Survivor and Big Brother: Television Representing Humanity

If you’ve seen the television show “Survivor” or “Big Brother,” then you know what I’m referring to in this article. The main concepts of the shows are to “outwit”, “outlast” and “outplay” the other contenders. In the case of “Survivor,” the show often takes place on a deserted island or piece of land. In the case of “Big Brother,” the competitors must live together in a secluded house. However, I’m not here to talk about how the shows work. I want the main focus of this article to be on the results of placing a group of random people together and forcing them to live with each other for several months.

Every single one of us is unique in our own way. We all have our likes and dislikes, but what makes us human is our ability to get along with each other. Just because I like basketball and you like soccer doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. So why do these shows portray the worst aspects of human nature?

Perhaps it’s just for the ratings. The producers want to find competitors of opposite backgrounds who they know will fight each other on the show. Maybe that’s the case. But even if it is, why can’t the people place aside their differences and work together?

You look at a show like Star Trek, where disease, hunger and currency no longer exist on Earth, and you wonder, why can’t real life be that way? If what’s portrayed in these television shows represents humanity to its fullest, then I think we have a problem.

What would happen if one day, the Earth was doomed, and our civilization’s only chance for survival was to find another habitable planet in the universe? If we can’t get 10 to 20 people to work together on a reality television show, how the heck are we supposed to get them to work with each other on board a shuttlecraft, when it’s a life or death situation?

You can see the problem. So how do we fix it?