Dateline 11-14-2016

Alright, this is the week I've been waiting for. No more election worries, back on a solid sleep schedule, I recently finished an assignment that I was struggling to be inspired by and I'm well rested from a weekend of doing nothing but settling into the couch as I marathon watched two seasons of Survivor.

As you may know, I need to have something going on in the background as I work. For the most part, I enjoy listening to podcasts to fill the silence but when I get caught up or burnt out on my list of shows I will turn to TV to be entertained. 

When it comes to TV, I mainly watch documentaries on the YouTube but will also let a reality show play out in the background because I find these genres easier to tune in and out of without getting too lost. This allows me to block out the noise as I work but then be able to take quick breaks when needed with a quick glance toward the TV.

Survivor has been very interesting to watch having the 2016 election cycle still fresh in my mind. I find it interested to be able to link the different types of manipulation, following, leading, and attempts to just get by between the contestants and the power players in our political system. 

I watched one season where this gay kid ended up on a season of men versus women and instantly felt he didn't fit in with the men. It wasn't that anyone said anything, he just felt more comfortable with the women and though the women accepted him they also pushed him way when it came time to strategize. This seemed to trigger an evil side of him that he already knew was there.

This gay kid was handed an idol pretty early on and he used that power to his advantage making an alliance with people who were also on the outs. He openly started to through his power around and people went along with everything he had to say. This was the season where he even talked his winning team to go to tribal to vote off a player that he just didn't like.

It was bizarre because as he became more unlikable, he spread fear and really messed with everyone's heads. The people he was in charge of were more interested in staying under the radar than making a move because there was no telling when or why this kid would change his target. I think he would have won the whole thing if he didn't end up leaving for medical reasons.

I found it interesting that I landed on such a manipulative season as the first thing to watch following such a manipulative election cycle. I then watch another season only to see that every season of this show is just as bad only some of the manipulators are more likable than others, just like the world of politics.

I don't know, it's kind of dumb, but watching Survivor with the election in mind made me feel better about the results of the election, not that I took it all that bad to begin with. It's time for the cast of the next election cycle to start planning their strategies to make sure that they don't fall into the same traps that left them blindsided this year.

Now it's time for a nap before I start my next set of classes as well as my next season of Survivor.

Talk to you tomorrow,

The Wicker Breaker