Survivor Blog Post #6

At the beginning of the sixth episode of survivor, the Hunahpuh tribe met with Jeff in order to receive a new bag of rice because they had run extremely short. However, in order for them to earn the rice, Jeff requires them to trade in their comfort items which would leave them vulnerable in rainy weather. In individual interviews, Jeremy expresses his frustration with the tribe’s decision to trade in the comfort items for food. Although Jeremy was one of the original Hunahpuh tribe members and was one of the reasons that the new tribe ran out of food, he fails to consider this when speaking in his interviews. In his discussion, he does not use plural and collective pronouns which is a key component of communication according to “team talk.” For example, explains that “the brainiacs gave the tarp away” and that “they are so dumb.” Jeremy not only places the blame on the rest of the team, but fails to acknowledge that he did not try to stop their actions in any way and therefore is equally responsible for the results of the trade.

In another situation, Julie uses verbal communication in order to express her feelings to the tribe. After the tribe has given up their comfort items, Julie complains throughout the rainy night claiming that she has reached her breaking point. She verbally expresses to the group her discomfort with the situation and her internal feelings of doubt and regret. That same night she explains, ” I don’t know if I can do this.” Through her verbal communication and obvious display of emotions, Julie sends a message to the rest of the group that she is beginning to question her place within the competition.

According to the text, men and women have distinct differences in their manner of communicating nonverbally. Within the Coyopa tribe, Missy and Baylor display nonverbal behavior very common for women as a gender. For example, they continually use expressive movements, displays of emotion, as well as facial expressions to communicate feelings with one another. They also tend to be very affectionate with one another and touch each other when in conversation. Men, on the other hand, tend to distance themselves more from one another, seem less emotionally involved, and touch each other less. However, in the Hunahpuh tribe Josh and Reed appear to the the exception to this rule. Throughout the competition they smile often, hug one another and other teammates, as well as clearly display their emotions. After winning the challenge for his tribe, Reed began to cry in front of everyone, communicating to his team that he is proud that he was able to contribute to the success of the tribe. The couple tend to also interact within intimate space with one another as well as the other tribe members when in conversation. Most men would not react to such an accomplishment in this manner, but would rather withdraw emotional connection from the situation and internalize their feelings. Josh and Reed’s unusual display of nonverbal communication may perhaps be helping them achieve the respect of the female participants and also be the reason they are doing so well in the competition.