Ethan Zohn: survivor, soccer enthusiast, C-list celebrity … paragon of leadership?
Carolina Productions has voted itself off the island and into a corner by bringing the "Survivor: Africa" winner to the Russell House Ballroom tonight at 8 for a lecture on character. It seems 15 minutes of fame qualifies someone for delivering a speech about integrity.
"Survivor" is a ratings rat race, powered by individual glory under the banners of teamwork and determination. But togetherness and leadership go right out the window when alliances fracture and drama kicks into high gear.
It's going to be hard to hear about leadership from someone, anyone, who traipsed across the reality TV gauntlet with sheer luck.
God bless him, Zohn is a saint, using his $1 million TV winnings to help start Grassroots Soccer, an organization dedicated to fighting the African AIDS epidemic. A means to an end? Not many people decide to help AIDS relief by grabbing some of the spotlight for themselves.
Students deserve someone whose appeal as a speaker isn't rooted in a tired CBS show but who can still draw a crowd. Dig up a famous coach who kept his team united behind him. Call the Pentagon and grab a big-name general. Poke the founders of Facebook or another big dot-com dynasty in the making.
CP usually snags immunity with interesting speakers, and this semester's lineup looks rock-solid. Bob Saget and Pete Rose will draw a crowd by doing what they do and being who they are. But Zohn talking about leadership is like Shaquille O'Neal talking about Shakespearean acting.
CP's bizarre fixation with bringing reality TV corpses to town continues with Zohn, who almost doesn't deserve such a connotation. He has lots to say about kindness and soccer, but leadership should've been left to someone else.
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