Jersey Shore: considered really funny or really awful?

January 25, 2010 • written by Jenae Galang

Millions of people watch the Jersey Shore, many are fans simply because they envy the type of party hardy lifestyle the entire cast lived up. I, however, watched for the exact opposite and I know I sound like my mom, but I found the drinking, sex, and fighting the self-proclaimed “Guidos” did throughout the show very degrading and shameful.

I was raised to have morals, virtues, and self-respect and seeing people get famous for having none of the above shows me that having morals may gain you respect, but it doesn’t make you popular.

That message is the same message that surrounds our society. The media purposely capture and focus on the scandals that make the news so eye catching and jaw dropping. You don’t see any magazines covering the good deeds of people helping out in Darfur, but it’s almost impossible to walk into a store and not find out about Miley Cyrus posing semi-nude under a blanket.

The scandals and people on the Jersey Shore were just too much for me. Come on, “The Situation,” really? How cocky can Mike Sorrentino get? The only reason he is considered “The Situation” is because he’s a heartless instigator who, like many, thrives on drama. As poor little, over-tanned Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi got socked in the face, Mike was objectifying yet another easy girl. I suppose that is his version of having a good time, but at the end of the show he just looks like a creeper that everyone hated.

My mother had always warned me: “You can be pretty on the outside, but ugly on the inside.” I never understood that until I watched the spoiled, overly conceited Angelina “Jolie” Pivarnick whine about putting hangers on t-shirts and get upset over a married man breaking up with her. Although she looked kind of pretty, her hideous attitude and behavior overpowered her looks.

In most episodes, I laughed at the irony of Snooki wanting to hook-up with every cute “guido” and wondering why the guys she just shacked up with weren’t looking to become serious with her. Someone should tell her that when you lack respect for yourself, other people tend not to see your self-worth, let alone take you seriously.

I found the drama extremely entertaining, but I pitied the dumb, promiscuous, and sometimes even dangerous things the cast was willing to do just to make their names known. This show helped me realize why my parents are as traditional and conservative as they are: it’s because they didn’t want their daughter to feel the need to sacrifice her dignity for the approval of others. I’m not saying that people like the cast of the Jersey Shore were raised wrong, I’m just saying that their priorities of fame and self-worth are out of order. Maybe it’s not their fault, given our media’s priority of selling stories rather than spreading virtue. Morals might not bring huge publicity, but at least it fills the emptiness a meaningless hook-up or a night of partying tends to leave.
I’m probably old-fashioned, but if becoming as grimy as Paris Hilton means finding the Hollywood spotlight, I’d rather be hidden in the darkness of normality.

Filed Under Opinions
Tagged:  

 Email This Story        Print This Story