I'm still in shock over what happened last night on American Idol. It seems almost unbelievable to me that Sanjaya Malakar was NOT voted off the show. Even Sanjaya exclaimed that he was shocked when the decision was read. I find myself looking for an explanation to this, and there's only one thing I can think of -- Sanjaya is Indian.
Before you accuse me of being racist, stop. I'm not. If I were racist, my statement would be that an Indian can't or shouldn't win American Idol. I don't believe that. I just don't think Sanjaya is as good as the other contestants. He's terribly shy, and seems unable to handle the pressure of the show. Both of Sanjaya's last two performances have seemed over-rehearsed and cold, as if he's reading from a script. He's consistantly been the worst singer in the bunch. That's saying something, too, given the terrible performances of just about all the men from the first week.
Incredibly, Ryan Seacrest indicated that Sanjaya was in the top 4 men after the first week. This week, I can't imagine he was that highly ranked, but I wouldn't be surprised. This brings me to my explanation of why I believe that Sanjaya's race is influencing his standing. I discount the fact that Sanjaya is young and handsome as being a contributing factor. Several of the other male contestants are also young and handsome. This dilutes the "teeny bopper" vote, which typically go to the cutest singer, not the best singer. I discount the charisma vote. The folks that voted for Taylor Hicks in Season 5 were voting as much for his personality as his musical ability. Sanjaya has no personality, he's just boring. I discount the musical ability vote. Sanjaya demonstrated some ability during the auditions and Hollywood week, but has shown nothing in the way of talent so far in the finals. That leaves the only thing that sets Sanjaya apart from the other contestants. As far as I can tell, he's the only Indian to have ever made the semi-finals.
There is a HUGE Indian population in the United States, made even larger if you include neighboring South-Asian countries as being part of the same minority group. I would not be at all surprised to find that the vast majority of Indians and Asians voting on American Idol are casting their votes in favor of Sanjaya, simply because he is the first Indian to have arrived on the big stage, and because they want to see him do well regardless of talent. Meanwhile, racially motivated votes for the others are split pretty much half and half between black and white, but diluted by the quantity of contestants representing each race. Non-Indian Asians have been on the program before, which could explain why Paul Kim didn't get the benefit of the vote last week despite being a better performer than Sanjaya.
Assuming that I am correct, how do we address this issue? I don't think anything really needs to be done. As we continue, other contestants will get voted off the show. People voting for those contestants will choose new favorites. Statistically, most of those votes will not go to Sanjaya. Eventually, the numbers will start to weigh more heavily against him and he'll get voted off. And, unless Sanjaya makes some enormous improvements to his act, he'll be gone sooner than later.
Alternatively, perhaps there should be a way for people to vote AGAINST a contestant. American Idol could set up a Digg style system, by which people could cast negative votes for people they believe deserve to get voted off, to counteract the affirmative votes cast by others. If it works for Digg, it could just as easily work for American Idol.
Tell me what you think. Is race affecting the votes? Am I just nuts in thinking that Sanjay is as bad as I think he is? Do you think some other forces are at work in keeping him in the running? Let me and my readers know!
I'm talking about Jordin Sparks, my pick for the next American Idol. Last night, Jordin actually sang better than Lakisha. That's the first time since the beginning of the show that anyone, apart from Melinda, has been able to. I don't think Jordin sang as well as Melinda last night, but she was VERY close. But Jordin has something neither Lakisha or Melinda have. Jordin has a HUGE personality. Lakisha and Melinda are both somewhat meek. Neither seem to have accepted that they are going to be huge stars, and they're only just starting to climb out of their shells and show some personality. Jordin, on the other hand, has been bouncing up and down, brimming with excitement and personality. Since the beginning, I have enjoyed watching her, as well as listening to her. I can't say that about Lakisha and Melinda. 
