I don’t care much for reality tv. In fact, I pretty much hate it. Yup. But this opinion on the “Racial” Survivor show was funny and intelligent:
First, unless four white cops get caught on videotape billy-clubbing a black man, and then all get let off the hook, television has little or no power to inspire racial violence. Second, Americans don’t rise up for anything nowadays, or else people would be rioting over unleaded being $3 a gallon and the president continuing a war most of us oppose. And third, dividing “Survivor” into ethnic tribes is more likely to keep people off the streets and in their homes watching TV, where they ought to be.
My favorite was the “American’s don’t rise up for anything nowadays” bit. SO TRUE. SO SAD!
We need more riots!
This reminds me of a conversation I had last night about how congress needs to grow a backbone and confront the president about the crap job he’s doing. Americans who oppose stuff need to lose their Birkenstock sandals and stop being apathetic. (joke shamelessly stolen from Sherman Alexie) blah blah.
Anyway, somehow that political criticism has seeped into a commentary about reality TV. That’s the kind of “American” mentality I’d like to see more of in general.
chris | 26-Aug-06 at 2:04 pm | Permalink
what would we be rioting for? the universal or the particular?
The Chuck | 30-Aug-06 at 6:32 am | Permalink
I finally updated your address on my blog.
I also got a real job, and in my field too–hence the delay.
emily | 30-Aug-06 at 8:17 am | Permalink
Really? a real job?! what kind?
xander | 04-Sep-06 at 5:35 am | Permalink
Congress grows a back spinal cord when their constituents make them. When people have so much apathy that writing/bothering congressional representatives is too much of a chore or they think it wont do any good, then they dont have to really answer to what their constituents think. And I can say with almost complete certainity that what most of the members of Congress do and how they vote is not in line with how their constituents think and believe. But who holds them accountable? No one, really. If they knew they’d get voted out for going against the masses, you damn well better believe they’d actually start representing us. But right now, they dont have to. Mostly, they answer to lobbyist or whatever their party tells them to do, which is silly and sad because even the two political parties are out of outch and play games.
When I make my Washington DC plans for next summer, I am going to stake out my Senators and Representatives office, and hopefully by that time, they will know me from how much I’ve bugged them over the years.
Plus they offer DC tours for free and take you places you dont normally get to go, and that’d be nice too :)