New Jerseyans: Quit Asking Us About 'Jersey Shore'

By The Pop Chorus Posted Jul 30th 2010 11:25AM

'Jersey Shore.' You know it. You love it or hate it. You follow Snooki's Twitter or you loathe her, The Situation, JWoww and the whole bunch. Season two premiered last night, and you either watched or you groaned. Maybe both.

But there's a small batch of Americans who experience the show like no others. These are the people of New Jersey. Some of their dignitaries and organizations have weighed in on 'Jersey Shore,' often unkindly. But the daily effect the show has on the state is this: No one can stop asking residents if they've seen the friggin' show and asking them to weigh in as de facto experts.

Here, three PopEater readers chime in on the irksome phenomenon -- one gal even goes so far as to offer a list of the seven questions a regular New Jerseyan faces on a daily basis in these 'Jersey Shore'-dominated days.

Courtney Rogaski says:

I remember my first encounter with the 'Jersey Shore' state of mind -- I sat down at a bar in Hawaii and handed the woman my ID. She stopped, looked up, and said, "I don't understand." I was confused and asked her to clarify. Her response? "Well, your hair isn't big and you're not tan ... but you're from New Jersey?" I wasn't sure what she was referring to until she brought up the MTV show. Horrified that people from other states actually believe people from New Jersey are like this, I elucidated for her: "Listen, I live by a beautiful farm town in the middle of nowhere next to a vineyard. I am not Italian and most people I know are not, either. We do not get into fights all the time -- in fact, most people are laid back. We are not all egomaniacs." It was so upsetting that she believed all the hype and stereotype. I eventually found out most of the cast was from New York anyways. Go figure.

Melissa McMaster has heard enough of these daily questions:

1) "Is Jersey as fabulous as it's made out to be?!"
2) "Have you ever been in the background of one of a 'Jersey Shore' scene?!"
3) "Do people really get that drunk and destructive?!"
4) "Who's your favorite person on 'Jersey Shore'?!"
5) "Don't you just love The Situation?!"
6) "Are you a guido/guidette?!"
7) "Do you know Snooki?!"

And her answers:

1) Sure, some parts are "fabulous." I prefer a calm beach house.
2) No, I'm not a 'Jersey Shore' groupie who tailgates the cast wherever they go in order to attempt to get filmed at clubs and whatnot.
3) Yes, people do get that drunk and wild -- but not as often as it's made out to be.
4) I don't have a favorite person on the show. In fact, I don't even really like the show, as it has turned my beautiful state into, y'know, an abomination. It's transformed into a party animal state where people come to get drunk and laid. Ugh.
5) I do not love the Situation.
6) I am not a guidette.
7) And no, I do not know Snooki. I don't know any of the cast. I don't want anything to do with this show, this fad. Stop asking me about it.

Frederick Falco writes:
Vacationing earlier this summer, we drove west, across the country, and the farther from Jersey we got, the more people started asking the same questions about 'Jersey Shore.' Stuff like, "I'm guessing you've heard of Jersey Shore, then?" or "Have you ever met Snooki in person?"

We got both of these questions almost everywhere we went. Honestly, I haven't seen that many episodes of the show, but you only really need to see one to understand it. This show borders on trashy -- I start to feel a little embarrassed! The show makes people think that New Jersey is some sort of stereotype. Then again, it kind of always has been ... but I'd trade this show in a heartbeat if we could at least get the old Dirty Jerz reputation back! When people hear the word Jersey and automatically think 'Jersey Shore,' it makes me want to move to Pennsylvania.

All videos courtesy of The Daily Beast, which has a magnificent roundup of the most raucous 'Jersey Shore' moments thus far.

►Video: 'Jerseylicious' Stars Are Nothing Like the 'Jersey Shore' Girls
►PopEater's Video Interview With The Situation
►Obama on 'The View': 'I Don't Know Who Snooki Is'

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Tags: Jersey Shore, New Jersey, The Pop Chorus

Comments

(33)

Friday 30 July

By mw

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Great answers Melissa.

