Mark Burnett, “Survivor” Producer
c/o CBS Television
51 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019
Dear Mr. Burnett,
When I first read a reference to your plan for the next season of “Survivor” I was certain it was a joke. After I saw the topic come up in subsequent news articles, I was amazed. This is surely one of the lamest moves in recent television history.
This might be a cute idea if racism and segregation were distant memories in America. When in 2006 black students are allegedly being sent to the back of the bus, racism is alive and kicking. No matter how you spin it, this comes off as a gimmick. It does not seem at all like an attempt to celebrate our differences, but to exploit people’s curiosity about the controversial.
You are quoted as saying that you were “smart enough to have gotten rid of every racist person in casting.” This is a rather alarming assertion. How many racist people did you have employed in casting? And how did you root them out? That could be a reality show in itself.
Although I never considered “Survivor” to be a particularly classy show, I would not have anticipated it turning into this kind of dreck.
Truly,
Liz Mann
