8/24/00 1:40 p.m.
Yeah, Whatever...
Final thoughts on that damn show.

Robert A. George is an editorial page writer
for the New York Post------------------------------------RAGGEDmail@aol.com

ell, a couple of deviations in today's column. First of all, it's a bit more self-referential than normal. Don't worry, my couch will not be making an appearance — how could it, with all the junk it's buried under? Instead, I will draw a little bit upon — dare I say it — reader mail.

Following yesterday's column on pundits and their failings, one of my more loyal fans, Richard from Ohio, wrote in. As an aside, based on letters from readers, the Buckeye State must be the most politically divided state in the country. Barely a column goes by without my receiving an interesting observation from the right-of-center Richard out of Dayton as well as another worthy note from the left-of-center Rob from Athens. Though I tend to disagree with nearly everything I get from Rob, his loyalty to the column and industriousness in commentary earns him my serious respect.

Anyway, Richard wrote about the dominance and importance of polls: "It tells you who the latest fad is. People watch Survivor because it is the most watched show, not because it sounds interesting."

Ironically, I just happened to be watching — what else? — the Survivor finale when reading Richard's e-mail. Having dissed the show (and Big Brother and other "reality" shows) a few columns ago, I decided to see what was going on. Well, Richard was right. I had to watch — because it was the most watched show. The fact that it is the most watched is somewhat interesting, though in a rather banal sort of way (interestingly banal? banally interesting?). Being a self-appointed student of popular culture, this columnist had to peek in on the conclusion. Of course, even not being a regular viewer, it's been easy to get acquainted with castaways Rich, Rudy, Kelly, and Susan. They're everywhere.

What was somewhat intriguing in Survivor's conclusion is how the remaining two finalists ended up vaguely fulfilling generational archetypes: The chubby (since slimmed-down), far-ranging, conniving Boomer (39-year-old Richard) and the resilient if somewhat whiny, make-it-up-as-you-go-along "yeah, whatever" Gen-Xer (23-year-old Kelly). Kelly was eventually done in by the outraged and bitter Boomer truck-driving wife Susan (38 years old).

But what ultimately saved Rich was his wise choice of 72-year old ex-Navy SEAL Rudy who had promised early on to remain in an alliance with Rich to the very end — even though Rudy didn't like "queers." Rudy basically lost making it to the final two due to inadvertently removing his hand from the totem pole (if you haven't been watching, don't ask — and consider yourself fortunate). However, it's neat that loyalty is the attribute that the elder "Silent" generation individual prides above all. One question never asked, of course, is whether Rich would have remained as loyal to Rudy, if the situations were reversed. Considering how the Naked Fat Guy was more than happy to leave Rudy standing at the totem — calculating that the SEAL would never betray their alliance — the answer seems to suggest itself.

But Rich declared in an interview later that his strategy from day one was to form an alliance and figure out what was driving people, figure out how to take advantage of personality characteristics and group dynamics. This is classic baby-boomer methodology. Look no further than Bill Clinton, boomer-in-chief. But, to be fair to Rich, when asked what are his most important characteristics, he lists self-awareness, observation, and ethics. For the last, he said, he strove to play "as ethically as possible, cleanly — if you undermine your credibility, you have less chance when you get" to the final round. Considering that if it were up to the House of Representatives, Bill Clinton would have been "voted off the island," Rich certainly has a point. It's also the case that Bill Clinton pretends to care about people far more than Rich demonstrates.

Rich played a long-term strategy that paid off in a big way. But it's interesting that the Gen-X do-it-yourself attitude served Kelly well. While several people (Sue, in a particularly petulant speech at the end) accused her of being two-faced and manipulative (for which Rich was also criticized), the most interesting aspect of Kelly was that she eliminated as many variables as possible in the final rounds by winning the "immunity" challenges. She realized that the only way to inoculate oneself from political whims is through one's own industriousness. Kelly demonstrated both physical and mental endurance in order to win five consecutive challenges. This included even remembering the names of a former castaway's children. A major lesson for Gen-Xers is to master the little details in life in order to protect oneself against the machinations of older generations.

Of course, considering who walks away with the big money, Gen-Xers might also learn that while they can survive by individual wits alone, they may not be able to excel. Political alliances can be ugly at times, but they provide a path toward overwhelming success.

Or is that overwhelming success only for baby boomers?

Back to you, my Ohio castaways.