I usually do not concern myself with cultural fads, but the latest is so annoying that I can't help but comment. The offender? The television show Survivor. The reality television movement is something that I find to be an improvement in general to all of television, as it pushes boundaries in what people consider to be taboos, promoting a better general acceptance of all things considered to be strange or unspeakable. So why does Survivor offend me? It is nothing more than a glorified Real World, only dangling a carrot in front of the participant's noses in the way of a million dollars. That does nothing more than promote the worst behaviors of humanity. A bunch of backstabbing people trying to pull in a "cool million" only shows how obsessed our society has become with greed. Everyone wants to get rich quick. However, I can understand the desire to make an entertaining television program that people can easily absorb, so I will look past that for a moment to tell you what really bugs the shit out of me about it. The fact that it is edited. You cannot edit a program like that and not have it skewed to favor one contestant or another. The editing can influence the audience opinion dramatically. These people that are involved are going to be recognized for the rest of their lives for being on the show, and if it makes them look bad, just think of the repercussions that might have. They might not be able to get a job if they get kicked off of the show for being lazy or mean. Who really wants to hire a lazy person? That may not be the case in reality, but due to the editing that was done, it made that person seem to be just that. My solution? Film it 24-7, and either air it live, or break it up into blocks and air it with nothing missing from the end of one block to the beginning of the next. That is the only way that the show can really be shown accurately. No commercials, no interruptions, just the events unfolding, almost as good as being there. It has to have that voyeur quality, or it really isn't the contest that it claims to be. It will only be the dressed up Sunday best of what could be the most in depth study into human behavior and interaction. Plus, I have a suspicion that some of the contestants would be willing to give up sexual favors to the camera operators in order to get food. I bet money that those guys were just following them around once in a while with a candy bar in their pocket, saying "I think we might be able to work something out for this chocolate, buttery Butterfinger." The girls on the show just falling flat on their backs, legs spread wide. Or the gay guy, even. He did seem kind of plump when the show ended.