The most surprising thing about the angry fallout from MTV’s “Jersey Shore” is the anger and surprise.
It’s MTV.
What do folks think MTV is, a music video network? Hasn’t been in 15 years. Do people think it’s a TV home for irreverent but creative programming, an emphasis on natural and well-intentioned youthful rebellion? Please.
MTV long ago became a depot for social vandalism and desensitization. It features programming predicated on drawing attention through acts that not only have no redeeming social, artistic or even political value — it’s not break-even programming — but programming that can help a selfish, profane, narcissistic young man or woman become someone not nearly as nice.
MTV endeavors to do whatever it takes to lure vulnerable viewers, 12-22 — how many in that age group aren’t vulnerable? — by treating them to something worse than the day/night before, content also designed to attract the attention of right-headed adults by guaranteeing their outrage.
It’s go-lower programming for the sake of going lower, the equivalent of spray painting cuss words on the side of the new public library, throwing a rock through a church window or spreading a computer virus to thousands of anonymous victims.
“Jersey Shore” is reliant on and exploitive of ugly stereotypes of urban Italian-Americans? MTV wouldn’t have it any other way.
At the risk of being self-congratulatory — I’d have preferred being wrong — I’ve had MTV pegged for years, mostly because my daughters watched it as it began to turn from music, to traditional modern shock, to “What can we do that’s worse than last time?” TV.
On Super Bowl Sunday, six years ago — the game that featured the MTV-produced halftime show that featured the calamitous jailbreak of Janet Jackson’s right breast — I predicted something like it, as Ed Sullivan would say, “Right here.”
From that Feb. 1, 2004 column:
“Beware: The Super Bowl — not the game, but the halftime production numbers and the TV commercial rollouts — like everything else on TV, is no longer immune from ambushes on the senses.
“Where once halftime shows featured acts such as ‘Up With People’ in gooey salutes to Main St., the goo has too often been replaced with slime.”
I cited the Super Bowl halftime that starred AIDS activist Michael Jackson and 3,500 kids surrounding the stage in an extravaganza called, “Heal The World.” While Jackson sang and danced, he repeatedly grabbed his crotch.
But the key to that day’s particular Super Bowl tout — the big clue — came in three letters: MTV.
Two weeks before, in this space, I’d noted that on a Sunday morning MTV ran a house ad that starred a young man holding a small dog against his crotch while miming copulation with that dog. That’s what passes for MTV ingenuity.
Last week in Seaside Heights, NJ, more than 100 mostly Italian-Americans gathered to protest “anti-Italianism” in the media, emphasis on “Jersey Shore.”
On one hand, such protests are important, although at least as ugly as “Jersey Shore” was “Growing Up Gotti,” a grotesque portrayal of suburban Italian-American family life that appeared 2004-05 on A&E. Unfortunately, “Growing Up Gotti” didn’t create the angry response as has “Jersey Shore.”
On the other hand, group protests such as last week’s lose impact. How would right-minded members of any innocent group respond to such mistreatment?
That’s where the boat/train/bus is always missed. If Italian-Americans are hurt by such programming — as they should be — invite spokespersons from other groups to speak on that programming. Invite American black, Hispanic, Jewish, Protestant, Gay, Asian, Irish and Muslim leaders to speak their feelings about “Jersey Shore.”
Chances are, all hyphenated-Americans would agree with aggrieved Italian-Americans. Then we’ve got something more unified, more significant.
It shouldn’t be that only Italian-Americans detest “Jersey Shore” — that’s no surprise.
Rather, it should be that none of us like such portrayals of Italian-Americans — or anyone else.