Better You Than Me Mate
The other day I happened to come across one of those Survivor
shows that have become a staple of so much prime time TV. A dozen or so
people were delivered to an island that, in terms of physical comforts,
bore a striking resemblance to New Orleans after Katrina. There was
only bottled water to drink and nothing like showers or toilet
facilities. A soup kitchen would have been a luxury, bedding was beyond
imagining and there were bugs everywhere. Now, to make things worse,
along with somehow surviving their arrival in Hell, this accumulation of
woebegone humanity was expected to somehow compete in a series of
mentally demeaning, physically demanding games.
Let's see if I
got this right Mr. TV Host, you want me to climb a pole and stand on one
leg until the pain causes me to fall 50 feet into a lagoon? For this
you will give me a toothbrush and, if the guy on the other pole succumbs
to spastic cramping first, you'll throw in some toothpaste? How about,
Mr. TV Host, I kick you hard enough so you fly over both those poles?
Clearly,
I wouldn't last long as a contestant because millions of Americans
would be sorely disappointed at not getting to see two grown men suffer
in agony for a crumb of comfort. Stand on one leg indeed! What kind of a
nitwit do you have to be to want to watch such a performance? I can
understand Navy SEAL teams training for combat but nobody pretends
that's entertainment.
I have to think that seeing others in pain is the primary appeal of
such shows. That and maybe getting a squint at women who haven't bathe
in a week...but let's forget that part. Viewers will, of course, object
to this analysis by arguing that they are far more interested in seeing
the competition. Their interest, they will tell you, is in learning
about the contestants, their personalities and the different coping
strategies they devise. Baloney!
As I see it, this is nothing
more than an example of Rationalization, which is defined as the process
of thinking up more acceptable reasons for less acceptable behaviors.
How many people, do you suppose, would tune in to watch a show called
Spa Survivor where contestants are sent off to a 5-star resort to
compete in card games? You'd still have unique personalities, strategies
and a cash prize but if there was no suffering - only pedicures
followed by a gourmet lunch - would there be an audience? See my point?
The Survivor shows must inflict pain in order for the viewer to
experience true vicarious involvement.
But there's no need to be
surprised at the delight Homo Sapiens take in the wretchedness of
others. It's perfectly normal. Everyone knows how the Romans had their
fun with the Christians but few realize that when the tables turned and
Christianity became the official religion, the Coliseum was the site of
even more blood and gore. During the Dark Ages, witches at the stake
were always good for a laugh but that was God's work after all. And when
human kindling ran low, one could always fall back on anthropomorphism
and throw some bulls and bears into a pit. Today there are dog, cock and
bullfights in other parts of the world along with boxing matches right
here at home.
LOOK AT IT THIS WAY
So why, you ask, do people
like seeing others in pain. From a pie in the face to slipping on a
banana peel to tripping down a flight of stairs and all the way to
dancing at the end of a rope, the joy comes from the fact that...it's
not you. It's a vicarious thrill. It allows us to get so very close to
humiliation, to danger, to abject terror and yet walk away clean. Wow!
This provides a great sense of comfort and security, power and control.
It's such a high it can be addicting. The Survivor painfully balances on
one leg to receive a cash prize and the prisoner painfully balances on
one leg to avoid an electric shock and you just know that in both cases
it hurts like Hell...and it's not you. As George Washington is supposed
to have said after returning from battle and finding a few bullet holes
in his jacket: There is nothing quite so exhilarating as being shot
at...and missed. This holds for movie-goers watching the Terminator;
kids playing video combat games; crowds cheering the blood soaked
matador; masses roaring their approval at an execution...Better You than
Me Mate.
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