The Exploitation of Survivor
Reality TV is everywhere. From game shows to talk shows, "funniest" home videos to "COPS", it can be found on most any channel everyday of the week. And, in 1999, CBS released the first edition of its hit reality TV show, also known as the Survivor franchise. The premise of this "reality show" was to put sixteen contestants on a tropical island and see who the last person standing would be. Basically, it's a true Darwinian survival of the fittest (Class Lecture, 2002). Every week, the contestants would vote off the contestant who they felt did not help the others' chance of survival. In the end, the one remaining contestant would win the grand prize of $1 million for being the sole survivor. The first Survivor and its two sequels have proven to be major successes for the CBS network and its genre. It has created tremendous financial income for CBS, and it has also become one of the most consumed television shows in American history. According to the United States' capitalist beliefs, this would be a win-win situation since it generates money for the network and provides entertainment for the people watching it. However, according to Marxism, the contestants and the consumers of the show become pawns in the capitalist
Caristi, D. (2001). Reality Shows to the Networks' Rescue. USA Today It can now be seen that that CBS's reality TV show Survivor is a clear example of capitalist exploitation of the proletariat in a Marxist sense. This can be mainly attributed to the fact that capitalist ideology allows for both the exploited and the exploiter to be unaware that this is actually going on. At the same time, the consumers of the show are being exploited because of the fact that they are given wish fulfillment that really does not occur but effectively causes viewers to sit idly and not call for change. The solution can only exist with the recognition of the social nature of the modern force of production, and therefore force the harmonization of the modes of production, appropriation and exchange with the socialized character producing the commodity ("Communism," 1996). Overall, Marxist beliefs illustrate potential problems that may occur in capitalist society. Additionally, this discussion of Survivor is a good example of what Marx and his colleagues and followers have been trying to say through their critiques on capitalism. Finally, keep in mind that a society's means of production ultimately determine its cultural, political, and social path, and ultimately its future (Storey, 1998, p. 102). Reiss, S. & Wiltz, J. (2001). Why America Loves Reality TV. Psychology
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Approximate Word count = 1990
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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