Why "Survivor: Cook Islands" Doesn't Bother Me, and Why it Shouldn't bother you, Either

So it's old news now, Survivor: Cook Islands divides contestants according to race. They announce it on the CBS Early Show, lots of people cry racism, politicians band together to stop this "racist" beast from hitting the air...

And then the show aires and it's really not such a big deal.

I'm honestly very tired of hearing so much negativity about the current season's setup. Yes, yes, I know, race is not a subject that is taken lightly, and to place people according to ethnic background seems highly unorthodox. But when you sit down and think about it, and I mean, REALLY think about it, it's not a big deal. I'm well aware that of all the "isms" out there, Racism is one of the biggest problems. But honestly, there is really nothing that controversial in this show. Let's look at it on simpler terms:

Q: Are any stereotypes enforced by Mark Burnett Productions?
A: No. Notice that the tribes are named things like "Aitu," "Puka," "Hiki," and "Raro" as opposed to "Latino," "Asian," "Black," and "White." It's the contestants who make or break the show. It's the contestants who will decide whether or not to look at the racial separation as a negative, and it's the contestants who will decide whether or not to be colorblind.

Q: Are any of the tribes placed lower than others?
A: No. All of the tribes are equal. If you watched the first challenge you'd have noticed how close it was between Puka and Aitu, and how close it was between Hiki and Raro. No tribe is superior to another. Every tribe gets equal opportunities.

Q: Is this the first time that Survivor contestants have been separated in a way that may be portrayed as prejudice?
A: Not at all. One season, contestants were divided by gender. Why weren't the columnists and bloggers and news reporters crying sexism? That's politically incorrect. One season, contestants were divided by age. Why wasn't the media crying ageism? That's politically incorrect.

If you look at the big picture, it's really not a matter of racism. Look at society, in our high schools, or cities, our friends, etc. There are high school youth groups for hispanics, asians, greeks, italians, african americans, and I've yet to see anybody consider those racial dividers. If we can accept cultural youth groups, why are we having so much difficulty accepting cultural teams?

Another thing to remember is that while the other tribes are working together against the other tribes, they are also working against each other. I'm betting that later on in the show, when certain tribes start to lose team mates, the tribes will be mixed. At the end of the show, there can only be ONE winner, regardless of which race he or she belongs to.

So let's all kick back and enjoy the show. If you still think it's got hints of racism, watch the show and be colorblind. Don't look at it as the "black tribe" or the "asian tribe," look at it as "Hiki" and "Puka." It's only as prejudice as we make it.

"...I don't believe that just 'cause these groups have cultural similarities, that that will make them more specifically cohesive. This is Survivor--Somebody's gonna win a million dollars, and they're gonna have to cut the throat of the guy next to them at some point."

-Jonathan, Raro Tribe

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