The Jersey Shore: A Reality train wreck
By Marin, CITYterm Fall 2010
We are all exposed to the world of reality television. Shows such as Survivor and The Amazing Race started television on a roller coaster ride of shows that, “presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors,” as defined by Wikipedia. But when does reality go to far? To the point where the concept for a show is to have poofed, spiked, muscle head, tanned, saline filled Italians, affectionately called Guidos and Guidettes, spend a summer together in a house. The show chronicles them as they spend their time fighting over who slept with who, girls having cat fights, clubbing, and occasionally doing this thing called working to earn their stay in the house. Welcome to the Jersey Shore.
Many ask, why have a show that focuses around the lives of trashy 20 year olds getting wasted and clubbing? What makes a show do good that is draws 5.5 million viewers to watch each episode? I believe it’s like the phenomenon of driving by a car accident. It’s morbid, sad, and disturbing, yes, but you just can’t look away. The show itself has drawn negative feedback from different media sources, including Time Magazine, over the terms Guidos and Guidettes, as they are “awful anti-Italian stereotype peddied on jersey shore,” written in the New York Daily News. As well as there being anger over the portrayal of Italians, many residence from both New Jersey, mainly the Jersey Shore area, and Miami are desperate for the show to leave their area. In a recent Quinnipiac University poll, 51% of Garden state residence has an unfavorable view of the show, while only 11% had a favorable view. The rest were undecided. At SILive,the main issue was over the fact that many local residence of the Jersey shore saw the cast and show in general as giving the area a bad reputation. Local resident John La Stalla, say, ""You're trying to create a family town, and you got a bunch of kids acting very rude, and it doesn't create a good image." Many residence have also been upset due to the publicity they are getting, since they feel it is over-rated. Cast members of the show have appeared on such major television programs as Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmell, and multiple award ceremonies. As well as being looked down upon, maybe people just see the show as a joke. YouTube videos making fun of the characters are common, as well as cartoons portraying the characters in a malicious way. However to many, their over the top exhibits of violence, drama, and partying have earned them the right to be laughed at as the trash of American society. CITYterm student Wyatt Scruggs believes that, "the Jersey Shore is purely on television for entertainment purposes, and really has no purpose. It shows that people will watch something just to make themselves feel better since the cast is dehumanized and derogatory towards women and others. It has no educational purpose and clearly is just for laughs."
However, some people see the “juiceheads,” as something to benefit from, including the Jersey shore store owners and law enforcement written in a recent MTV article. Since the beginning of the show last year, Seaside Heights has boomed economically. Shops on the boardwalk are booming, and the area is busy year round as tourists flock to the shore in search of the cast. As many store owners say, you can’t pay for exposure. With characters with names such as “Snookie,” and “Jenni J-WOW”, Jersey shore has become a revolutionary new reality show that draws in all types of viewers. Who doesn’t love cat fights, drama, and people that are so embarrassing that its funny? Jersey shore is definitely a train wreck, and while many media sources agree, it’s one I wont be looking away from any time soon.
