RE: Slightly extended (was Re: [Futurework] David Ricardo, Cavema n Trade vs. Modern Trade

[Harry Pollard]

Ed,   It's just a television show.   Would you not see Brigadoon because the highlands were never like that? Would you refuse to see South Pacific because war is really hell? And as for Peter Pan, we know how ridiculous it is. In reality, people can't fly.   Of course I would never have watched Wayne and Schuster because they had an airline sketch where the first class passengers enjoyed an orgy, but the coach passengers were simply pushed out of the plane when their destination was reached.   Simply Canadian crap - but at times the show was hilarious.   Survivor I recommend because within its framework it shows unrehearsed interactions of people in often trying circumstances. The interplay of "He's so good, with him our tribe will win, so we must keep him" with "He's so good, there is no way we can beat him, so we must get rid of him" is at times hilarious.   The writing is often very good.  Previous shows had allowed them to dress appropriately for their 39 days on the beach. They were given some basics - a little food, a machete and they could bring one luxury item. They climbed in a boat and were taken ashore.   This latest 16 players were brought up on deck (I think for a photo-shoot). They had dressed for the occasion - women in long dresses, men in suits.   They were asked to put their personal possessions in a bag. Then they were ordered overboard to swim to the island - in their dresses and suits. The game had started.   They were completely surprised, but they jumped overboard and the game began.   In the last show, instead of mixing the genders, they put all the men in one tribe, all the women in the other. The tribes compete.   The men got to work, built a shelter, and were comfortable.   After several days the women were still being rained upon. They just couldn't get it together. The male tribe were pretty arrogant and were sure they would destroy the female tribe in the contests they would endure.   Only problem - the women beat them. Male morale dropped. Then the women won the second contest. Male morale slid further. The women won the third contest and the males were whining and complaining. It was fun.   Finally, the women appointed a leader and she got things organized and the game proceeded.   I don't like commercial programs and I don't like commercials. So, I watch little network stuff.However, Survivor for a while (until the writers' ideas run out) is a fun program - not at first so much, but as it proceeds and the contestants react to the situation and to each other, it becomes very interesting and very entertaining.   I doubt the dozen and one copies of Survivor - the reality shows - are in the class of Survivor - but I don't know.   Harry   ******************************************** Henry George School of Social Science of Los Angeles Box 655  Tujunga  CA  91042 Tel: 818 352-4141  --  Fax: 818 353-2242 http://haledward.home.comcast.net ********************************************     From: Ed Weick [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 8:11 PM To: Harry Pollard; 'Keith Hudson' Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Slightly extended (was Re: [Futurework] David Ricardo, Cavema n Trade vs. Modern Trade Harry, don't even mention the show 'Survivor' to me.  I see it as absolute American crap, like the "Stench of America".  There's nothing in it that even remotely bears any resemblance of the reality of hunters and gatherers.   Ed