Words @ War

No, I don’t watch Jersey Shore

I can’t bring myself to understand why MTV’s Jersey Shore is so fascinating and popular in society.

When the show first aired, I watched one episode and became immediately disgusted. The thought of idolizing a group of irresponsible, ignorant fame-hogs whose lives consist of partying almost 24/7 and sleeping with strangers they meet in a club is very unappealing to me.

Despite the fact that the show made ratings for MTV increase significantly, a poll by Rasmussen Reports conducted on Sept. 2 indicated 70 percent of New Jersey residents believe the show has a negative impact of the state’s image. This is hardly surprising to me.

If a group of eight hard-partying 20-something-year-olds came to stay in a house here in Michigan to be on TV, showcasing them getting into fights, cheating, and punching girls in the face (in reference to Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi getting punched in the face at a bar during one episode), would we be proud? I’d be embarrassed.

The show itself promotes irresponsible behavior, such as getting “juiced up” or taking steroids, getting arrested in public, just like Snooki did in late July for being disruptive during filming of the show. Also, living by the philosophy of GTL (gym, tanning, laundry) isn’t honorable in the least.

New Jersey’s governor Chris Christie and Italian-American groups have criticized the show for promoting crude stereotypes and showcasing bad behavior. I don’t blame the governor for his views. These eight people are giving New Jersey a poor reputation. If I were Italian-American, I’d feel very insulted.

Some people say they watch the show because they find it “funny” and “entertaining.” It seems as if our culture promotes drama, promiscuity and violence as quality entertainment for modern American society. There is something inherently wrong with this picture.

I also found it ridiculous that the cast was invited to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on July 27. Is this what our world is coming to? Eight individuals who refer to themselves as “guidos” and “guidettes” being allowed to ring the opening bell in downtown Manhattan makes me feel uneasy about society’s future.

Our fascination with these characters stems to the fact that Americans are entertained by sloppy, trashy icons who come into the spotlight. We pay more attention to their stupid antics than we do to important issues such as education and poverty in America.

If I were still in high school, I probably would have found this show exciting and watched it, just like I did MTV’s “The Real World.” I can’t even watch that show anymore without becoming appalled.

I guess I’m just not into watching bar fights, petty drama and one-night stands on reality television. Hey, that’s just me. n