Jersey Shore Reality Show
Jersey Shore
Ciera Maher
FYS 100*021
November 14, 2012
Abstract
My literature review will cover the life of the Jersey Shore cast and the depictions of Italians from this reality show. I will include a back ground of the show and an analysis of the effects on the audience of the show. It will also include other television shows that introduce the same views on Italians. I hope to learn more about stereotypes and hope to share my knowledge with others. Information will be gathered from numerous scholars and also our class book, “unspun” by Brooks Jackson and Kathleen Jamieson.
Literature Review
When you hear the word “Jersey” what do you think of? Fifteen years ago people would have thought just a state in the United States, New Jersey, But today’s society …show more content…
think of Jersey Shore (the television show). Many people that live on Jersey’s Shore have called MTV complaining about how the show and characters have brought a bad image upon their town! It is also degrading to the Italian people. It is degrading to Italians, to the setting, and/or the other people associated with the program. Imagine how people feel about some of the other people brought into the house buy the cast for a “hook-up”. According to the 2011 “Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System” 32% of all 12th graders used indoor tanning and numbers continue to rise. Could television have anything to do with this? Of course, young girls want to “fit in” with the general public and Television shows, such as Jersey Shore, make them believe that being tanner is better.
Jersey Shore has contributed to the misconception of American Italians. Previous shows such as “The Godfather” and “The Sopranos” viewed Italians as “mobsters” or “gangsters”. The cast of Jersey Shore have since shined a totally different light on the Italians. They portray them as Extra-Tan, Sex-Crazed, Buff, party animals. On this show they mostly show the partying life style. It is full of drama, alcohol and sex.
”All the late night partying, consuming alcohol, aggressive behavior, wearing provocative and revealing clothes, and one night stands seems to be showcasing the typical wild life of an Italian American.” (Sneha Bency)
Jersey Shore’s Cast consists of 8 seeming to be Italians living in one house together in Seaside Heights, NJ. The casts consist of four males and four females. Jennifer “JWOWW” Farley was from New York and is not actually Italian. Michael “The Situation” Sorrentino is also from New York. Nicole “Snookie” Polizzi is a Chilean and was adopted by an Italian Family from New York. Paul “Pauly D” DelVecchio is an Italian American from Rhode Island. Ronnie Ortiz-Magro is a PuertoRican- Italian from Bronx, New York. Samantha “Sweetheart” Giancola is from Hazlet, New Jersey. Vinny Guadagnino is a Sicilian American from Staten Island, New York. Angelina Pivarnick appeared in the first two seasons, however she left the house both times to go back home in NY. Deena Cortese took over Angelina’s place during the third season. She was a long term friend of Snookie’s from New Jersey.
Critical Textual Analysis
Jersey Shore portrays men and women very differently. If one of the seaside girls brought a different guy back to the house they would be looked at different than one of the guys. Guys are made “King” if they bring someone new every night, and women, not so much.
The main focus of Jersey Shore is the cast being Italian. They talk about being Italian more than they talk about each other!
Jersey Shore portrays young, Italian Americans (Guido’s) as being big time partiers. It makes the audience (young adults or teenagers) believe that’s what they need to be doing. What’s not to love, they get all kinds of attention and money! The cast make the Italians think they all have to be “tan, hot, fit, and love to party”.
The whole cast is believed by the audience to be Italian, when in reality all of them are not. Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi is Chilean. When she was younger she was adopted by an Italian Family. Jennifer “JWOWW” Farley is of Spanish- Irish decent. These two cast members, along with the other six help portray the Italian life style.
Even with the stereotypes, horrendous fights, obsessive drinking and over use of profanity the first season of jersey shore averaged 1.38 million viewers. If we do not like the way they are portrayed and make young Italian Americans look then why would we keep watching it?
Audience Analysis
The Audience likes the show Jersey Shore for many reasons. From the drama to the drinking, you never really know what is going to happen. One reason many people like it is because of the drama. For generations we have all enjoyed watching others conflicts and disagreements. Another reason would be to see how different people like to have fun. “I like how the show focuses on fun. Everyone deserves to take a break now and again and enjoy themselves, but I dislike how it portrays that life itself is a huge party.” says Timothy Ellis, a student at Morehead State University.
They dislike the show due to the same reasons (excessive partying, drama). One thing we can mostly agree on is that we dislike are the stereotypes. This show portrays Italians as self-crazed, partiers.
When asked if they would like to join the show most said no due to the stereotypes. “No, because the producers will try to make anyone look bad” said Dustin Stamper, also a student at MSU.
When Jersey Shore first premiered the only thing anyone put on Facebook was about the show. Everyone was saying, “Party’s Here” or “It’s T-Shirt Time.” It was one of the most popular shows to watch and it still is a well-known television show. The audience of Jersey Shore has picked up on so much slang. The characters use phrases such as “GTL” or “Grenade.”
Ethics
The book definition of ethical is “pertaining to right or wrong in conduct” or “morally right or wrong”, but how do we really know when something is right or wrong? Americans value freedom but is it ethical to kill others for our freedom? Americans value wealth but is it ethical to be greedy? Americans value independence but is it ethical to depend solely on the government?
