Jersey Shore is a reality television series that aired on MTV. It follows eight housemates while they live, work and party at the Jersey Shore. The show made its debut amid large amounts of controversy regarding the use of the words "guido/guidette", portrayals of Italian-American stereotypes as well as perpetuating stereotypes of New Jerseyans, especially because the cast members are not residents from the area. It premiered in December 2009 and ran through 2012.
The controversies in the series were due in large part to the manner in which MTV marketed the show, as it liberally used the word guido to describe the cast members. The word guido is generally regarded as an ethnic slur when referring to Italians and Italian Americans. One promotion stated that the show was to follow, "eight of the hottest, tannest, craziest Guidos", while yet another advertisement stated, "[the show] exposes one of the tri-state area's most misunderstood species ... the GUIDO. Yes, they really do exist! Our Guidos and Guidettes will move into the ultimate big beach house rental and indulge in everything the Seaside Heights, New Jersey scene has to offer".
Background Prior to the series debut, UNICO National, the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF),November 24, 2009 the Order Sons of Italy in America, the Italian watchdog website ItalianAware.com, and other Italian American organizations requested that MTV cancel the show.Unico.org In a letter to the network, UNICO called the show a "...direct, deliberate and disgraceful attack on Italian Americans..." UNICO National President Andre DiMino said in a statement "MTV has festooned the 'bordello-like' house set with Italian flags and red, white and green maps of New Jersey while every other cutaway shot is of Italian signs and symbols. They are blatantly as well as subliminally bashing Italian-Americans with every technique possible..."
MTV responded to the controversy by issuing a press release which stated in part, "the Italian-American cast takes pride in their ethnicity. We understand that this show is not intended for every audience and depicts just one aspect of youth culture." Since the calls for the show's removal, several sponsors have requested that their ads not be aired during the show. These sponsors include Dell, Domino's, and American Family Insurance.
Subsequent seasons have encountered the continuous denouncement of the program by Italian American and other community-based organizations. The announcement of season 4 of the program being filmed on location in Italy was once again met with a swift reaction from the National Italian American Foundation, the National Organization of Italian American Women, UNICO National and other community-based groups.
Beachcomber Bar & Grill incident In August 2009, female cast member Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi was punched in the face after a confrontation with a man who had allegedly stolen her drink at the Beachcomber Bar & Grill in Seaside Heights. The assailant, Brad Ferro, a physical education teacher from Deer Park, New York, was arrested on simple assault and disorderly conduct charges. A promo of the clip aired after the show's December 3, 2009, premiere and circulated on the Internet. The incident would have aired on the December 17 episode, along with a public service announcement against violence towards women. Polizzi suffered bruises and swelling as a result of the punch.
As soon as the footage was aired on the season sneak-peek on MTV, Ferro was suspended from both of his positions at North Queens Community High School and the Middle Village School in Queens. After a short time, he was placed in one of the Department of Education's teacher reassignment centers. The Department of Education eventually fired Ferro. Subsequently, he had such a hard time getting a job that he ended up enlisting in the army.
Ferro has since apologized to Polizzi stating, "I deeply regret what happened. Nobody deserves that. That was not the real Brad Ferro." Ferro later pleaded guilty to a nonindictable offense in municipal court. He was found guilty of simple assault, fined $500 and given a 6-month suspended jail sentence. Ferro's father feels that his son was provoked into "doing something stupid", saying, "When you get a bunch of people in a situation with alcohol and instigate, someone's going to do something stupid, and that's obviously what MTV wants."
After the clip of Polizzi's incident was aired after the first and second episodes, MTV decided to omit the footage from the December 17 episode calling it "extremely disturbing". The clip shown in the preview for the episode in which Snooki gets punched can be seen on news sites that reported the incident prior to the episode being shown.
Arrest of Ronnie Ortiz-Magro Cast member Ronald "Ronnie" Ortiz-Magro was arrested after a fight occurred on September 4, 2009, on the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, for aggravated assault for striking Stephen Izzo with a closed fist. Izzo lost consciousness as a result. Ortiz-Magro says the other party provoked him while he was walking home with Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola and that the other person involved in the fight was being disrespectful and shouted "racist" remarks at their African-American security guards and might have spat on him. Izzo claims that he was punched because MTV security held him back and Ortiz-Magro punched him in the back of the head.
Ortiz-Magro was charged under the name "Ronnie Ortiz". He spent a few hours in jail, had a mug shot taken, and paid $600 bail. Ortiz-Magro stated that he was not a person who likes to fight and that was acting in self-defense: "You'll see throughout the show, we do go out and if we do get into an altercation ... It's us just defending ourselves or reacting to somebody else."
On December 17, 2010, Ortiz-Magro was indicted for one count of third-degree assault, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. On July 11, 2011, Ortiz-Magro was admitted to pre-trial intervention. The charge against him was dismissed, provided he stays out of trouble for eighteen months and completes community service.
