I understand why reality television is so pervasive. Networks love it because it’s cheap to produce. People love it because after a long day at work they don’t want to think, they want to be entertained. I get it, I do. The only redeeming characteristic of The Jersey Shore is that this may be the show that finally kills reality television.
We live in a world where most people want to be famous, few people should be famous, and anybody can be famous. People’s desire for notoriety has become so extreme that people will actually allow their lives to be openly mocked just for airtime. I understand that the people on The Jersey Shore are not rocket scientists, but they must know that people are laughing at them, right? It’s a strange concept that some people would rather be known as morons than not known at all.
But they’re not even the problem. They wouldn’t be on television if there wasn’t an audience for them. That’s where we come in. We get sucked into idiotic things like this because it’s easier than reading or thinking about the things that we’re consuming. I suppose that’s another reason why I refuse to watch it. By watching the show, I am legitimizing it. And I know myself well enough to predict that I'll just end up bitching about it’s existence right after contributing to the reason it exists in the first place. There’s a very good chance that I am over thinking this, but I can't let those orange airheads and ‘roid stuffed meat sticks on the shore make me feel like a hypocrite.
I’m sure part of the viewing appeal is the ability to feel better about yourself for not being one of those people on the show. It’s the pop culture equivalent of laughing at the fat kid in gym class.
Getting back my original drug analogy, I just don’t see the high from The Jersey Shore lasting very long. And while it seems like fun now, you’re never going to want to tell your kids that you did it.
They might suspect something when the find my t-shirt that says "I'm that guy that hit Snooki". No regrets.
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