As Americans we value our ability to do what we want.
We like to be able to go where we want, when we want, with whom we want… our “freedom!” However, Jersey Shore takes that to the very edge. Many people believe it to be unethical due to the “Hook-Ups” and “Partying.” Many people in today’s society do this without getting judged, but when the cast is doing it on national television; they’re going to get negative feedback! A positive ethical view would be they show individuality. The Jersey Shore cast shows young Americans it is okay to be an individual. They show the audience it is acceptable to be your own person. If the Characters cared about how everyone would react to their actions then they would not have done most of the things they are scripted to do! The show also presents a good outlook on equalizing genders. Not many reality shows do this. Most of the time is it male dominated and they are usually putting the women down. On Jersey Shore all of the women and men have the same job, they all get to go out and have fun. Everyone goes to the gym. They take turns cooking and cleaning. Everyone does everything; they are not limited or judged by
gender.
Conclusion
In Conclusion, Jersey Shore has a negative outlook on Italians and The Jersey area. This show is very entertaining to today’s teenagers however it is persuasive in negative ways! Many people enjoy watching it for the drama and never noticed the degradation of Italians.
The most interesting thing I have learned is that nobody would be interested in playing role of one of the 8 characters.
The main thing the public sees is the “parting” life style among young American Italians. They also see all the hook-ups and drama that the cast focus on. There are a few positive things the show portrays however, such as Individuality and living life to its fullest! If they did another show like this I believe they need to do more research on the background of the cast. There is some “spin” in this show because the producer’s never show good things that the cast does. Granted the show does show good and bad times however it does focus on the bad ones. The majority of the show is about the partying lifestyle but there are plus’s, such as all of the people in the house work. They have to work at the Shore Store in order to live at the shore house. Another plus shown in this is their family involvement. The cast do talk about spending time with their family a lot. The Jersey Shore is going to have a few spin-offs from it after the last season. Snookie and JWOWW are going to have a reality show. It will focus on their lives and with Snookies new baby boy it will more than likely be an entertaining show. Pauly D will also have a show on MTV. It will be his life as a well-known DJ. Him and his good friend from his home town travel together. His talented seems to be in high demand by many.
References
Bency, Sneha. "Music Television." N.p., 26 Apr. 2012. Web. 17 Oct. 2012
"Indoor Tanning." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 July 2012. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. .
"Jersey Shore (TV Series)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Oct. 2012. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. .
"Google Books." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. .
"MTV Announces Two âJersey Shoreâ Spin-Offs." MTV Announces Two Jersey Shore Spin-Offs. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. .
Ciera Maher
FYS 100*021
November 14, 2012
Abstract
My literature review will cover the life of the Jersey Shore cast and the depictions of Italians from this reality show. I will include a back ground of the show and an analysis of the effects on the audience of the show. It will also include other television shows that introduce the same views on Italians. I hope to learn more about stereotypes and hope to share my knowledge with others. Information will be gathered from numerous scholars and also our class book, “unspun” by Brooks Jackson and Kathleen Jamieson.
Literature Review
When you hear the word “Jersey” what do you think of? Fifteen years ago people would have thought just a state in the United States, New Jersey, But today’s society …show more content…
think of Jersey Shore (the television show). Many people that live on Jersey’s Shore have called MTV complaining about how the show and characters have brought a bad image upon their town! It is also degrading to the Italian people. It is degrading to Italians, to the setting, and/or the other people associated with the program. Imagine how people feel about some of the other people brought into the house buy the cast for a “hook-up”. According to the 2011 “Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System” 32% of all 12th graders used indoor tanning and numbers continue to rise. Could television have anything to do with this? Of course, young girls want to “fit in” with the general public and Television shows, such as Jersey Shore, make them believe that being tanner is better.
Jersey Shore has contributed to the misconception of American Italians. Previous shows such as “The Godfather” and “The Sopranos” viewed Italians as “mobsters” or “gangsters”. The cast of Jersey Shore have since shined a totally different light on the Italians. They portray them as Extra-Tan, Sex-Crazed, Buff, party animals. On this show they mostly show the partying life style. It is full of drama, alcohol and sex.
”All the late night partying, consuming alcohol, aggressive behavior, wearing provocative and revealing clothes, and one night stands seems to be showcasing the typical wild life of an Italian American.” (Sneha Bency)
Jersey Shore’s Cast consists of 8 seeming to be Italians living in one house together in Seaside Heights, NJ. The casts consist of four males and four females. Jennifer “JWOWW” Farley was from New York and is not actually Italian. Michael “The Situation” Sorrentino is also from New York. Nicole “Snookie” Polizzi is a Chilean and was adopted by an Italian Family from New York. Paul “Pauly D” DelVecchio is an Italian American from Rhode Island. Ronnie Ortiz-Magro is a PuertoRican- Italian from Bronx, New York. Samantha “Sweetheart” Giancola is from Hazlet, New Jersey. Vinny Guadagnino is a Sicilian American from Staten Island, New York. Angelina Pivarnick appeared in the first two seasons, however she left the house both times to go back home in NY. Deena Cortese took over Angelina’s place during the third season. She was a long term friend of Snookie’s from New Jersey.
