Music, Books, and Pyscho Space Robots: America is quickly becoming a Jersey Shore culture
- November 2nd, 2010
- Posted in Music, Books and Psycho Space Robots . Television
- By Kevin
- Write comment
***”Music, Books and Psycho Space Robots” is a regular column published on Primary Ignition by Kevin Kenealy, staff writer and Nightmare Fuel provider. The views expressed here are his, and do not reflect the views of the staff of Primary Ignition.***
Photo from canyon-news.com.
By Kevin Kenealy
Staff Writer, Nightmare Fuel Provider
After reading an article on the Examiner that Jersey Shore is the most watched show ever on MTV and is the top rated cable show across the 12-34 demographic, I thought about the movie Idiocracy.
I never even had an interest in watching the show after reading an article that interviewed Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi from the show in Rolling Stone. In the interview, Snooki was interviewed in a Chili’s which she was permanently kicked out of for getting too drunk and causing destruction to liquor bottles at the restaurant. After finding out a few days later whom she was, Chili’s allowed Snooki back in.
Further reading the article, I found out this is the exact kind of activity that takes place on the show. I thought, man, maybe I should just start going to more parties and bring a video camera and put the drama that happens later in the night on YouTube. Great success!
South Park had a pretty funny episode that mocked Jersey Shore a few weeks ago where the U.S. east of South Park, Colorado had now become Jersey. Snooki was this gremlin-esque creature that threatened to give “smoosh smoosh,” or give casual sex to the characters on the show. The residents of South Park tried everything to stop the spread of Jersey, including calling the aid of Al-Qaeda (since the United States wouldn’t step in) to take out the oncoming Jersey attack.
Since I watched that episode a few things transpired. I listened on the radio how Jersey Shore costumes would be among the most popular this year for Halloween and watched how people I knew confirmed this as they would dress up as their favorite Jersey Shore idols, and finally I watched the first episode of the show online.
Image from screencrave.com.
Nothing could be further from the truth of that South Park episode or from Idiocracy for that matter. In the first episode, we meet the cast. Although each different, they are all to some degree obsessed with partying, tanning, sex, having a good body and having nice things. The Jersey Show fever has spread across America and it is doing nothing to stop its spread.
Here is a nation that has an ongoing fascination with shock value celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan; what are we really looking to get from these people? Is this really culture? I believe we are in a gradual decline of culture and the process starts with shows like Jersey Shore and the worship of such mindless idols as the Lohans and the Hiltons out there that give us this false sense of fulfillment.
We have to challenge ourselves. Life is much more than tanning, partying, sex, a good body and having nice things. We are quickly becoming more and more this artificial place. So America might as well be a Jersey Shore; perhaps we too should call for Al Qaeda because if we don’t care, who will?
Front page photo from silive.com.
damn the women in that pic have nice boobs, that being said i would never watch there show. i would do the ladies but there show… no way
omg…wow thats so funny
Where have you been? This is far from anything new and this is just the next in a long line of upping the ante. Remember when Ozzy and Kiss played the Devil’s music and it was the end of the world? How about Bart Simpsons when you were eating his shorts. South Park made Bart look pedestrian and drew the ire of many. Granted that all these things that I named are talented and are award winning and the fools from the shore have no talent…unless they can consume way more booze than the average human. But there is another group of no talent hacks that were just that. They were all a part of The Gong Show in the 70s. I am don’t know for sure and I have no desire to look this up but I would not be surprised if the worst person ever on the gong show had 15 minutes of fame for being so insanely bad.
The one thing The Simpsons, Ozzy and Jersey Shore all having in common is that they were wildly popular amongst younger people. Jersey Shore is just the next evolution. Celebrities doing idiot things has also been popular. Look at Tina and Ike and all the drama there. Look at Michael Jackson. Lindsey Lohan is more in their model as she had talent at some point. Paris Hilton…not so much but she at least came from money and could be considered pseudo celebrity by that very nature. It just goes down that road and now we are at Jersey Shore. This is just the next evolution.
Is this the downfall of civilization? Not at all because civilization ended in the 1950s due the the unholy moves of The King. The beginning of the end began in the 1920s with the debauchery inducing swing music.
This is all true, Steve, but more and more, as time passes on, it seems as though America glorifies celebrities just for being celebrities, and that’s the problem. Bringing up The Gong Show doesn’t even really apply in your argument either. If we were talking about one of the countless reality/talent shows out there today (America’s Got Talent, American Idol, America’s Best Dance Crew, Dancing with the Stars, etc, etc, etc…), it’d probably be a better fit. Because they were still competing to some degree for a prize.
And you should probably watch an episode or two before you make this judgment, because while The Simpsons and Ozzy—odd examples by the way—were both idolized by the youth of their generations, they at least offered something substantial. All Jersey Shore offers is the best examples of the idiocy of America’s future.
I typed something up and it was deleted. All the things of the past had talent (I am stated in a round about way by mentioning they are all award winning) while these guys have zero talent and offer nothing. That was why I brought the Gong Show(also had a prize…money…but like not that much) up as most of those people had Zero Talent as well (even if they thought they did) and that show was popular. These things apply to the specific circumstances that I wanted them to apply to. I also picked these in order to go way back in time and not back just a decade.
I just view this as society progressing in the same way it always has and it is far from the end. The examples I illustrated are different but the combinded aspects of popular with youth and people like watching idiots is the combination that causes the progression or evolution.
The Real World or whatever MTV use to run is about the same thing but the shore is to the Nth degree. They took away from that what people like about the show and just kept giving them what they wanted. This probably makes it a better example than anything you or I mentioned.
Another thing I hate is how they arbitrarily combined the 12-34 age group. This is the first time I have seen that done. Most of the time they talk about the 18-34 or the larger 18-49 age group. Plus this is just cable ratings. If you look at the top 20 shows weekly or season on Zap2it, you will soon see that the ratings are crap in comparison and probably wouldn’t even crack the top 40.
tvbythenumbers Brings that awkward point home about why MTV is hyping this up demographic up as well.
Of course 12-34 beat spongebob, most people 18-34 are not adamantly interested in spongebob. The only real reason to create a weird grouping outside the standard is an attempt at promotion.
I don’t see it as an example of the idiocy of America’s future. This is just the first time that idiocy is being broadcast on some cable station and people like watching idiots. FOX News, CNN and MSNBC are better examples of the idiocy of America’s future to me. That is suppose to be important but it is just hyped up sensationalized “news” that is devoid of facts or insightful analysis about anything and just brings it down the lowest common denominator of squabbling about stuff that has no real bearing or impact on where we are going. The younger generation tends to watch John Stewart for real news so maybe that is the hope for the future instead?
You can watch idiots doing idiotic things all you want but that doesn’t make you an idiot yourself. Now I need to go watch some Hell’s Kitchen and the 3 Stooges. It isn’t Jersey Shore but I probably watch them for a lot of the same reasons people watch that show =D
Well, Steve, you do realize that your opinion is just as valid as Kevin’s right? That’s the beauty of stories like these. However, you’re free to write another dissertation refuting his ideas. I enjoy reading opposing views.
I welcome your opinion as well, Steve. That’s what makes sites like these stronger- it’s all about having as many varied opinions as possible. I look forward to reading an editorial if you submit one.