The next season of “Survivor” will have a new twist that has already drawn criticism. Four teams are to be divided along racial/ethnic lines?blacks, whites, Asians, and Latinos. The individual who wins gets a million-dollar prize.

Fernando Mateo, founder of Hispanics Across America, had this to say about the format: “The participants will be held to the daunting and unfair challenge of representing an entire race of people…. What will it mean for a team — a race — to fail in a battle of wits and strength against another race?”


BBC News:

The network announced on Wednesday that the 20 “castaways” would be initially segregated into groups of blacks, whites, Asians and Latinos before merging later in the series.

It said the move was aimed at addressing complaints that there had not been sufficient ethnic diversity in previous series.

But New York councillor John Liu told the Associated Press: “The idea of having a battle of the races is preposterous.

“How could anybody be so desperate for ratings?”

Link

Wait, before you go…

If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.

Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.

Support Truthdig