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The National Italian American Foundation has released another statement regarding their position on MTV’s “Jersey Shore,” because of heightened speculation that there will be a second season of the show.
The NIAF “wishes to not only express our continued concerns about this program but also educate the public about the need for accurate depictions of Italian Americans in the media,” NIAF president, Joseph V. Del Raso, said in a press release on Feb. 1, 2010. When “Jersey Shore” first aired in December, the organization expressed concerns that the program clearly attempted to connect “guido” culture with the Italian-American identity. While Del Raso was pleased that MTV responded to their concerns by discontinuing the offensive word in voice-overs and promotional spots, the association with the term “guido” and the Italian Americans on the show was still very evident.
Del Raso adds that MTV failed to demonstrate that the ‘guido’ trend spreads across ethnic groups and is more about youthful expression and lifestyle. “This program and its characters had more in common with the adolescent residents of ‘Animal House’ than with Italian Americans,” said Del Raso.
Whereas MTV associated ‘guido’ solely with Italian Americans, not everyone sees it as an ethnic stereotype. “The term ‘guido’ or ‘guidette’ I can see being offensive to older generation Italians, but I feel like the term has lost its derogatory nature and has taken on a less ethnic nature,” said Amanda Ambriano, a 6th-semester management major from the Jersey Shore area. “Nowadays the term is used if you dress or carry yourself in a certain way, instead of being an insulting name for an Italian person.”
Del Raso and the NIAF were also concerned with the continued billing of the program as a “reality” show. “While there are examples of Italian Americans who sympathize with the characters on ‘Jersey Shore,’ the reality of the Italian American experience is much different,” Del Raso said.
Jersey Shore residents agree. Jimmy Bernot, a 4th-semester biology major from the Jersey Shore, said that while he does see a lot of vacationers during the summer at home, the people MTV casted were a strong exaggeration to the typical tourist. “I see the occasional stereotypical ‘guido’ at the Jersey Shore during the summer months,” Bernot said. “However, I can’t say that I’ve ran into someone that makes the same kind of spectacle as Snooki or The Situation.”
The uproar of the “Jersey Shore” extends further than just the NIAF. Del Raso cited the New Jersey legislature, local government officials, tourism agencies and even Facebook pages (such as “MTV’s ‘Jersey Shore’ Is a Disgrace to the Jersey Shore and Its Inhabitants” which has over than 70,000 fans) as expressing their concerns for what the show is portraying as “reality.”
The site of the show, Seaside Heights, has raised controversy as well. Many believe the area is the exception to the rest of the Jersey Shore “Seaside Heights is a tourist trap,” Bernot said. “It’s a lot different from the rest of the coastline and beaches that are mostly filled with locals throughout the year.”
“ ‘Jersey Shore’ is an accurate representation of the goings-on in Seaside Heights, New Jersey,” Ambriano said. “While this representation is spot on with its tanned and toned characters, most of the Jersey Shore is very low key and actually not the party central of America as the show depicts.”
Recently at UConn there have been numerous “Jersey Shore” themed parties where people dress up and act as “guidos” further exemplifying stereotypes of Italian Americans and the Jersey Shore. Although both Bernot and Ambriano said they think these parties are just a trend, they have endured jokes about their hometowns ever since they first got to UConn.
“Italian Americans, the Garden State and the Jersey Shore deserve better,” Del Raso said.
The cast members have a different opinion though. On the day the NIAF released their statement, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino said on the “Today Show” that, “We represent ourselves. We’re not saying we’re a definition of Jersey, or a definition of New York, or a definition of Italians.”
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