The August 2 Newsweek contains an article about “Jersey Shore,” which I thought was just another inane reality show about bloated “babes” with nothing on their minds but money, men, partying and status. And it sounds like it is. Plus this time their are bloated guys too.
But according to the article, it’s not “just” another stupid show.
I didn’t think about this before, but shows like these tell people in other countries a lot about us. Yes, there really are people like the stars of the show. And yes, there are people who waste their time watching it. Of course there are people in those other countries who waste their time watching it too. (Apparently there’s a large cult following in Italy.)
So not only do these shows harm us on a personal level, teaching young people a very backwards idea of what is important in life; they also harm us on a global level, showing the world what we as a country think is important.
I’ll admit I’ve never watched the show. Maybe it has a moral lesson every episode, like being a strong woman or being true to yourself. If it does, I think it’s drowned out by “look how big and unnaturally tan my boobs are in this tight designer dress, and who will I make out with next in the jacuzzi in a drunken haze, and isn’t my hair shinier than yours?”
At least we have the freedom in this country to make ourselves look like idiots and to indulge in and glorify stupidity while our minds turn to mush.
But not everyone in the United States acts like that or watches “Jersey Shore.” Some people strive to rise above this mundane and base reality. So I really hope they don’t think we’re all that way.
The Governor of NJ thinks that the show is put on by Newyorkers who know nothing about NJ. He says " come for yourself and see" what NJ is all about. Another interesting point to ponder is that the people here ara tooting their own horn, as no one else will do it. Does that sound like the US?
ReplyDeleteThat was a great article.
ReplyDeleteI'd heard so much about the show, and since I'm so culturally irrelevant, decided to watch it one day this winter On Demand. After about three minutes, I had to turn it off.
It just seems like our whole culture is growing from a mess of materialism, excess and a lack of critical questioning. It's really depressing, especially when such magazines are my only venture into the "outside" world.
I agree with Betsy
ReplyDelete