Do you think that dividing the Survivor tribes by race will have any ramifications for the show or network?

Question

We noticed that the subject of the new Survivor season (Cook Islands) has been a topic of conversation. We noticed some discussion about this on Answers so we posed this question to Mark Burnett himself.

Answer 1

Our rationale for dividing Survivor tribes by ethnicity was based upon our belief that racial differences were highly unlikely to matter when the modern world was removed.

Survivor takes place on an island where economics, ethnicity and social class count for nothing. What is important is your ability to build a fire and catch fish. On an island, the value system by which we judge others and even choose to associate or align with others is totally different from choices that may be made in the modern world. Add to this, the political nature of Survivor and the questions are “Do I like this person?” and “Can I convince this person to vote for me?”

Survivor is probably one of the greatest leadership and management tests you can witness. It’s almost like firing someone who works as your subordinate, then the next day, asking them to lobby “your boss” to give “you” a promotion. Survivor is the equivalent of this where the very people you play a part in getting rid of, are asked to turn around and reward you for it.

I believe that most people are inherently good and very few people are intentionally bigoted. It’s all about whether you actually get to know people and getting to know them in a totally fresh environment such as on a desert island further reduces any potential for bigotry.

Were we correct?? Time will tell. All I can say is that the series will pull no punches and will at the very least show that it’s impossible to stereotype people once you meet them and (even vicariously) live with them as they struggle to build a world together while still looking out for themselves.

I agree with the NAACP in that there is no escaping the reality that race is a complex and emotional issue in America -- one we are still reluctant to confront and address and I am happy that they have reserved judgment until they watch the series. I would encourage anyone to follow this lead and watch at least a few episodes to get a clear picture of how the dynamic will play out.

Answer 2

Of course there will be ramifications. I believe that the strides made in America for racial harmony have been enormous, however, we still live in a racist society. It is apparent on many levels and areas of our existence. I also believe that the participants do the county a great disservice by even participating in a racially/money motivated ratings scheme. The motivator here is money. In all honesty, I have to ask myself if I would succumb to the power of the all mighty dollar. The best answer I can come up with is; Its not in my face so I can't give an honest answer. I'm a working stiff and I can't say with any real conviction what I would do. At best, I can only say How Much am I willing to say no to. I would like to believe that I would do the right thing and not give-in to the exploitation by the producers and say no to any amount. The fact is, I'm a realist and the size of the pot matters immensely. On the subject of ramifications, I think they will be subtle on some fronts and a much uglier response in other areas. I think that this is a poorly thought out ratings ploy, to which the geniuses that came up with it are not prepared to deal with it. The best case scenario will be a large scale rouse, where the division will not be the type of separation anticipated by the public. I just hope that cooler heads will prevail at the water cooler conferences that are sure to follow.

Answer 3

I don't think that there will be any negative ramifications for the show or the network. Many African Americans and people of other ethnic backgrounds stop watching the show once the "representative" of their race has been voted off.

Now that there are an equal number of the major races present on the island I think that the loyal viewership of the show will go up instead of go down. Even the people who state that they will not watch probably still will so that they can see if the experiment fails.

I think of it like this, I never watched "Friends" because none of their cast looked like me. They didn't have any African American, Hispanics or Asian Americans on the show on a regular basis which made it seem that they lived in "white" America. Some people may want to live there but how many people actually do?

Minorities want to be able to identify with the people they see on television, with Survivor they will get their fair share.

Answer 4

Yes, I've have read some possible ramifications on yahoo answers already; fans of the show who are offended by the idea of segregation say they won't watch anymore, but a lot of other people were lured in and becoming Survivor fans, as we speak.

The true fans, like me, have watched from the beginning and will continue to support a show we love!

The true racists are the ones who are rooting for their race, with no other basis and then crying "racists!"... this season isn't much different than any other. Previous seasons, no one complained about separating people by age or sex ((there wasn't a bunch of dramatics screaming "sexists!"))

P. S. I am white, but rooting for the team I liked best which, BTW, won the first immunity/reward challenge ~ the Asians! As time goes, I'm sure I will have faves from each group. If I were playing, I'd be playing for myself and not my race.

Answer 5

I don't think that anyone will be "punished". The network has the autonomy to choose how they will segregate the tribles. They divide players to create an environment that may unite or divide, depending on how players react to their created tribe. For instance, last season the tribes were segregated by both age and gender. The tribes worked fairly well for the first week and after they re-divided and merged, no one complained that they were prejudiced against because they were man or woman, young or old. To say that it's any different to segregate by race is to say that race holds more value than age or sex. Do we really think that it's any different? Man, woman, black, white, young, old? They're all descriptions of persons and no single distinction is more or less worthy of argument or value than the next. Please sit back and remember that it's a tv show, not a university admissions board. In the end I think that the network got just what they wanted: a lot of talk that will make us all want to watch the show more. I, for one, do.

