Soul Survivor

I was absolutely appalled when I opened up the Metro to the headline "Segregated Survivor." While I was disturbed by host Jeff Probst's claim that the show's racial segregation is a means of making the show more diverse, I was just as taken aback by the Metro's laissez-faire coverage of the controversial move. Survivor has in the past pitted men against women, and young against old in the pursuit of the million dollar cash prize and fifteen minutes of fame.

In a society like ours, where segregation still reigns, glorifying a televised war of all races is not only irresponsible; it is dangerous to our collective psyche. Nearly a year after Hurricane Katrina’s coastal devastation brought racial injustice to the country’s spotlight for a brief moment, we have quickly forgotten about how this administration’s priorities so heavily favor the supposed majority. Instead of finding ways to openly discuss different backgrounds of privilege and disadvantages to build a more just and sustainable future, the entertainment media has chosen once again to focus on the small divisions and drive a wedge further between those of us who continue to struggle for our piece of the pie.

In 1712, British Slave Owner, William Lynch delivered these words on how to control slaves, “Don't forget you must pitch the old black Male vs. the young black Male, and the young black Male against the old black male. You must use the dark skin slaves vs. the light skin slaves, and the light skin slaves vs. the dark skin slaves. You must use the female vs. the male. And the male vs. the female.” Lynch proposed that these methods would be successful for up to 300 years, but with major networks like CBS still doing the dirty work and perpetuating the cycle adding new groups to play against one another, I have a feeling that it will continue far beyond 2012.