Bimbos, Blowhards, & Anthropology

Friday, January 21, 2011 at 10:04pm

I watched “Jersey Shore” last night (I only get the bare minimum cable package, but somehow MTV manages to come in) because there was nothing else that caught my interest. I just happened to catch the episode where Snookie gets arrested for drunk & disorderly conduct on the beach. Watching “Jersey Shore” reminds me of those National Geographic specials I would watch when I was young (long before there was a National Geographic channel—in fact, there were only three channels). Sometimes they would find an isolated tribe in the Amazon or somewhere, who were so isolated they knew nothing about the civilized world (“civilized” = a concept for a future discussion). I was fascinated as the National Geographic folks learned of how they lived. These TV specials gave me my first exposure to the science of anthropology—the study of humanity and cultures. [By the way, one of the more interesting classes I took in law school was “Legal Anthropology” which studied the way different cultures handle the creation and administration of laws.]

I felt like an anthropologist as I watched this “tribe” of young men and women, living together in a big house in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. They work in a boardwalk t-shirt shop by day, and then drink and party at night. Even though they speak English (I think), I felt like I needed a translation listing so that I could interpret the slang they use (I realize that my group of college friends also had slang of our own, although I don't think it was quite so bizarre—but then again, I am getting old!).

Their mating habits are another interesting aspect from an anthropologist's perspective (the men and women of this show seem to show just about as much skin as those isolated tribes in the National Geographic specials). I don't remember girls acting quite like this when I was young, but maybe my astonishment is just a sign of how out of touch I am (I hate the way I sometimes sound like Andy Rooney). Seeing the fighting between Ronnie and Sam or J-Wow and her boyfriend was heavy drama. The shunning of Sam by the other girls is probably also typical in tribal cultures.

Watching Snookie's alcoholism culminate in her arrest was like watching a train wreck. You could see it coming, but there was nothing that could be done to stop it. I hope this girl (and all her friends) eventually get their act together and make something of themselves. Unfortunately, they seem to be doing pretty good as a result of their TV show. There never seems to be any concern about money. All they are concerned about is tanning, working out, and partying. The t-shirt shop wages can't pay for all that alcohol. I worry that their antics may encourage other youngsters to behave like they do.

The bottom line is that after watching Jersey Shore, I don't feel quite as embarrassed by the “Wild & Wonderful Whites of West Virginia”! [See my previous review of this movie at http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=414423555755]