Week 4

I found the most interesting aspect of this weeks episode to be how the indiviualist vs collectivist ideas played out.  When the new tribes were assembled you could see very quickly how the new disbursement of group members were affecting people.  The new tribe members quickly attempted to assimilate into a collective in time for the next immunity challenge.  This actually runs as a theme throughout the show.  Every time there is a new challenge the tribes try to band together to accomplish the same goal.  As soon as there is s a losing tribe, the politics take over.  Everyone tries to make the best decision for themselves.  The goals of the group no long matter and the game becomes an individualized affair.  Attmepts at making alliances on the surface are meant to benefit the memebers of the alliance. Those bonds are broken because an individual finds a better way to give their own being an advantage.

We see that the game follows this pattern every week.  Balancing a group mentality when their are also hidden agendas is a complicated matter for any group.  Groups struggle when members are only focused on their own goals.  However groups also struggle when no one wants to make a decision because they do not want to offend other group members.  Survivor does a great job of showing this dynamic.  One of the biggest dilemmas that I am noticing for the tribe members is how to handle this polarizing topic.  When is it best to be all in for the team and when is the perfect time to strike out on your own and make a move that soley benefits one member. We have seen this play out a week ago when Drew made the mistake of putting himself ahead of the group.  It will be interesting to see when the next move is made by an indiviual to get ahead in the game.  This past week seemed to be about two sets of groups trying to assert their power over the rest of the tribe.  Now that one of the groups has lost a member we will see how Dale attacks his new situation.  He clearly has lost his closest partner of the group and now will need to try to assimilate into a tribe that voted off his loved one.  Will the individual be able to work within the group or will the collective vote him off next week? Stay tuned…