Have you seen the ads for MTV’s latest reality show, Jersey Shore? It’s a peek into the lives of the hottest, tannest craziest Guidos who keep their hair high, their muscles juiced, and their fists pumping all summer long. Except I should have put quotes around the description, because that’s actually how the show is described in its trailer:
Wow. Italians now have the best show of all time, The Sopranos, and a contender for the worst. It’s like how gays have The Smiths but also Lady Gaga. Anyway, the anti-using-the-word-Guido advocacy group UNICO (which stands for Unity, Neighborliness, Integrity, Charity, and Opportunity – LAME) objects to what they see as a negative stereotype-reinforcing program. Hey, UNICO, feel free to direct your anger at the stereotype-perpetuating Italians willingly participating in the series. One of ’em is defending himself:
Castmember Mike Sorriento, a 27-year-old assistant manager at a gym and a Staten Island native, is proud of his ‘Guido’ appearance. He makes the dubious point that reinforcing a stereotype isn’t dangerous when the stereotype is sometimes true.
“I just happen to be 100 percent Italian, I happen to be in very good shape and my hair happens to be spiky,” he told MTV. “It’s not necessarily a stereotype; it’s just how it is. In New York and New Jersey, that just happens to be the style.”
You tell ’em, Mike. Also, thank God I don’t live in New Jersey.
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