...then either you're crazy, or so is America.
Some are outraged that the new season of Survivor features tribes divided along racial lines.
Why? Such division only mirrors what already exists in our neighborhoods, schools, universities, restaurants and churches. And you’re pissed because they’re putting this on TV?
Wake up! If you’re upset that a ‘system’ has deliberately divided people for no other reason than skin color, look at a map of Nashville. Where are the housing projects? Every one of them is boxed in by interstates, major roads, or a river. Is it any accident that I-40 bisected and destroyed the once vibrant African-American cultural boom that was Jefferson Street? Ever wonder why Williamson county is 93% white? Because when cars became affordable and roads became paved and wider, people hightailed it out of the urban core, where black people were looking for work.
So, instead of pointing the finger at a TV network whose sole purpose is to make money off of ad revenue (and not heal social divides), look in the mirror and try to answer some worthwhile questions. Here are a few to get you started:
- Why is Hillsboro’s graduation rate higher than Stratford’s? Because white people are smarter, or because years of negligence have put Stratford lower on the public awareness list than a school in the heart of Green Hills? Or does it have to do with the fact that the wives of rich husbands can devote time to raising money for the PTA while working mothers in East Nashville barely find time to work two jobs to afford food?
- Why do predatory lending outlets and liquor stores litter Gallatin Road while there is a bank on every corner in Belle Meade?
- If organic food is supposed to be good for everyone, how come it’s only affordable to very few?
- It’s been said that Sunday morning is the most segregated time of the week. Is this segregation racial, economic, or both?
- If you require a Ph.D. for a certain position, and the majority of those holding this degree are white, are your hiring practices racist?
- Do you live in an all-white neighborhood? Is this why you chose it? (You may say stuff like safety and schools, but deep down, be honest on this one. You probably equate safety and good schools with whiteness, anyway.)
It should take you a while to answer these (you may even want to do a little research). And if you’re still upset at CBS, then work to change reality. Then, their ‘reality’ shows will have to change as well.