If you haven’t been watching the news or listening to the radio, (or, I suppose, reading the Internets, in which case: what the heck are you doing here, wasting your time like this?) you probably aren’t aware that CBS, in a desperate ploy for ratings has announced that the next iteration of “Survivor” will feature teams segregated by race – Asian, African American, Latino and White. Don’t get me wrong here: this idea is stupid, almost painfully so, and CBS should pay for it in the marketplace. People should not watch “Survivor” in droves and should call all of CBS’s advertisers expressing their displeasure with any company that chooses to advertise during the show.
What shouldn’t happen, well, already has: nosy New York City officials have weighed in:
NEW YORK – A group of New York City officials blasted CBS and its hit series “Survivor†on Thursday, a day after the network announced that the teams on the new season of the reality show will be divided by race.
Saying that the setup will promote divisiveness, the officials called on CBS to reconsider its plans.
“The idea of having a battle of the races is preposterous,†said City Councilman John Liu. “How could anybody be so desperate for ratings?â€
The officials stopped short of threatening direct gov’t action, although the tone of the comments certainly seem to indicate a willingness to do so. Need it be said why I find this 1) unsurprising and 2) incredibly worrying?
2 Comments
I love that everyone keeps calling this “a desperate ploy for ratings.” Um, hello – that’s every television show that ever existed. Everyone who has a problem with it should stop complaining about it, because you’re doing exactly what the producers hoped you’d do – talking about their show. I can’t remember the last time I cared or even thought about Survivor, but suddenly they’ve got me thinking about it, and even considering tuning in to see how it goes. Good for them for thinking of something that hasn’t been done yet.
~Barbara
http://babas.typepad.com
I wouldn’t have talked about the show had the New York government not weighed in on the issue. My interest in the issue isn’t with the show, per se, it’s about a quashing of free speech rights by a nanny-statish government.
CBS has the right to be stupid in this manner – I won’t be soliciting their offerings, but that doesn’t mean I want the government punishing them, especially in the interest of enforcing “sensitivity” or somesuch rubbish.