Critical Textual Analysis
Jersey Shore portrays men and women very differently. If one of the seaside girls brought a different guy back to the house they would be looked at different than one of the guys. Guys are made “King” if they bring someone new every night, and women, not so much.
The main focus of Jersey Shore is the cast being Italian. They talk about being Italian more than they talk about each other!
Jersey Shore portrays young, Italian Americans (Guido’s) as being big time partiers. It makes the audience (young adults or teenagers) believe that’s what they need to be doing. What’s not to love, they get all kinds of attention and money! The cast make the Italians think they all have to be “tan, hot, fit, and love to party”.
The whole cast is believed by the audience to be Italian, when in reality all of them are not. Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi is Chilean. When she was younger she was adopted by an Italian Family. Jennifer “JWOWW” Farley is of Spanish- Irish decent. These two cast members, along with the other six help portray the Italian life style.
Even with the stereotypes, horrendous fights, obsessive drinking and over use of profanity the first season of jersey shore averaged 1.38 million viewers. If we do not like the way they are portrayed and make young Italian Americans look then why would we keep watching it?
Audience Analysis
The Audience likes the show Jersey Shore for many reasons. From the drama to the drinking, you never really know what is going to happen. One reason many people like it is because of the drama. For generations we have all enjoyed watching others conflicts and disagreements. Another reason would be to see how different people like to have fun. “I like how the show focuses on fun. Everyone deserves to take a break now and again and enjoy themselves, but I dislike how it portrays that life itself is a huge party.” says Timothy Ellis, a student at Morehead State University.
They dislike the show due to the same reasons (excessive partying, drama). One thing we can mostly agree on is that we dislike are the stereotypes. This show portrays Italians as self-crazed, partiers.
When asked if they would like to join the show most said no due to the stereotypes. “No, because the producers will try to make anyone look bad” said Dustin Stamper, also a student at MSU.
When Jersey Shore first premiered the only thing anyone put on Facebook was about the show. Everyone was saying, “Party’s Here” or “It’s T-Shirt Time.” It was one of the most popular shows to watch and it still is a well-known television show. The audience of Jersey Shore has picked up on so much slang. The characters use phrases such as “GTL” or “Grenade.”
Ethics
The book definition of ethical is “pertaining to right or wrong in conduct” or “morally right or wrong”, but how do we really know when something is right or wrong? Americans value freedom but is it ethical to kill others for our freedom? Americans value wealth but is it ethical to be greedy? Americans value independence but is it ethical to depend solely on the government?
As Americans we value our ability to do what we want.
We like to be able to go where we want, when we want, with whom we want… our “freedom!” However, Jersey Shore takes that to the very edge. Many people believe it to be unethical due to the “Hook-Ups” and “Partying.” Many people in today’s society do this without getting judged, but when the cast is doing it on national television; they’re going to get negative feedback! A positive ethical view would be they show individuality. The Jersey Shore cast shows young Americans it is okay to be an individual. They show the audience it is acceptable to be your own person. If the Characters cared about how everyone would react to their actions then they would not have done most of the things they are scripted to do! The show also presents a good outlook on equalizing genders. Not many reality shows do this. Most of the time is it male dominated and they are usually putting the women down. On Jersey Shore all of the women and men have the same job, they all get to go out and have fun. Everyone goes to the gym. They take turns cooking and cleaning. Everyone does everything; they are not limited or judged by
gender.
Conclusion
In Conclusion, Jersey Shore has a negative outlook on Italians and The Jersey area. This show is very entertaining to today’s teenagers however it is persuasive in negative ways! Many people enjoy watching it for the drama and never noticed the degradation of Italians.
The most interesting thing I have learned is that nobody would be interested in playing role of one of the 8 characters.
The main thing the public sees is the “parting” life style among young American Italians. They also see all the hook-ups and drama that the cast focus on. There are a few positive things the show portrays however, such as Individuality and living life to its fullest! If they did another show like this I believe they need to do more research on the background of the cast. There is some “spin” in this show because the producer’s never show good things that the cast does. Granted the show does show good and bad times however it does focus on the bad ones. The majority of the show is about the partying lifestyle but there are plus’s, such as all of the people in the house work. They have to work at the Shore Store in order to live at the shore house. Another plus shown in this is their family involvement. The cast do talk about spending time with their family a lot. The Jersey Shore is going to have a few spin-offs from it after the last season. Snookie and JWOWW are going to have a reality show. It will focus on their lives and with Snookies new baby boy it will more than likely be an entertaining show. Pauly D will also have a show on MTV. It will be his life as a well-known DJ. Him and his good friend from his home town travel together. His talented seems to be in high demand by many.
References
Bency, Sneha. "Music Television." N.p., 26 Apr. 2012. Web. 17 Oct. 2012
"Indoor Tanning." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 July 2012. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. .
"Jersey Shore (TV Series)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Oct. 2012. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. .
"Google Books." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. .
"MTV Announces Two âJersey Shoreâ Spin-Offs." MTV Announces Two Jersey Shore Spin-Offs. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. .