Survivor - Merely a social game or a look at how sociology is all around us?

So, it took me awhile to think of something to write for this week's blog.  Quite frankly, there are so many things happening in the world today, that there is a lot to write on this week.  I decided to keep it light-hearted and write about one of my guilty pleasures - Survivor.  Yes, I do indulge in the reality show that has teams compete on a weekly basis on a deserted location, trying to survive with little food, shelter and are subjected to the hazards of mother nature. 
     What strikes me about this season of Survivor, and what has always drawn me to the show, is how it reflects the ways that human beings are also social beings.  So while each contestant tries to make it through 30 days in the wild individually, the objective of the game is to survive by relying on others until eventually you are selected by your peers as the ultimate survivor.  Contestants are voted off each weak until there is just one sole survivor.  The funny thing is that contestant are often voted off for violating the norms of the groups they belong to.  Remember from the reading that norms are simply rules and expectations a society deems fit.  While values are explain why the rules exist.  The same concepts ring true for Survivor.  Contestants are often voted off of Survivor for violating the rules or not knowing the rules, just like in society.  Sometimes contestants are eliminated for not fitting in or for being weird or bizarre.  Whatever the case may be, it often comes down to not meeting the expectations of the dominant group or culture.  You will typically hear the contestants say that Survivor is a social game.  This couldn't be more true.  While you have to depend on the typical attributes to win the various challenges each weeks such as strength, stamina, intelligence, and will power, you must also master the game by bargaining with others, cooperation, teamwork, and at times through straight up lying.  Contestants make alliances with one another and team up with people who will help them advance in the game.  Here's  a link to the latest episode:
                                                 http://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/video/
     It's not terribly different from what we have to do in everyday life.  Oftentimes, we have to cooperate with people we don't like, follow rules, work together and sometimes be dishonest to meet our objectives. 
     There are a few things that stand out for me in this season's Survivor.  First, the contestants are separated into "tribes" by gender and with it comes all of the expectations and stereotypes of how men and women should behave.  And as if written on cue, the men start of the competition by relying on their brute strength and physical prowess to eliminate members from the women's team.  But what makes Survivor so intriguing this season is that while groups organize themselves in a similar fashion to the ways we organize ourselves in society (i.e. gender), there are also several sub-cultures that emerge among the groups.  For example, among the men, the alphas (extremely masculine, fit guys) form an alliance, leaving out the weaker men.  With the women, the younger women band together against the older women players.  This is reflective of what happens in society everyday, we form sub-cultures based on similar characteristics or attributes that standout from the dominant culture. 
     What is truly fascinating on the show however, is one of the characters from the men's team who is gay and makes no qualms about it.  When the show first starts he defiantly declares his affinity towards the women's team.  He openly goes back and forth between the teams and negotiates his position in the game by playing the men against the women.  He also convinces the women to give him an amulet that protects you from being eliminated in the games by telling the women that he is considered the weak link among the men.  However, this couldn't be further from the truth.  He uses his own attributes - intelligence, manipulation, is affinity towards the women, to advance in the game.  What results is that he emerges as one of the strongest contestants in the game and works with the weaker men to knock off some of the alpha men. 
   Survivor is entertainment and at times seems hokey and even fake.  But for me, it represents some of the biggest lessons about society.  Check out the show yourself or better yet, take a look at another television show and see what concepts you recognize from what we've learn so far this semester.  I think you'll see that sociology is all around us!