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All Is Fair in Love Island and War Stephanie Luiz / Political Science and Economics 2022 “Anye impietie may lawfully be committed in love, which is lawlesse.” –John Lyly, Euphues[1]
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yly’s adage—commonly uttered as “all is fair in love and war”—implies that conflict is as inherent to human nature as love and that rules don’t apply. The proverb also reflects realist theory, which believes states are rational actors that seek to maximize their relative However, power.[2] the intrinsic connection between state and human behavior can be best exhibited through contestants on competitive dating reality shows. Love Island is a risqué dating show in which a dozen young people are stranded in a luxury island villa for eight weeks.[3][4] The “Islanders” aim to be in a heterosexual couple at the end of each week; otherwise, they are eliminated. Those who survive the summer can win £50,000 ($100,000 in the American version) if they are the viewers’ favorite couple. [5][6][7] Participants primarily wear swimsuits, share a bedroom stuffed with six king-sized beds, and engage in debaucherous challenges created to provoke conflict within the budding relationships.[8][9][10][11]
Love Island is known for its cheeky commentator Iain Stirling and its comedic self-awareness.[12][13] Viewers can embed themselves into the island’s reality—as the show airs six nights a week—becoming easily invested in the contestants and their pursuit of “love.”[14] Part of Love Island’s appeal is that attractive people compete to form the most popular couple. That said, since the series premiered in 2015, only thirteen couples have stayed together p o s t- p r o d u c t i o n , five of which are from the most recent season. [15] So "alliance" may be a more appropriate description than “couple.” While the application of war theory to human behavior may seem outlandish, principles of s e l f- p re s e r va t i o n underlie both human behavior and state action during war.[16] Neorealist political philosophers like Kenneth Waltz believe that “the structure of the international system, not the particular characteristics of individual great powers, causes [states] to think and act offensively and to seek hegemony.”[17][18] Under this philosophy, all states are rational actors that act to maximize their power relative to other states. Thus, Love Island’s competitive nature results
The intrinsic connection between state and human behavior can be best exhibited through contestants on competitive dating reality shows.
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in Islanders aiming to maximize their power. John Mearsheimer based his neorealist theory of state behavior on five key assumptions: the international system is anarchic; great powers can destroy one another; a state can never be sure of another state's intentions; the main goal of major powers is survival; and great powers are rational actors who think strategically about how to survive in the external environment.[19][20] On Love Island, contestants engage in similar conduct. When Shaughna confesses her feelings for Luke M. to his partner, her behavior corresponds with Mearsheimer’s theory. [21] While there are strict behavioral rules for contestants, the competition itself is disorderly due to a lack of higher authority—like the anarchic international system.[22] Couples can form or split at any moment, so being in a relationship doesn’t guarantee safety. Participants can never be certain of their partner’s intentions and are often unsure of whether their relationship is genuine. The main goal is to stay on the island and win the prize. Thus, contestants must act strategically to maintain their relationship and become the audience’s favorite match—whether in the name of love or not. To achieve such popularity, contestants behave strategically, not unlike states in crisis. The tragedy of power politics is that state interaction is typified by fear, self-help, and power maximization, all of which impede international cooperation.[23] States fear one another because they cannot trust one another.[24] They aim to maximize their relative power to ensure their safety and resilience. In the same vein, because states cannot
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