the power struggle in elimiDATE
03.04.06 (5:28 am) [edit]
As in the previous post, every relationship is fundamentally a powerstruggle. To prove it, this TV show Elimidate might be a good example of the view Klosterman presented, which I mostly agree with. Among all the dating shows that I have caught, and some of them I attentively examine occasionally, the show Elimidate defnitely champions for the nature of the sort of 'as stupid as it gets' these shows are mostly apt to turn out to be. I am writing this for I happened to run into oddly a same kind of set up two nights in a row, with supposedly with different people in different cities.
Last night, the show was set in Utah (!) and it was designed as a guy leads; four female competite over a date of a man. These four women were rediculously supposed to follow all the orders and directions imposed upon by the leading male player, who was an almost retarded wrestler.
To explain for readers who do not follow the show's rule, let me give you a brief guidance; a crew consists of one lead male/female who initiate the whole game. Among four competitors, who are the opposite sex of the lead, the only one would be the winner of the show. The reward is the date.
Everytime I caught the show, I wound up watching although I found this really repusive to the point of sickening. The problematic, and perhaps the most point that distinguishes the show from the restis the chooser's excercising his/her power to the participants of the game to the extent that it gets completely a series of abuse. To my amazement, however, these competitors are willing to take the abuse, partly because they are incapable of interpreting what abuses can be in the name of monogamy that is really enhancing polygamous situation. And the other reason that I learned was they want to fight so much that it does not even matter how unattractive the date is; they cannot even offord to think what they are participating. The mystery is that the picker is often a jerk or an apparent ass who is not worth being fought for to begin with. Does that explain how strong the hook can get for some people when it comes to the sense of power and winning it even if it is about rediculous or petty or somethingt that is not worth gaining for.
For example, last night, I saw a nice girl who had said that she would not kiss in the first date won the date by going through a whole making out session and oil wresling, which only made her look extra humiliated. Just for the bossy and idiotic WRESTLER from Salt Lake City. He was a kind of guy who would really emparrass a date. What she was doing all that for?
She just wanted to win no matter how unattractive the prize would be for it; that seemed to be the real kick of winning the competition. It was nothing about attraction. Isn't it novel for the game still has the facade of matching?
Tonight, the show was even more brutal; the show would put the last night's player put to shame. The picker from last night seemed like an angel compared to this obnoxious guy who happend to another wrestler. He ordered around to plot a harem where some competitors left with a bitter comment about the pointless humiliation in the game except a girl who won, or she won just because she stayed faithfully. It seems that her deal was that she was the most obediently offering who made out witohut complaining when it seemed it was needed and idanced a sort of insinuating lesbian dancing with another competitors when demanded by the lead guy.
The clue that I drew out tonight was that the whole point of the program is to hit the power issue anybody could entertain unconsciou sly or immediately. The way people react to it and enact it explains so much about themselves. The more issues they have about the sense of power, odds are the more they might have been disturbed in terms of the social development and/or sexual relationships. This wrestler guy from NYC tonight can be a typical guy who want to impose and abuse women but seems a meak who is acting out to see the opposite of what he is scared of; he might be so afraid of others' taking him oevr. That is exact the reason he cannot help but building up the musles and resort to the dominant attitude to obscure the disturbed mentality and to overcompensate the lack of skill to handle a moderate relationship instead of the controling one he can only have.