Many of us have a new guilty pleasure. And it’s kind of embarrassing.
We can’t stop watching Jersey Shore.
MTV’s latest disaster, Jersey Shore, is a reality show based on 7 (ridiculously exaggerated) “New Jersey Guidos” who live together in a house on the Jersey Shore together for a summer. The males on the show have amazing bodies, tattoos of crosses, funny hair styles and dance moves, and they have only one goal: hooking up with as many girls as possible. The girls on the show love their hair extensions, “poofs”, and wearing as few clothes as possible. Drinking, hooking up in the hot tub, clubbing, and doing cartwheels in a thong on the dance floor entail some of the “highlights” of this show.
Are you shamefully hooked on this show like I am? If so, WHY can’t we stop watching this garbage?!
These reality stars are all about 21. An age when many of us had a limited 
scope about our futures, careers or the long-term consequences of our actions. And what is America indirectly telling America’s newest MTV generation? That if you make a complete fool of yourself and do outrageous things to get attention, you can make it big too- no hard work required.
A few comments by David Claude on my recent post about Penelope Trunk got me thinking about the topic of self-publishing, reality television, and selling your dignity to build a personal brand.
Shows like Jersey Shore prove that America is a junk consuming nation. Whether we admit it or not, we love junk. We consume junk in droves whether it is in the form of reality television or food. We will swipe our credit cards and accumulate debt in order to pay for junk, we will google for junky quick-read/low-information articles. And the scariest part is that young people are being told that if you can create junk, you can make it big.
I sit there and watch Jersey Shore and think to myself, How do these Jersey Shore kids feel about their grandparents watching them talk and act like complete fools? Have they ever thought about what happens after the show’s popularity dies down? Was selling their soul to MTV really worth a lifetime of embarrassing videos to follow them? Are they convinced that doing the show is the start to a promising new career? How much more narcissistic can you be!?
And this cycle of producing and consuming junk comes back to my fears about Gen Y’ers in the workforce today. We’ve been raised on MTV: a place where you can make a career by hooking up and airing all of your dirty laundry on MTV.
We’ve been raised to think we can do whatever we want, whenever we want. We don’t know how to wait for things. Why would we? We can google, email, communicate and look up anything we need in a matter of seconds.
The media demonstrates that if we can capitalize off our story and personality, we can make more money than we ever would by putting in long hours and hard work.
How do you think shows like Jersey Shore affect the next generation’s perception of reality and hard work?
What predictions do you have for the future careers of Ronnie, Sam, Snookie and, of course, Mike “The Situation”?
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If anyone can relate to where you're at in your career, it's Nicole Crimaldi: Nicole spent 5 years in corporate America, switched career paths, worked at a start-up, survived a layoff and is now self-employed. Nicole believes that career satisfaction is a huge part of overall happiness. Therefore, she started Ms. Career Girl to help other women get off the treadmill and onto a more fulfilling path.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Everything on MTV sends the wrong message to young people. I find most of the shows and themes downright appalling. If there’s one channel I’ll never let my daughter watch when she gets older, it is MTV. You can probably add VH1 to the list these days as well. I’d rather let her watch violence and be subjected to adult language than get sucked into the garbage reality shows.
This is how these people act in real life..coming from an italian family i kno my self, pauly acts just like my cousin donny! yea they go out and party and drink and try to “get at girls” but they are grown people they can do whatever they want to do! the youngest person on the show is vinny he’s 21..everyone else ranges from 23-27..they have degrees and go to school..nicole aka snookie is a vet tech for cruing out loud..they dont have kids and they are young let them live their lives at least for the summer! stop making this such a big deal! besides if so may people think it’s trash then stop watching it, if you think it’s poisoning pepole’s minds stop poisoning your own when you watch it..get a grip, its what people live for..ACTION!
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Dude lay off. They’re just living their life. So you don’t have the balls to do what they do, so what. That doesn’t give you the right to rip on them. Teens may watch this show but we are smart enough not to do this things. Yes I said we, I’m 14. I know we shouldn’t do this as do others. They party yeah cool, it’s their choice. And also they’re not all about 21. Pauly D is in his mid to late 20′s, Snooki’s 23 so is JWoww, Sammi, Ronnie, and Vinny. Mikes ’bout 25. This is what they like to do.
It is an interesting show to watch, but I agree it isn’t a good influence on young people.
jersey shore is dhee fuckkinq best show ever any1 could watch!!!!!!!!:)dhee pople dheet dont see dhiis show r dhee fuckkin stupidiest shiit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JERSEY SHORE IS THE BESSSSST<3!!!!!!!! DIZZ ARTICLE CANT SAY WHATZ WRONG OR RIGHT WHEN THEY'RE THE ONEZ CREATING THIS SH**** A** article AGAINST JERSEY SHORE<3!!!
JERSEY SHORE 43V3R PPLZ
this is pathetic, this encourages teens to have sex with whoever. Thanks for the article, it came in handy on my research essay.
well when your children grow up and start acting and dressing like the cast does, you won’t think “it’s the best t.v. show ever!”. Yea, they are young, yes they should as so many of you put it “live it up for the summer” but there is a line. Young children are watching this garbage on t.v. It shouldn’t be up to this show to tell our children what sex is about, that’s our job and they portray sex in such a disgusting way to bring home whoever and whenever they want. Here’s a solution why don’t they show the safety about sex? Why?, because those people are a disgrace to our society. I want my children to grow up with class and them to respect their body and not get drunk and sleep with a bunch of random people when getting pregnant young and catching and STD is very real. Grow up!
Horrible grammar, loose (if any) morals, lack of self-control, and general stupidity. Its simple stupid. Apparently simple stupid can be understood by our current populace. And thus, is marketable. The show should be the least of our concerns. What kind of person will even produce such a show? What people watch it? I understand its entertainment, but damn…..Don’t we draw the line when we start to imitate it?
It’s an awful show. It teaches young men and women to normalize sexual objectification. And when you normalize something, you essentialize it. This show, among many other cultural phenomenons (especially movies), are doing our culture a disservice. People are marketing sexuality more and more like pornography. How much longer until someone yells ‘the emperor has no clothes’? The saddest part is that people think they are actually choosing this stuff (“It’s my choice. I’m liberated and empowered”) but they can’t fully examine how they’ve let the undertow of culture influence their approval-seeking behavior. Besides, I say if you need to parade your sexuality around like a porn star to be ‘empowered’, and that intellect and social contributions are secondary to empowerment, then something is seriously wrong. We are clearly still living in a patriarchal culture, but the objectification of women (and now men) is harder to critique because it is hidden within the narrative of autonomy! The neoliberal subject! It’s an evil marketing ploy with no moral or social interest, just capital. I know this sounds kooky, but I am seriously hopeless about our nation’s future, and I’m only 27.
I TOTALLY agree with you. In the rare occasion I see them on TV doing an interview, I always wonder what their parents must think of them and how they even face their families off the air!
This type of sexual behavior is SO sad, it’s really no different than abusing alcohol or drugs or credit cards in my opinion. People are trying to fill a hole inside of themselves with sex.
My big fear is that the younger generation now sees that being a slut will get them fame and fortune. No need to study or work hard in life, just become slutty and get tan and maybe you can have a reality show too.
It’s totally a marketing ploy and things like this are what make American culture so controversial and frowned upon.
Nicole