Criticism of tanning Dr. Seth Forman, a dermatologist from Tampa, Florida, has criticized the show for "glamorizing" tanning: "The young adults on Jersey Shore think tanned skin is important. Some even own their own tanning bed ... It's ridiculous. I think young adults don't realize how much damage they are doing to their skin." Dr. Forman also has stated that people need to wear sunscreen every day and avoid tanning beds.
Marybeth Hicks, author of the parenting book Bringing Up Geeks, criticized Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi for stating she would change the world by installing tanning beds in every person's house during her appearance on The Jay Leno Show. Hicks has believed Polizzi could influence tweens into using tanning beds. "It's disconcerting that [she] could have any sort of influence or be a role model ... or advocate something like tanning beds that could cause cancer," she said. Hicks also criticized MTV for glorifying behaviors that she claims are dangerous, such as drinking and casual sex, for the purpose of garnering higher ratings, and believed that parents are to possess knowledge of that the show has been promoting unsafe behavior.
Stereotyping Prior to the show's debut, controversy arose over portrayals of Italian stereotypes and the cast's use of the words "guido/guidette", a slang term for a working-class urban Italian-American which is widely perceived by Italian-Americans as a pejorative word, similar to "spic" or "wop". The show also received scrutiny from locals because the cast members are not residents from the area and portray a negative stereotype of New Jersey in general.
Italian-American response The show plays upon the stereotype of the guido, prompting criticism from groups such as the National Italian American Foundation, UNICO National, and the Order Sons of Italy in America for using "ethnic slurs, violence and poor behavior to marginalize and stereotype Italian-Americans". Prior to the premiere of the show UNICO asked MTV to cancel the show because of the apparent play on stereotypes from the promos. UNICO National President Andre DiMino said that the behavior in the promos is offensive and stereotype-promoting and that "MTV is using very pejorative terms, 'guido' and 'guidette', to promote a program and as a corporation that is not correct." After the show premiered, UNICO National claims they "can't keep up with the volume of calls" from "outraged" Italian Americans.
UNICO National President Andre DiMino said in a statement "MTV has festooned the 'bordello-like' house set with Italian flags and red, white and green maps of New Jersey while every other cutaway shot is of Italian signs and symbols. They are blatantly as well as subliminally bashing Italian-Americans with every technique possible. ... (The cast members) are an embarrassment to themselves, their heritage and their families. "
Linda Stasi, an Italian-American New York Post columnist, criticized MTV, saying that Jersey Shore is a show "...in which Italian-Americans are stereotyped (clearly at the urging of its producer) into degrading and debasing themselves—and, by extension, all Italian-Americans—and furthering the popular TV notion that Italian-Americans are gel-haired, thuggish, ignoramuses with fake tans, no manners, no diction, no taste, no education, no sexual discretion, no hairdressers (for sure), no real knowledge of Italian culture and no ambition beyond expanding steroid-and silicone-enhanced bodies into sizes best suited for floating over Macy's on Thanksgiving."
On January 10, 2010, Andre DiMino called for Jersey Shore to be canceled saying "enough is enough" and that the series isn't just an insult to Italian-Americans or Jersey Shore residents, but to everyone. Dimino claims that it has been clear from the beginning that it is MTV's intent to "ridicule, stereotype and defame Italian-Americans" and "to say to the world that this is what Italian-Americans are really like". DiMino further expresses his disgust saying that Italian-Americans continue to be the only ethnic group that it is acceptable to negatively stereotype and demean. Dimino also called MTV's removal of the terms guido and guidette from their promos and Web site a "partial victory".
On February 17, 2010, DiMino released a statement to RadarOnline.com, stating:
We have consulted attorneys and are prepared to take legal action because we are so angry about the situation. I cannot say too much right now about the actual legal steps we are going to take but we feel what MTV are doing with Jersey Shore is outrageous. The use of words like 'Guidos' and 'Guidettes' is racial stereotyping in the worst possible sense and they are portraying young Italian Americans in the worst possible light. They would not try and get away with the same tactics if it was show full of young African American or Jewish kids so why is it acceptable to portray Italian Americans in this way? There are a lot of young American Italians who serve in the community and the armed services who are ashamed of Jersey Shore and we need to stand-up for them."EXCLUSIVE: Italian American Group Consult Attorneys to Sue MTV's Jersey Shore". RadarOnline. February 17, 2010
Italian-American actress Alyssa Milano said she was "upset" after viewing the trailer on YouTube and would not watch the show. She subsequently appeared in a parody video from the comedy website Funny or Die undergoing a "Guidette" makeover, complete with fake tan, big-haired wig, low cut minidress, and photographically enhanced cleavage as a way of protesting how the show portrays Italian-American women.