"Survivor's" Race vs. Race Theme On CBS: Craven, Backward and Sick

Just in case you missed it, sad to report that "Survivor 13," the latest incarnation of CBS' "reality" tv series, is to feature a struggle that at least at the start, will pit two "races" against each other. That'd be black and white- and for good measure Asian and Hispanic (who, of course, can be of any race) as well.

My problem with this plotline is not only that it is a craven, marketing-fueled stunt that seems to have been hatched as a device to hook both white and black audiences as they, presumably, root for members of their own ethnicity to prove stronger, more enduring, and more resourceful than the other.

While I am sure that the episodic arc will move to internecine feuding among members of the same race - perhaps even sparking alliances across racial barriers, this is the wrong message to send.

Yes, I know it is only "entertainment," but just as there is no room for race vs. race in professional sports, that card should not be played here as well.

Of course if you want to talk about real "Survivors" in real- not theatric danger- you could go back to Harry Truman's heroic decision to desegregate the Armed Forces. That transformative edict paved the way for men and women of all colors to work together in war and peace for real Survival.

Then again, I am not surprised. This is the same CBS that kicked Dan Rather out the door, and brought the oppressive social conservatives down on broadcasting by not pre-vetting the production that showed Janet Jackson's tits.

Damn, I hope heads roll over this divisive stunt. Race against race is something we should all put behind us. Even on the playground, or on network tv (as if there's a difference).

But then again, isn't there just one race?

The human race?