Survivor – just a game?

Being the reality tv junkie that I am, I have seen all 14 installments of Survivor.  Out of all 14, I don’t think I’ve ever been as incensed by the action of one of the participants as in the latest finale.  Yes, Survivor is a game, where the people Outwit, Outplay and Outlast the rest for the million dollar prize.  And yes, one should expect to be manipulated, cheated, and lied to as part of the game.  But how does one separate integrity and honor between a game and real life?  Isn’t how one plays a game reflective of how one lives life?

For those who don’t follow Survivor: Fiji, here’s a quick recap.  Yau-Man had previously made a deal with Dreamz – Yau-Man would give Dreamz a brand new truck he had just won in a challenge if Dreamz would give Yau-Man immunity once they get to the final four.  Deamz agreed whole heartedly, greedy for the new truck.  When the time came for him to fulfill his end of the deal, he reneged, saying that it was all part of the game.  What bothered me most was not Dreamz going back on his word, but his reason for doing so.  He said that he went back on his promise to Yau-Man to give himself a better chance at winning the prize money, which would enable him to help out underprivileged kids.  Yet previously, he had said that he wanted his son to be proud of him by seeing how he honors his word.

When it came down to it, everyone saw through Dreamz’ deception and he ended up receiving zero votes to win.  His excuse to the end was that he was playing a game, and that he wanted to be a good role model for his kid and others.  To me that is just twisted thinking.  Does he think that lying and openly deceiving someone would make him a good role model?  Yes, this is just a game, but so is monopoly or chess or hockey.  Does that mean it would be ok for anyone to cheat or lie to someone because “it’s just a game”?

The issue of integrity is one that I struggle with constantly.  It’s difficult enough these days to live a life that I can be proud of, to walk a straight path, even when no one is watching.  To watch Dreamz so blatantly disregard honor and integrity in the face of Yau-Man’s generosity and trust angers me.  In the end, I think Yau-Man said it best, “He has to live with what he did”.

How do you feel about the issue of integrity and being a person of your word?  Do you think it depends on the circumstances?  Or should we try to live the same way regardless of the situations we’re in?

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