'Survivor' producer Mark Burnett speaks at Oaks Christian symposium
By Sophia Fischer sfischer@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers HIT MAN- Producer Mark Burnett, creator of the hit TV shows "Survivor" and "The Apprentice," speaks to Oaks Christian students during a recent Celebration of Culture symposium at the school.

Americans have lost their "sense of culture," according to reality TV producer Mark Burnett, who spoke during a recent daylong symposium at Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village. In relationships, Americans get right down to business rather than taking time to get to know others first, said Burnett, creator of the "Survivor" series.

"It's become all about the deal," Burnett said.

In spending time with various cultures, Burnett found a genuine interest in others that he no longer sees in the United States. In many countries Burnett has visited, people are "just trying to get food and shelter for themselves" but stop whatever they're doing to offer their hospitality to visitors.

"They'd have been offended if I approached with a business sense immediately," Burnett said. "They want to converse first."

Burnett's appearance at Oaks Christian was part of an annual event the school sponsors to expose students to other lifestyles and cultures. This year's symposium, "Lifelines: Celebration of Culture," focused on race and prejudice.

"Survivor" dealt with the issue in its last season, which Burnett called a "massive risk."

For the first time in its 13 seasons, the reality show divided its teams of competitors by race- Asian American, Latino, African American and Caucasian. The press harshly criticized him for the idea, Burnett said.

"No one was willing to listen to what I've learned," Burnett said.

They judge people by the color of their skin or their backgrounds without even meeting them, he said.

"Survivor" allows people to wipe the slate clean. "Everything tells you who that person is by their house, their clothing, their car," Burnett said. "Who's to say a janitor is less valuable than an Ivy League white kid."

Isolated and stripped of all material possessions on the show, people have to work together for their basic survival needs. In the end, the color of one's skin doesn't matter, Burnett said.

While people of similar cultures tend to stick together, Burnett said, that doesn't happen on the show. Participants teamed up against others within their own ethnic group if they were deemed lazy or untrustworthy, he said.

Those who were valued contributed in some way to everyone's survival.

"What came out is not what color you are, but 'are you going to improve my life?' 'Can you catch fish?' 'Can you help create shelter?'" Burnett said.

Burnett will maintain diversity among future "Survivor" casts, and he hopes the multicultural aspect of "Survivor" will help viewers become more accepting of other cultures.

He cited a Moorish proverb in offering students advice for their future: "Choose your companions long before you choose a road." Choosing the right "teammates" in life, including a spouse, is the key factor for success in life, something he said "Survivor" illustrates.

"It's not the expertise or muscles that are important. It's the camaraderie . . . if you can rely on those people," Burnett said. "The people you take with you who have the wrong sense of values defeat the expedition."

Oaks Christian began hosting symposiums in 2004. The first event highlighted Africa through speakers, live music and the interactive experience of a refugee camp on the school's football field. Students experienced life in a camp with few tents and rationed food and heard directly from a man who had lived in such a camp.

The school also has raised $40,000 for an African village it began sponsoring.

"Who said that the only way to run a school is by following a typical schedule every day," said Tim Fenderson, Oaks' academic dean, who brought the idea for cultural symposiums to the school. "What do we have to lose by canceling formal classes for a day and creating a conference for students?"

Besides Burnett's talk, the allday program included talks with an Oaks family parented by a Ghanaian father and an American Samoan mother. Hector Barajas, the California Republican Party press secretary, discussed policies on immigration.

Presentations also were made by a Los Angeles-based Iranian pastor, a local Jewish author and genealogy expert, and by Oaks students and teachers.

"We do desire that our students and community care about the growing world around us, and we realize that in our 'Westlake bubble' we are immersed in a diverse culture that we cannot dismiss or marginalize," Fenderson said. "We simply need to be more informed about our neighbors and be more active in loving them."

Sophomore Noelle Salter, 15, said the symposium taught her a lot.

"The school and everyone put on an extremely well-run program that was very audience-friendly," Noelle said. "The speakers were amazing."