So have you seen this new show about 8 Italians who live together in a house in Jersey, have their lives taped and you also get to see who stops being polite and starts getting real???
Okay that was lame…but seriously Jersey Shore is one of the most controversial, most talked about shows today, especially in my personal social circle.
When I first started seeing commercials popping up everywhere promoting the show, I definitely thought the show was going to be a joke. It looked like a waste of time…8 people who want to drink, party, beat up people, and who are full of themselves, right? Well, the more and more I watched the show, the more I became infatuated with these characters and with the whole Guido/Guidette community as a whole.
In case you don’t watch the show and my references are a bit confusing for you, a Guido is a person of Italian descent who are a part of the working class urban Italian American community and the term is constantly linked to thuggish males with tough, macho attitudes. A guidette is kind of the same deal but targeted to females. (Thanks again Wikipedia, old pal)
After watching a few episodes, you see the usual drama where people are fighting, arguing, etc. But one particular thing I’ve noticed is that they don’t fight only with each other like in Real World, but they fight FOR each other against people who stereotype them or criticize them. It really makes the entire cast look like a tight unit or a family rather than just roommates. The bonds with one another are very genuine and you feel like you know them too.
A lot of concern from viewers is mainly because the show puts Italians in a bad light and reinforces stereotypes. So I totally understand why people would be pissed. If there was a show with 8 Asian-American strangers living in a house, all looking like brainy geeks or perceived in a certain way, I would get really embarrassed because I wouldn’t want anyone to categorize me as one of them.
On the other hand, I watch Jersey Shore and I learn so much about this Italian subculture and I really don’t watch and think “Oh all Italians are like that,” but it’s more like, “Wow. This is a new atmosphere and a new culture I’ve never explored. It’s so interesting.” I just think there are different social groups where people find they fit in and can make a bond with other people, and this happens to be one of the groups. I honestly think they are all just having fun and having a good time and trying to be as happy as possible, and other people are hating on them because of their negative stereotypes.
I mean, as long as they’re not hurting anyone, I think it’s fine. The show is damn entertaining, so don’t knock it til you try it. lol
Give me your views.
xoxo Hunni
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