Answer 6

I ,prior to this evening, had never seen a complete episode of this show. However tonight i found myself torn between a rerun of Greys Anatomy and the season premier of survivor. I choose Survivor because I was interested in seeing the dynamics of the ethnic teams. I think it will be a very interesting social experiment. Next week I will be watching the season premier of greys because i have been waiting all summer for it. However i will be watching Survivor during the commercials. What is the difference if they divide the teams by gender age or ethnicity? Ramifications? I don't think so. Ratings? I'll be watching

Answer 7

I think this is a fantastic idea and can only be positive for both the show and the network. Who won't be talking about Survivor?
I used to be a loyal fan and watch the show religiously. I've even considered applying to be on the show. As the seasons have gone by I've watched less and less. I didn't see a single episode for the last two seasons. They had to bring a new and controversial concept to the show. People trying to "survive" is no longer groundbreaking or unique. In a sitcom with a continuous story line, you know the characters and tune in every season to see what they are going to do next. Survivor is not like that (except Jeff who is not really why we watch,although he stir up trouble at tribal council).
Bravo Survivor way to get my attention!

Answer 8

As a society, we've had it pounded into us that race is an important issue. Fact is, the difference between the races has very little to do with genetics and everything to do with culture. This is an excellent way to dispel stereotypes and I think the idea is commendable. Without the trappings of society, everyone will be social equals. I think it's a fine experiment and look forward to watching it play out. Dividing the players by race is no different than the divisions by sex and age that they have done in the past..

Answer 9

Wow lots of votes either way but ,
Lets get real if u were born here in the united states then we the people have all agreed and made laws saying that you are legal to remain here, But if you were immigrated in to this country then you have to apply to become a united states citizens. and we all had to come from somewhere even if it its 10+ generations or more from who knows where around the world.
Then most of us have been taught by parents, relatives, schools, churches, communities and more. That we are to accept all man kind as equals no matter what there skin color is or what they look like . So I truly do not understand how and why people are and can still be so racist. I am now guessing that maybe that America is not as united as i thought But give us 911 or a Katrina and maybe we can be mature in our own to truly get over this
Yes my whole family in 4 different states will be watching Survivor as it is our favorite show followed by CSI.
And yes as a fan I hope that the show is as entertaining as always. Can not wait !!!!

Any way it is my opinion thank you

if you want a great idea for Survivor then u should use married couples and split them up. That show would have my vote !!!

Answer 10

I didn't see anyone complaining when they divided young men, old men, young women, old women. For that matter boys against girls. They were divided by their ethnicity people are calling it the racial divide. All reality shows like Survivor, Big Brother (ones that throw people together somewhere for an amount of time) are really social experiments. Now if in one of the 4 ethnic groups there is a person within that group that can't stand others of their own ethnic background what will you call that person? Instead of looking at the show as a racial problem, look at it for what it is. It's a reality show, it's entertainment, and the game will have only one winner, will we complain about the ethnic background of the winner as well? People are making too big deal of a deal out of this. As for Mark Burnett, it's genius. Why? Look at the amount of publicity this has generated. We've heard it all before, there is no such thing as bad publicity. Some of us maybe had been getting bored by Survivor, some people (only God knows who they are) have never seen nor heard of Survivor, but here's the thing...they have now and even if only out of morbid curiousity will maybe tune in long enough to boost the Neilson ratings. I would hope that the way it is divided has no bad ramifications for the network or for the show. It's what you want to make of it. If you see this as racism, then it's your personal reaction to something but to chastise it before ever seeing it played out, then you are also placing a "name" to something without really knowing the whole story. Don't peg it as something until you see it. Innocent until proven guilty. We divide ourselves as Americans many times a day by many more things than ethnicity but see we just don't talk about it or try not to show it on TV. When you stay away from "that part of town" or "those people", you just don't want to see it on your TV. Here's the thing then, turn the channel or turn it off. Or watch it and save your judgements for a later.

Answer 11

Why doesn't Survivor do something with the Armed Forces... Put the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines on an Island!!! I'd watch for sure!!! I want to see all those skills they learned .. not only psychologically but their survival skills!!!

Although this should have been done back when the All-Stars came out.. Survivor is on it’s way out. Reason I stopped watching.. The casting is CRAPPY!! It’s all about drama and not the psychology anymore… The psychology of the game is what made the show a hit and that element is long gone.

Mark… get back to what you did best which was original… not gimmicks.