pontiac Aztek, the opportunities for cars and trucks on the show were few, Carney said.

A group of New York City officials have criticized the new “Survivor” format, saying it promotes divisiveness. They have asked CBS to reconsider its plans. “How could anybody be so desperate for ratings?” city councilman John Liu asked last week.

For the first portion of the 13th edition of “Survivor,” which premieres Sept. 14, the contestants competing for the $1 million prize while stranded on the Cook Islands in the South Pacific will be divided into four teams—African Americans, Asians, Hispanics and whites.

source: http://www.bulldogreporter.com/dailydog/issues/1_1/dailydog_pr_biz_update/index.html