It's no secret I love watching survival shows. Survivor Man, Man vs. Wild, Man, Woman, Wild, Dual Survival, I Shouldn't Be Alive...etc Love them all. But the other day I suddenly realized that all of the hosts for these shows were white and it made me wonder why that might be. I was reminded of a line Chris Rock used in one of his stage shows where he said white people have it so good that they're the only people who pretend to be homeless and go sleep in the woods.Then I noticed something else, almost every time one of these hosts talked about where they learned their survival tips and techniques it was from a brown colored native. Australian, South American, Native American, African, Middle Eastern...always some brown faced person. I guess the opposite of one of these shows would be taking a native and have them try to survive. I can see it now "I learned this employment catching technique from an American business worker. It's called a resume and I'm going to make mine out of paper and ink."
maybe only white people are on those shows because people assume it's not a challenge if they're not white.
ReplyDeletejust spitballing.
have you ever noticed how many of them are british though? Man vs. Wild, Man, Woman, Wild...
@Rhiana: I've also heard the theory that we white people are crazy and these shows are just one of the many manifestations of insanity. :P I'm not the outdoorsy type myself, but I do find those shows interesting to an extent.
ReplyDeleteAlso, great blog/comic Mr. Toyoshima. Long time lurker - been following the comic for five or so years now. I find social issues interesting/important, especially from perspectives different from my own white middle class upbringing. You frequently give me food for thought and often a good chuckle as well. Keep up the great work!