Can We All Stop Pretending We’re Too Intellectual To Watch Jersey Shore?

Seriously? I hear it all the time. Some poor, but socially relevant person starts it with, “did you see Jersey Shore last night?” and everyone scoffs at her or comes back with a retort like, “every time someone watches Jersey Shore, a book commits suicide.”

Is that why it’s one of the top rated shows on cable television? Is that why more people are watching Jersey Shore than the Yankees? You’re watching it. I’m watching it. We’re all watching it whether we’re brain-dead or actually think it’s quality entertainment or we’re just watching to make fun of it. We’re still all watching it.

They’re hailing Jersey Shore as a cultural phenomenon. Apparently, it’s changing the way we look at ethnicity. It’s influencing a generation of fashion mistakes and introducing new jargon into our language..

I don’t like to admit that I watch it. That sentiment I understand. I’m trying to wrap my mind around why we are so drawn to a show about getting drunk and (God, this is the skeeviest expression and it makes me want to tear my tongue out to say it) ”getting it in” when we could all be out DOING THE SAME THING. Really! Why are we watching this instead of living it? It’s not like the Jersey Shore cast has ambitious goals or a five-year plan. They work in five hour intervals, IF they even plan that far ahead. They are making a ton of money doing what I could do any Saturday ever, anywhere in the world.

But no. I have to sit here and catch up on these episodes so I’m not a social outcast. It’s really sad- these shows we need to watch in order to remain part of the cultural conversation and stay current with the evolution of the English language.

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