By phillysgirl14

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@Melissa McMaster FYI-New Jersey has always been an abomination...
i'm just saying...

By poisonpillcuresya

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And you're from Philly and criticize NJ? LMFAOOOOOO. Too funny.

By Uncle Eddy

Here an Idea for a new T-shirt:

DON'T ASK ME, I'M FROM NEW JERSEY

P.S. I AM FROM NEW JERSEY

By Jen

where do you find these people you interview?
this and the abusive relationship article.... weird.
misses in my book.

the celebenomics (sp?) is great though.
oohh! do a Jersey Shore-nomics article..

By starvxn4

North Jersey is a whole different world from South Jersey.

By Norma

Hey, you, aka ms poisonpills, no one's dissing where you're from so why are you hoping LA falls into the ocean? You must be a sad person with nothing better to think about or hope for. Good luck.

By themeeker

Jersey rocks! Shnookie sux. So does The Constipation.

People on these boards who badmouth New Jersey are relying on what they hear and think is funny, not what they know from experience to be the truth. They probably hate Obama for the same reason. Idiots.

By Shelle

I love New Jersey and would never leave. If you can make it here you can make it anywhere. Keep the lies going though. We don't need anyone else clogging up our lush green farm spaces, beautiful beaches and happening cities with out of staters. Its bad enough they travel through here. (NY & PA) We should start charging

By m smith

A pathetic excuse for a show. It helps create another mindless generation of idiot teenagers who have no reason to think. I cant believe these "actors" are actually getting paid for any of this as I know I wouldn't want this on MY resume. This is supposed to be a Jersey show yet these people are all from New York. How does that work?
Save yourselves from another weak, poorly executed program from MTV. The channel that chooses to cripple the futures of our children rather than bolster it by supplying this dribble of a show.

M, you overlook one small detail. None of these "actors" will have a second item on their resumes. Ever.

Oh get over yourselves. I'm from Los Angeles, CA and whenever I travel to other states people ask me if I've ever met celebrities and so and so forth. Deal with it.

By sandee

Yes but you see real celebs don't you? I don't consider these frauds celebs and Jersey is criticized by people who only see the state from EWR airport and from the NJ Turnpike (North)

And we're waiting for California to fall into the ocean...LA sux

North of the Turnpike??? North of the Turnpike is where the best part of Jersey is, minus the shore.
Do you sport a mullet?

By Mandi Pinni

I agree Norma. When I lived in NYC, everyone asked if I saw any Broadway people. I live in Los Angeles and people DO ask that question. I grew up in NJ and the only thing I was asked is if it stinks. I told them, yes it did - there's too much pollution in upstate New Jersey from corporations but it is the Garden State too and that is beautiful.

By buzfromjersey

Well, you see the name. Of course, we have our morons. We all know 'a Snooki,' a self-centered slow learner who lives to party. Doesn't California have them? Don't all the states? Certainly all the ones I've been in do. But Princeton is in Jersey, and there are beautiful shore towns sans guidos. Jersey is like the tv show the way the way California is all Oakland.

By Jazzy

Hey Jersey Haters.. Dont talk bout us..
Dont talk bout you so lets keep it real..
Really when i first heard of jersey shore i thought it was totally for jersey people so back up. Btw i just saw 1st episdoe. They need to get back to jersey and get angelina off. Why is she back.... and Shelle.. Yes i agree 100%. Jersey is my hometown. ive been to Ca and DominicanRep and Ny and everything but Jersey is where i was born and where ive lived a long time. i just moved to other states to see what its like but i realized hey Jersey is nothing like this like Jersey real. im not sayin other places are not real but gosh i love Jersey !

That was just fantastic.
I don't even need to say anything else, you said it all for me.
Thank You.

Peace, Love and a Pocketful of Sunshine!!
Shasta L.

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