What if you had done some thing at work that made your corporation look like it was run by a bunch of bigots?
Would you: A) Quit before you got the boot, B) Make a public apology while flagellating your back until it bled, or C) Sit back and accept the kudos from your bosses?
If you were Tony DiSanto, the man responsible for MTV’s reprehensible reality show “Jersey Shore,” which stereotypes Italian Americans as foulmouthed thugs with no education and less taste, you would definitely pick “C” because your bosses would be not just supportive of your efforts but pleased with the results.
I know this because I spoke with DiSanto, an Italian American himself, yesterday to find out what it was like to live inside the storm of bad press (mine included), while ducking the slings and arrows of every Italian American group, as well as the cancellation of advertisers from the show.
(OK, Dominos and American Family Insurance pulled out, but Hot Bod cologne, no kidding, remained.)
His bosses at MTV, he said, aren’t upset and, in fact, “We understand that every show is not for everybody.”
Despite the fact that the actual casting call for said reprehensible reality show specifically asked for Italian Americans of the so-called Guido ilk (let’s now just call it the “G-word” to go along with all the F-bombs these G-words use), DiSanto defends his minor hit with the major backlash as a perfect fit for the MTV audience.
“We want to make breakout shows that will get people talking about us,” he said. Can’t call him out on that one — they certainly got people talking — talking trash, but talking.
“It’s pure entertainment, dramatic, engaging and comedic,” he continued.
True. There simply is nothing funnier than a juiced-up adult punching a woman in the face for a good laugh.
DiSanto even defended that bit o’ fun and violence by saying that it was never MTV’s intent to promote violence against women, and that’s why they deleted it from the show. Right. Meantime, that punch ran 56,000 times a day on their promos. “That was unfortunate,” he said. “It went viral. We learned from that and respect everyone’s concern.”
What? How to take a punch — or how to throw one?
He swears the series is only a fun way to show a particular type of character. “Our intent is never to make people upset — only to engage, entertain and enlighten,” he repeated.
Consider me enlightened — and that’s after watching just one episode. In fact, I feel like Stephen f- – -ing Hawking– I’m so f- – -ing enlightened.