Survivor Getting Racial!!!
August 23, 2006 by Marc Lamont Hill
On September 14, CBS will unveil the thirteenth season of the popular reality show “Survivor.” Like its predecessors, the upcoming season will send 20 people to a tropical island, divide the teams into four “tribes,” and have them compete against each other until one person is left standing. In addition to intensifying the colonial gaze through its reductive and exoticized representations of the “other,” the show has added yet another problematic twist: this year’s tribes will be divided by race. While the producers are labeling the show as a “social experiment, ” many critics are already dismissing it as a racist publicity stunt.To be certain, the producers of the show are motivated by the high ratings that accompany such a sensational premise. Given the enormous hype and early high ratings for FX’s race-centered Black/White, it was merely a matter of time before another network followed suit. Initially, Donald Trump was planning to do a race-themed season of The Apprentice but opted out at the last minute. This was a wise business move, as the backlash from an offensive moment or two could permanently derail the series. Such a moment is inevitable given Trump’s rough demeanor, disrespectful treatment of Omorosa, and public diss to Randal Pinkett.
Many critics have blasted the show for promoting racism through its racially segregated teams. Such a belief is undergirded by a wrongheaded liberal approach to race that eschews any recognition of racial difference. While I don’t believe that dividing teams by race is fundamentally racist, the claim that this show is an “experiment” that can tell us anything meaningful about race is spurious. Like FX’s Black/White, Survivor places relatively privileged people (check the list of participants) in contrived circumstances that don’t approximate the conditions of American social life.Although White privilege, anti-Black racism, and systemic inequality certainly seep through the porous cultural walls of reality television, they are obscured by the heavily orchestrated interactions and identity performances that the reality television genre demands. Unfortunately, many Americans lack the theoretical tools and political will to understand how mendacious the show’s “findings” are. Just like in Black/White, when everyday people buttressed claims that racism didn’t exist by pointing out that Bruno (the White guy turned Black) didn’t get ignored in the shoe store, the new Survivor runs the risk of misstating the truth by overstating its “realness.”
If CBS wants to use Survivor to talk about race, they should figure out how Black people manage to survive with inadequate health care, diminishing job opportunities, poor schools, and institutionalized racism.
But that, of course, would be too real for them.
African-American Tribe:
# Make-up artist, Rebecca Borman, 34, from Laurelton, N.Y.
# Jazz musician and recording artist Sekou Bunch, 45, of Los Angeles
# Nursing student Stephannie Favor, 35, of Columbia, S.C.
# Retail salesman Nathan Gonzalez, 26, of Los Angeles
# Sundra Oakley, 31, an actress from Los Angeles
Asian-American Tribe:
# Nail salon manager Anh-Tuan “Cao Boi” Bui (pronounced Cowboy), 42, from Christianburg, Va.
# Attorney Becky Lee, 28, of Washington, D.C.
# Management consultant Yul Kwon, 31, of San Mateo, Calif.
# Real estate agent Jenny Guzon-Bae, 36, of Lake Forest, Ill.
# Fashion Director Brad Virata, 29, of Los Angeles
Hispanic Tribe:
# Heavy metal guitarist Billy Garcia, 36, of New York
# Professional volleyball player J.P. Calderon, 30, of Marina Del Rey, Calif.
# Police officer Cristina Coria, 35, of Los Angeles
# Waiter Oscar “Ozzy” Lusth, 25, of Venice, Calif.
# Technology risk consultant Cecilia Mansilla, 29, of Oakland, Calif.
White Tribe:
# Copier salesman Adam Gentry, 28, of San Diego, Calif.
# Writer-producer Jonathan Penner, 44, of Los Angeles
# Boxer-waitress Parvati Shallow, 23, of Los Angeles
# Performer-roller girl Jessica Smith, 27, of Chico, Calif.
# Pre-med student Candice Woodcock, 23, of Fayetteville, N.C.
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31 Comments
1. Marc Lamont Hill wrote:
DC,
Yes, they have a variety of jobs but they all have the enormous luxury of time to be on a show. The people who can’t –the unemployed, the mother with 4 kids, etc.– are the primary victims of the racism that Survivor can never recognize or acknowledge through its social experimentation.
August 23, 2006 @ 2:08 pm2. Marc Lamont Hill wrote:
BTW, I’m taping a CNN segment tonight where I talk about the show. I’ll be posting more info soon.
August 23, 2006 @ 2:08 pm3. drew.catt wrote:
I can’t help but think that ratings wise this will probably be as big as the OJ Simpson trial (does anyone remember that feeding frenzy?).
People will get off on rooting for their own ‘people’ to win. Just watch how quickly the lines get drawn in the sand at work, or at school when people start pulling for their favorite Survivor.
August 23, 2006 @ 2:11 pm4. Naomi Christine wrote:
I can hear the watercooler conversations now…
August 23, 2006 @ 2:33 pm5. latisha wrote:
I would never participate in such…such..eh I don’t have a word. I doubt if I’ll actually be watching either. Just catch the news updates if anything.
August 23, 2006 @ 3:28 pm7. ting wrote:
GREEEEETINGS LATISHA!
We ain’t seen’t you since Corrine Bailey Rae. Good luck with school this semester.
Ting Supreme
August 23, 2006 @ 7:00 pm8. Treno wrote:
..Rather helpful information you have here. Grazie!
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