'Survivor' Race Issue: The only thing worse than Political Correctness...

I am somewhat a fan of CBS's "reality show" 'Survivor.' Over the past several seasons--even though not nearly as good as the first couple of seasons--I have regularly watched and rooted for various contestants stranded in the middle of nowhere coniving for a chance at a million dollars. Granted, the show is filled with ideas that should be removed of Christians: materialism, deception, immodesty, etc. Now, not necessarily uncalculatedly, CBS is in the middle of a "race controversy" because of its long-running and ground-breaking drama. Producers decided to divide the original 'Survivor' participants for this season (set in the Cook Islands) into tribes by race: 5 white, 5 black, 5 Asian, and 5 Latino. See articles addressing the news and reaction.

This gripes me for several reasons, mainly that media outlets are so caught up in getting a rise out of people (like me) that they forget to do the very thing they pledge to do: report the truth. Notice, if you will, the following reasons critics' positions are off-base:

1.) It was a decision based on criticisms in the past. Show host Jeff Probst claims the decision was made in response to previous complaints that the show wasn't racially balanced enough. Go figure, they make a decision to please the left and it offends them.

2.) IT'S ALREADY BEEN TAPED. The time to make a fuss out of the issue was before it was taped over the summer, not right before it airs (which coincidentally might raise ratings). They can't change how they divided the teams because it's all taken place already except for the revelation of the $1,000,000 winner. Too late to fix it, sorry.

3.) It's not a permanent decision. Yes, it's already been taped; no, it won't last. Mark it down. Now. I know I'm right. No more than 3 weeks into the season, the tribes won't be divided by race any longer. After 1-3 tribal councils as the 'racial tribes,' they will almost invariably merge into 2 or 3 (probably two) larger tribes. It won't be an issue anymore when we get to October because blacks, whites, asians, and latinos will be happily intermixed and facing off against another tribe of blacks, whites, asians, and latinos.

4.) Most importantly, it's inconsistent to be critical of the 'racial' decision. Last season, for Panama: Exile Island, the contestants were divided by gender and age. There were also four tribes: young men, older men, young women, older women. I didn't hear anyone griping about gender and/or age discrimination. Couldn't they have said, "Having a team of all women leaves them at a disadvantage" or "divisions shoudln't be made by something as unavoidable as age"? I'm still baffled by the state of race relations in the United States. Things aren't perfect; I'm not sure they can be. Here is an example that we are far from where we should be, on both sides (if there are only two). The only thing worse than politcal correctness is inconsistent political correctness. This is a perfect example.

Let's do our best to be truthful, real, patient, and consistent. Even when it involves something that isn't most of the time: the media.