For 20 years, 40 seasons, the television show, Survivor, has been extremely popular in the United States. The motto, Outwit, Outplay, Outlast, epitomizes the environment that contestants must navigate in order to win the grand prize of one million dollars (or in the most recent contest, two million dollars). Importantly, the skills used to win the game are the antithesis of those needed in a real survival situation. They are, however, strikingly similar to those of modern American politics.
In the television game, contestants form temporary relationships, ones that can be broken at a moment’s notice. Like Trump, egocentrism is the main focus at the expense of all others. Though artificial, often based on happenstance of assignment, tribal alliances are forged and often transcend mergers and may even be counterproductive to the participant in the long run. To their detriment, many players believe such bonds to be strong, only to be blindsided and removed. Routinely, early on in the competition they vote to remove the strongest or most talented players as they may be considered existential threats. Lying and misleading effectively are considered virtues. In the end, contestants explain the jury why they acted in that manner and are usually forgiven as all of those adjudicating have exploited the same behavior
Producers and editors contrive each player’s persona as seen by the audience. That portrayal may, or may not, bare any resemblance to their real-life personality. Survivor, and similar competitive programming, are billed as “reality” shows. However, artfully constructed, they are anything but reality as experience in by most people in their daily lives. They do, however, closely resemble the current political situation exemplifies by tribalism, lying and deception.
In real survival situations, cooperation is imperative. Honesty and data sharing are paramount. Trust between participants is essential to enable the best chance for all to get out of their predicament. When in a survival situation in the wilderness, maintaining a positive mental attitude is as important as the physical requirements of water, food, shelter, and fire. Of course, navigational skills are critical as well.
The parallels between CBS television’s Survivor and current politics are blatantly obvious. And, like TV, they are also counterproductive to actual survival. Currently, the greatest liability to the country is in truthfulness – to the point that even the fundamental facts are not agreed upon. The Flat Earth Society should be proud of today’s public distortion of reality. On social media, this has been categorized as an infodemic, i.e. massive amounts of information – much of it wrong.
There is a saying that, “all politicians lie.” There is a degree of truth in that statement. However, there has never been an administration that unapologetically lied, or mislead, the public at a level demonstrated under Trump. Those lies and misleading statements range from the trivial and self-aggrandizement (“we had the biggest inaugural crowd”) to the potentially fatal (“anyone who wants one can have one”) (“we have prevailed”) (“what have you got to lose?”) and many thousands more that have been documented. Like all addicts, Trump relies on his enablers to support his position no matter what the truth may be. A recent example is McConnell claiming that the Obama Administration did not provide a playbook on how to deal with a pandemic, a lie he was forced to retract when the manual was produced.
Even worse than political confabulation, it appears that Trump, and his supporters live in an alternate universe, one in which science does not apply. Unfortunately, there are real, and sometimes disastrous, consequences for policies derived from counterfactual information. Denial of climate change, regardless of origin is a classic example. Already major cities, such as Miami, are experiencing the impact of incursion of sea levels. Where the policies really matter can be seen in the EPA failure to protect wetlands and the ultimate source of water for many communities downstream that rely on protection of the origination of the supply.
While planetary survival is highly likely, that does not mean it remains fit for human habitation. What has been experienced during the Trump administration is complete disregard for the substantial scientific evidence, not only that the climate is changing, but that humans are contributing to the demise at an unprecedented rate. A global issue that requires an integrated and comprehensive response, Trump has done everything possible to inhibit such mitigation. That began, of course, by America’s withdrawal from the Paris climate accords. It is further demonstrated by support for the carbon producing industries.
Trump’s anti-science position repeatedly has been demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The educated opinions of medical experts with decades of involvement in epidemiology are not respected. Ignored are their opinions and recommendations when they state that, based on scientific evidence, the disease will progress for a long period. Their suggested means for mitigating the epidemic are posted but belied by his actions. Then, of course, there is Trump’s support for disproven treatments and his public musing about the use of disinfectants, a methodology that could literally kill the patient.
As in the television game shows, tribes matter; even when they make no sense. That is particularly true as members bow to the whims of their perceived/registered political parties. Lost in the discussion is that fundamental shifts have occurred in both the Republican and Democratic parties. The GOP claims to serve conservatives, yet has moved so far to the right that it is unlikely that St. Ronnie could get elected. Many of those Republican party members know that Trump does not represent their economic values. As for Democrats, some of their groups are shifting so far to the left that they endanger any chance of winning the national election. As purists, such groups threaten to abstain from voting, rather than compromise.
Much is written about identity politics. That is true for many voters. Not frequently addressed are those who have tuned out and abandoned politics altogether. Remember, while the 2016 election was decided by less than 80,000 votes in three states, nearly 100 million eligible voters sat on the sidelines. Some voters, not satisfied with either option, held their nose and cast a ballot, often based on party affiliation.
The bottom line on political parties is that both have shifted, yet a majority of their constituents would not be able to identify the core values of their respective organizations. Rather, they personally identify with the label, versus the issues, often based on a perceived historical relationship with a time that never was. Thus, we hear of red and blue states. Most unfortunately, their congressional representatives vote along what they are told. Most amazing are the Republican Congress Members and Senators, who openly state they don’t agree many of with Trump’s tweets, yet vote for what he dictates. They don’t appear to recognize that governance by tweet has become a new norm.
The country is now embroiled in a complex web akin to the television adaptation of Survivor. Tribes have been formed based on happenstance and emotion. Facts are nearly irrelevant to their allegiance. The actions of politicians are antithetical to either national interests or long-term survival. Contrary to Trump’s wishes, or those of his supporters, the jury is global. Oblivious to his supporters, the damage done will take decades to repair. Survival is possible only if Republicans are swept out of office while all Democrats come to an accommodation with the values of Middle America. It is time for all Americans to recognize this is not a reality show that can be re-scripted on demand.