The hidden politics of Big Brother 6
As others have already mentioned, it’s a bit ironic that the America’s Choice vote, in which viewers were asked to vote for which of the evictees they’d like to see return to the house, decided on Kaysar over Eric. In today’s world, with our nation at war against the threat of terrorism, how is it that America decided that this Iraqi man was more deserving than the American?
Not to say that Kaysar is a bad guy—he’s far from it. Nor am I saying that there’s any equation with terrorism and the Iraqi people, but if our current government had any say, they’d probably tell you that “America is doing everything it can to help the poor little Iraqi people to learn how to be like us”. The truth is that Eric, a firefighter, being a symbol of contemporary American heroism, was just a straight-up asshole. Plain and simple. A bad sport, an overblown ego and most of all, a shepherd of idiots, Eric was probably a bitingly accurate metaphor for our president and his administration. And when he was guided out of the house by his own doing, most viewers were all to happy to see him go.
When CBS pulled this twist by allowing viewers to “vote” for their favorite evictee, people didn’t choose Kaysar because he’s Iraqi. They chose him based of his attitude, his integrity and from what I hear, probably for his looks too. But when Kaysar made what will probably be considered one of the biggest master moves in Big Brother history, now called “back-dooring” by the houseguests, he ultimately set himself up for the same fate.
It says a lot that Kaysar was the viewer’s choice. It shows that people are willing to put aside differences and preconcieved notions in the right circumstances. The fact is that people are inherently willing to place trust in others when they’re worth it. You can’t be a jerk and get away with it, as Eric found out the hard way. Clearly the deserving candidate, Kaysar’s return to the house was guaranteed to shake up the house once again.
Yet, it all ended so badly for Kaysar…
…but I don’t think it’s over.
Remember what happened to Rupert Boneham from Survivor: Pearl Islands? Remember how he was eliminated in an upset and due to viewer reaction was cast in Survivor All-Stars? After being eliminated in All-Stars, CBS judged wisely that seeing him not win for the second time in a row would cause some serious damage to their reality series, so they gave him a “second” million-dollar prize. Finally, a deserving winner was awarded a prize.
But reflect on his last words from Survivor: Pearl Islands:
This would have made my life a lot better. I always get hurt trusting people. I want so badly to be accepted, and I never get the acceptance that I want. I don’t fit. So much for my dreams.
Does that sound like something that might have been running through Kaysar’s head? He too trusted someone in a deal and got shafted in spite of it.
How much do you want to bet that won’t happen with Kaysar? I can see it now. Just look at the online petition that was started. I’ve watched Big Brother since the second season and can’t think of any other contestant that has inspired so much passion and reaction from viewers, one way or the other.
So many people were wondering how Kaysar could give up the prize spot of Head of Household when so much was on the line. And, not to make excuses, but remember that he’d been going on 14 hours without sleep and probably wasn’t using the best judgement.
Which brings me back to the world as a whole. Is it coincidence that America wants to give people a chance to do good, but as soon as they screw up, we put them out on the street? Suddenly, a person who was thought to be an honest, credible competitor is seen as an idiot for making what could be considered a completely rational decision. There’s something symbolic about it all; the Iraqi works hard to play fair and strong, but the American with all the power (and supposedly an ally) snakishly betrays his trust and sends him packing. And then, of course, by agreeing unanimously that he should go, everyone else gets a free kick while he’s down. What’s that about?
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