This past weekend, the University of Chicago hosted a conference dedicated to exploring and presenting findings in a relatively new and unflinchingly original social topic: “Jersey Shore” Studies.
Hundreds of academic scholars, humorists, philosophers, undergraduate and graduate students, professors and people associated with the show were in attendance at the conference’s four sessions devoted to discovering the social and cultural implications of the wildly popular MTV show. Among the topics explored were examinations of the show’s financial impact on the shoreline, the history of reality TV archetypes, and the impact of Guido culture depicted on the show on Italian-American perceptions. One of the keynote speakers, University of Michigan Assistant Professor Candace Moore, discussed the homosocial friendship between Vinny and Pauly D, calling their quest for one-night stands a parallel to gay male sexual culture.
As sensational as these bits of analysis appear to be, one must wonder at the social relevance of studying a phenomenon like “Jersey Shore.” The culture of the reality show on MTV can perhaps be generalized to Guido or shore life, but it certainly cannot be generalized to larger trends in American culture, as it is such an isolated segment projected through the distorted lens of reality television.
It becomes equally as difficult to envision the relevance of “Jersey Shore” in the years to come. Staples of the American cultural landscape that tend to remain so are generally works of substance whose stock can withstand the challenge of time. One cannot validly compare the impact of Hemingway’s writings to an episode of Deena and Snooki’s antics on MTV. “Jersey Shore” is a cultural flash in the pan and should be perceived as such. Any other meaning that scholars might extrapolate from it seems cartoonish at best.
Moreover, the social questions that the conference attempts to answer can be addressed through avenues other than reality shows on MTV. The social perception of Italian-Americans should not stem from observations on “Jersey Shore”; if anything, the show should be a footnote tacked onto the end of the larger picture.
It seems a bit of a stretch to call a close observation of Guido shenanigans “academic research.” At best, it seems to be an excuse for the scholars of the world to come together to discuss their collective preference for J-Woww over Sammi Sweetheart under the guise of academia.
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