For those of you who haven't heard, Survivor is trying something "different" this season. Dividing the tribes by gender and age didn't stir the pot enough, so they think dividing them by race will. I am so infuriated at this I don't know what to do with myself. At first I didn't think much of it, now I'm just pissed.
The tribes are being divided into four groups, African-American, White, Asian-American, and Hispanic-American. Eventually they will merge, like the age teams from last year, but until then, America will root for a particular race, hoping another race fails miserably. Race is such a hot issue in America, I don't think creating a competition show where people will be hoping that one race doesn't make it, and that the stereotypes are promoted, is a good thing.
The reply I've seen from Mark Burnett's (the executive producer) company is that they've gotten flak for not casting a lot of ethnicities in the past, and they want this to be a sign that they are starting to see that diversity is good. First of all, why don't they just cast some ethnic people? Why do they have to make it all controversial? Secondly, the ethnic people they do cast are all idiots, lazy or follow some sort of stereotype. In all of his shows. Granted, there have been a few exception, like Cirie from last season, but even then she had never been camping and freaked out for the first few days until she got used to it.
Rooting for the women to kick butt it one thing, but rooting for the black people or Hispanic people to lose is just not cool. And how did they cast it? Are the black people lazy (like they normally cast it) and the Asian-Americans really smart? The only way this will ever be okay with me if they cast it completely against stereotypes, so that the backward ass people in America won't be getting any reinforcements of how "blacks" or any other races act.
