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Tuesday, 05 September 2006 18:01 |
 | | Roland Martin |
CHICAGO ÇƒÓ As a fan of (some) reality TV shows, Iëve pretty much seen it all when it comes to these competitions.
Men vs. women. Men vs. men. Women vs. women. Gays vs. straights. High-school dropouts vs. college grads. Senior citizens vs. young people. East Coast vs. West Coast.
So why all the uproar over the plan by "Survivor" to pit groups of African-American, Hispanic, Asian and white contestants against one another?
"Survivor
plays the race card" was the headline in the Toronto Star. Reuters had
"Race matters in U.S. ǃÚSurvivorë seriesë media blitz."
Maybe all of
this is designed to garner attention for the CBS show, which has seen a
steady decline in ratings. Could it be that this will generate
tremendous buzz for the show? Of course!
I think itës a
brilliant move. Since itës clear that in many quarters we are deathly
afraid of talking about race, maybe this is the way to do it.
President
Clinton had that joke of a race panel a few years ago. That didnët go
anywhere. Anytime others have tried to broach the race topic, people
ran. Remember the reality show ABC was going to run where a suburban
(white) family in Austin, Texas, would choose who they would live next
to? If I recall correctly, among those to choose from were black, gay
and Asian families. Apparently the Political Correctness Police were so
offended by the concept of the show they put pressure on ABC to not air
it. As usual, they caved.
Thatës the way
it goes these days. No one really wants to talk about race in an honest
fashion. We all scurry like little roaches when the light is turned on,
rushing to our safe corner, hoping the light gets turned out and we can
go back to business as usual.
Wow, thatës the way we confront the harsh issues of life. Avoid ǃÚem!
Recently, I
appeared on CNN to discuss comments made by former Ambassador Andrew
Young that were seen as anti-Jewish, anti-Korean and anti-Arab. As a
result, Young resigned from his post assisting Wal-Mart in its public
relations efforts, and a minor brouhaha quickly ended. As I told CNNës
Kyra Phillips, I didnët think Young, a close associate of the Rev. Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr., was anti anything. But when you make a comment
these days, folks go absolutely nuts!
The folks at
"Survivor" clearly have been bothered by claims of the lack of
diversity on the show. It is definitely true that there have been few
people of color on the show (but a sister did get to the final four
last year, and Vecepia Towery won "Survivor: Marquesas").
"Weëve always
had a low number of minority applicants ... apply to the show. So we
set out and said, ǃÚLetës turn this criticism into creativity for the
show,ë" host Jeff Probst told CBSës The Early Show, adding that it fit
Survivorës mission of being a "social experiment."
Now, I donët
know specifically why more brothers and sisters arenët applying for
reality TV shows.
There are a few that I personally might find
interesting, but considering black folks donët swim, you wonët catch me
kicking it with Jeff (OK, chill. I know some of you are really freaking
out now thinking that is such a racist statement, but in black America,
itës a constant joke. How many black folks do you know who really swim?
I think in the history of the Olympics, maybe one).
So I say we all
calm down and take this in stride. Maybe the show will be hilarious. Or
maybe it will look like a mainstream college campus, where the black
students sit with one another, the Asian students hang out in their own
space, the rural students congregate together and the students from the
"city" live in their own world.
Then again,
having separate white, African-American, Hispanic and Asian groups on
"Survivor" will look like many of our neighborhoods and churches on
Sunday.
Such racial separation shouldnët be seen as an affront to our delicate sensibilities.
The show will simply mirror America.
ï
Roland S. Martin, editor of The Chicago Defender newspaper, is author of "Speak, Brother! A Black Manës View of America."
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