Editorial
February 2010
Hoofbeats
13
Point/Counterpoint: Is “Jersey Shore” offensive? This show fist-pumps your brain cells away by Leah Sobel Editorial Editor
Do you like fake orange tans, bulging muscles, fist pumping, stereotyped Italian-Americans, and hair poofs? Then “Jersey Shore” is the right show for you! MTV’s newest “reality” show takes viewers on a trip to the glamorous Seaside Heights in New Jersey where tempers flare and sexual tension is imminent. They are all Italian-Americans, who call themselves “guidos” and “guidettes.” Is America that desperate for new celebrities? I mean, it’s not like the drunks from “Jersey Shore” are great role models. They are regular people, with irregular tans. The behavior and conversations the cast members have are embarrassing to them, their families, and the rest of the Italian community. . To add more stupidity to the show, they have mediocre nicknames. There’s “Snooki,” the girl with the basketball sized poof on her head, and “J-WOWW,” the girl who sometimes has a boyfriend, depending on her mood. Mike “The Situation” is the oldest in the house and believes he can “creep” on any girl he pleases. Don’t forget Pauly D, a D.J. with greasy hair, Vinny, the confessed mama’s boy, Sammi “Sweetheart,” (who does not seem so sweet), and Ronnie, who said “Don’t fall in love at the Jersey shore,” but proceeds to admire Sammi with his irritating, ear-shattering laugh. Of course, there’s also Angelina, who most viewers don’t care about since she was kicked off for not working. Does the show sound more ap-
pealing now? Many say the show gives ItalianAmericans a bad reputation. The New Jersey Italian American Legislative Caucus, Order of the Sons of Italy in America, and National Italian American Foundation have all voiced their opinions want MTV to pull the plug on the show. “It’s a fabrication that damages our state and cultural reputa-
“The Situation” is under control on the shore by Rachel Safford Staff Writer
MTV’s new hit “ Jersey Shore” has taken America by storm. These self-proclaimed “guidos” and “guidettes” have introduced us into their world on New Jersey coast, where the cast fist pumps the nights away and battles on the dance floor.
(photo courtesy of MCT)
A snowy view of the house in Seaside Heights, NJ, where “Jersey Shore” was filmed.
tions,” New Jersey Senator Joseph Vitale said in a recent interview. And he’s right. In addition to the ethnic terms, there are other disturbing things about the show. The cast members get into countless fights, Mike and the boys bring home girls every week, and the guys refer to women as ugly “grenades” and “hippos.” The only suspense is who’s going to get arrested next? Take advantage of every episode next season, because hopefully it will be the last.
It’s become a phenomenon that feeds our pop culture hunger. What could surpass the blooming relationship of Sammi and Ronnie, J-WOWW’s struggle with her home-town boyfriend while becoming rather close with Paulie D., Mike’s six-pack “Situation,” Vinny’s angst of being the youngest of the men in the house, and the infamous Snooki bar punch, which was edited out for viewers the night it aired. The show presents quite a controversy among the Italian-Amer-
ican population, but these people are the ones bringing attention to themselves in a manner that may be offensive to Italians in the country. There’s been talk of the National Italian American Foundation suing MTV for the discrimination shown in the reality show. Donald Tricarico, professor of sociology at the City University of New York/Queensborough told Time magazine, “Guido is a slur, but Italian kids have embraced it just as black kids have embraced the ‘N word.’ In the same way that radical gays call themselves ‘queer.’” Along with the organization, there are many Italian Americans that are offended personally. They feel it is demeaning to their nationality and these kids are bringing a bad name to the Italians. However, there are many Italians that embrace the criticism, or just laugh it off. T.V. shows are meant to be leisurely activities, and this is no exception. “Jersey Shore” is the reality of these kids’ lives; it is allegedly not scripted, and there is no force for their actions in the house. And now, according to TMZ, the cast is making $10,000 an episode per cast member for the next season. Obviously the show has been doing something right, for MTV to crack and offer up the money. The “Jersey Shore” is MTV’s great commodity and nothing could replace it, as much as some might wish it. The “Jersey Shore” is pure entertainment and should be treated as such. So stop worrying and fistpump it up!
Top obsessions of the decade (continued from page 8)
videos and watching new ew “s ““stars” sta tars ta ars rs”” trying to make their big break. break. 5. iPods (2001). Apple pple ple ca pl ccame mee out with what is potentially ttiial ally lly their tthe heir irr greatest invention of alll time: timee: the time ti t e th iPod. This tiny devicee ((ranging rang ra ngin i g in color, storage space, aand nd d ssize), ize) iz e, holds mp3s and allows ws you yo ou to listen to it anywhere. It It allowed allo al lowe lo wed we d you to ditch CDs and b buy uy y sson songs ongs on g gs online. Twenty-seven m million illli lion lion n iiPPods were estimated to ha have ave b been een sold between 2007 and 2008. 200088. With W th Wi th more than six generations on off iiPons on Pods, ranging from classicc tto o touch touchhscreen, it’s easy to say Apple’s pp plee’ss n nift ifty creation was groundbreaking. ki
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more. But the most incredible feature has to be texting. By the middle of the decade, 74 percent of all cell phone owners had some type of texting plan. Everyone I know, from kids as young as 10 to adults as old as 70, send texts to friends and family. 2. Facebook.com (2005). Facebook started as an experiment by Harvard student Marc Zuckerberg. In 2005, he perfected his social networking site and opened it to the world. Originally intended as a means for high school seniors to talk to college students and find out more about their school, it has branched out to 200 million active
users. What would many of us do without it? 1. “American Idol” (2002). One of the first shows of its kind, “American Idol” allowed everyday people to audition in front of three celebrity judges, Simon, Paula, and Randy, and move up to the next round or be “out” of the competition. With more than seven seasons, Idol has been watched by millions viewers, who call or text in to vote for their favorites. Many famous names such as Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Clay Aiken, and Chris Daughtry were discovered on the show. (photo courtesy of MCT)