House And Home

I am a fan of reality shows. To me they score far and away more than fiction, especially because they are easy to relate with. They also teach real life lessons and they depict the true human nature. This weekend I watched a penultimate show of a local music star search contest. In the local standards, the stakes were high and the contestants gave it no less seriousness. They clad the best fashion and pulled the hottest moves. At that point of the competition, the rules of the last elimination were quite clear, or so we thought! Two contestants were to be eliminated so to remain with four finalists. The first contestant was eliminated by the least number of votes garnered from fans. That was done according to book. It seemed to the judges that if the game was played by the set rules, a ‘strong’ contestant would have been eliminated at the expense of a ‘weaker’ contestant, who was a darling to the fans, a working strategy. This particular contestant was all along on probation but thanks to a horde fans, she kept coming on coming back. Thus the judges decided to eliminate this contestant by ‘judge’s votes’.

The jeers and murmurs from the crowd made their statement. The game had been rigged. The result had been insincerely arrived at. The crowd had been robbed of their right to vote for their favorite contestant, their votes had been trashed. The card had been passed under the table. It can be compared with the survivor series. Contestants always fight to get a hold of immunity and the rules are always very clear – get to the immunity instrument and stay in the competition. What would probably happen if the mode of acquiring this immunity is determined at the end of the race?

Games and competitions are only fair when rules are stuck to. The same applies to life. Fair play is one virtue that should be sought by all and sundry. Notwithstanding the side of the equation that one is! Taking advantage of the other side is not an alien phenomenon. It cuts across the board. Raw deals are always experienced, whether in employment, contracts and even marriages! Rules of engagement are always broken. This does not only water down the integrity of the defaulter, it can also jeopardize long cultivated relationships, not to mention cost a great deal to the victim. 

That said, however, it also very important for everyone to make due diligence, read in between the lines and especially to get a good look at the fine print and only get as deep into the water as they weight can bear. Terms and conditions of any engagement is always overlooked. This has been in many occasions the cause of great anguish when the water turns murky.