re: Survivor Season 39 - Return of Boston Rob and Sandra....Or Island of the idols

I finally got a chance to watch last weeks show.

WTF happened. Can we get through one thing in life these days without racial/privilege lectures? Sorry but that was not necessary. One guys acting like he needs to be offended and one guy acting like he needs to apologize for everything.
BS moment and is why it will never stop. You cant fix something that is continuously being mulled over and over again

Glad the 4 stuck to their party lines once the block a vote came in. It was funny watching the other 4 act like nothing like that has ever happened before on Survivor. Its like these players have no idea of the history of the game. And the crying and whining over everything that happens to you that you were not expecting is over done. Its is the nature of the show

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How do you know he wasn't offended?

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Did you watch the scene? He was playing a part that society has told him to play.

What was his statement. " I understand but its going to take me a while to get over it". Seriously? Did he really need time to get over someone calling a head band a "durag". That is insane.

But since society has taught him that every single thing that is said that is "wrong" is a racist hit at him, he now feels that he needs to be offended at all of them. 10 years ago, if someone called its durag, there would not have been a second thought about it.

If he's offended, then he's offended... the whole speech (well, lecture really) after was a bit much.

Especially how he kept condescendingly using "boy" in his interview.

I appreciate that he tried to have a conversation about it, but it came off like a bit of showmanship, like Jamal is trying to use his "offense" to sway favor from Jack... even though they were already allies in the game.

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didn't intend that example to be a direct comparison. I merely brought it up as an example of something that took time to reach a point where it was roundly considered offensive, yet at the same time many people still feign ignorance on its offensiveness.

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Ok, I still think it’s just an apples to arrows parallel to include, but I get the fact that people are often slow to sensitize themselves to certain things that are offensive to others.

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Have I seemed defensive in this discussion?

Not entirely, but in the comment I quoted you on, you did use the word "defending" which indicates a defensive position.

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Glad you haven’t found me “entirely” defensive


When I said I had a stake in “defending an innocent miscommunication” I meant defense in the sense of “stating the case for” why I saw it as a miscommunication rather than the “subconscious” slight that Jamal took it to be, certainly not defending the use of the word, but the lack of intent.


I think we can both agree there is a negative connotation to one “being defensive” rather than simply “defending a position by laying out their thought process on an issue.


These word things can be slippery suckers can’t they

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I'll close by saying I don't really think we're too far apart on the issue. I don't think Jamal handled it perfectly, but I also think it's rare for people to handle a tense situation like that perfectly. Emotions almost always get in the way of logic and reasonableness. And I think focusing on his handling of it belittles his perception and worldview.

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I would agree with all of that except the last line.

Your first post on this talked about how maturely it was handled and how nice it was to see two adults handle it as such.

While I have agreed that overall it was respectful, I think that was mostly due to Jack’s immediate and unquestioningly mature response. There simply wasn’t much room to find any ill intent and Jamal still said he needed time and space before they would be ok again.

I think it’s ok to analyze that response a bit, especially when he is being directly praised for it.

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But I would ask you, is Jamal’s use of “wife beater”, a clearly much more well known pejorative term, at all hypocritical in your opinion?

I didn't really find the context in which he used it to be offensive, but I also do see the argument so perhaps a little hypocritical.


I also don't think the simple use of the word "durag" is itself offensive. It's the context in which it is used. CBS uses it in their advertising applying it to all of the buffs. Jack used it solely directed at a black tribe member.

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Ok wait, so now context matters??

That’s kind of been the root of my problem with this whole interaction.

Jack didn’t say (excuse the clearly unacceptable example I’m about to use to make the point), “yo toss me that durag homey!!” like trying to make a joke or anything like that.

He simply used a very common word to describe the accessory in question, which is exactly what Jamal did.

Except Jamal’s term is clearly a negative association of certain types of people that wear that garment, the nature is self explanatory, while the word Jack used is not. It just so happens to have an offensive connotation that many people aren’t aware of (ourselves included).


It honestly sounds like trying to allow context in some instances but not in others is just inviting more potential for misunderstandings by trying to draw lines for when something is offensive and when it isn’t.


Words have no power over any of us other than what we let them, so I’m of the mind to just know what the hell not to say because I don’t care either way

Durag talking like someone about to get evicted. He couldn't put one puzzle piece in within a solid minute so he deserves it.

This season... Are there any LGBT contestants left? Maybe next week's episode will be about how they're oppressed on this game too.

And wtf kind of dumb idol play was that by Jamal? This season might be worse then One World with Colton as the worst season ever.

Have watched every episode of Survivor since S1E1 and after tonight I feel sorta done with this season

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I want Survivor to go back to where 80% of the women were smokin and nobody got offended about all women alliances or durags.

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I can agree with that, but other than the entirely worthless Island of the Idols interlude, I enjoyed this episode.

This season sucks so bad in many, many ways.