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New York, 3:51 AM
Fri Dec 4
52 posts in the last 24 hours
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11/25/09
11/25/09
My father came over from Sicily when he was 12 and settled in a large Italian American community
(Hartford, CT) where my sister and I were raised. She and I both left the Northeast after college moving to two distinct and sizable U.S. cities, Pittsburgh, PA and Washington, DC. I cannot speak for Pittsburgh, which has an extensive and ingrained Italian American culture, but in Northern Virginia/DC the Italian American stereotype is usually an organized crime figure (either Godfather or Sopranos) and expressed jokingly.
The New Jersey stereotype however is a womanizing, spray on tanned, overly aggressive (on account of the steroids), uneducated, materialistic male drinking Heineken Light or Jaeger and complimented by a ridiculous blowout haircut.
This show does more to label the Garden State in an off-putting manner rather than Italian Americans at large. I predict that none of my co-workers, many that are originally from the Southeast and other parts of the United States, will watch this show and come off thinking that all Italians Americans are like this. Rather, they would be more inclined to believe that people from New Jersey act like this.
11/25/09
My point is, as an Irish-American, I don't care about the Fighting Irish stereotypes because I know that there is some truth and that what isn't (or is no longer) true isn't worth protesting. And especially since The Departed came out, a lot of Irish-Americans even embrace those stereotypes, thinking it makes them look badass. For every Italian-American offended by the Godfather or the Sopranos or Real Housewives of New Jersey, there are even more who love that shit, like it gives them some power. Just live with it. That's what the Irish have done and that's what a lot of Jewish comedians have built their acts on. By embracing or even just tolerating the stereotypes, you reduce their power.
11/25/09
[www.getoffourisland.com]
11/25/09
[www.bennygohome.com]
11/25/09
It was the "Prostitution Whoo-rah!" heard around the world.
11/25/09
The answer may be to raise your kids not to turn into whatever douche-royale is depicted on the screen. Let it be a lesson to you, and stop the madness! It’s a PSA really.
11/25/09
Oh, if only a comment could be bronzed and mounted on the kitchen wall of every home right next to the standard woodcarving of the Last Supper...
11/25/09
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11/25/09
[www.bennygohome.com]
11/25/09
It's just sad when the ones who are balding try to do their hair like that. It's so...see-through.
11/25/09
11/25/09
Guido was a slang term once on par with any of your typical racial remarks that morphed into a somewhat acceptable definition for people, typically of italian decent though not necessarily especially in the last decade or so, who acts like a goon. They typically use spray tan, gel their hair into spikes, and act like they are tough and hot shit.
A Benny (or a Shoobie as the real south Jersains call them) was a slang term for out of towners typically from the northern areas of New Jersey as well as NY who migrated to what they termed "the shore." the resort areas of NJ, for the summer.
The term stands for Bayonne, Elizabeth, Newark, and New York 3 of which where northern stops on the "Shore Line" which goes down to Bay Head NJ.
Shoobie typically is used south of Long Beach Island and is supposedly termed that because back in the 20s people used to carry their stuff for the beach in shoe boxes.
A goomba is a term for a "good old boy" want to be. Sometimes its used for actually connected people, but usually its just used on people who pretend they are.
11/25/09
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11/25/09
These are just obnoxious (and rich? haven't seen the show yet) people from the Jersey Shore.
If we're going to get upset it should be because MTV can't come up with a new fucking idea.
11/25/09
1. This is what these people are really like. Maybe MTV turned the volume up to 11 for the show, but that didn't take much because guido volume is normally at around 9.5 in general (literally and figuratively).
2. The guidos will idolize this show. They have no sense of irony and genuinely don't get that people are making fun of them out of disgust and not jealousy. They do genuinely think they're super-awesome.
3. As someone who is personally about as far from this lifestyle as one can get (and worked hard to get there), I do have to say that I find the idea of this show both hilarious and painful at the same time. It's hilarious because yeah, they're idiots and its always fun to laugh at idiots. But honestly, I have to work SO hard in my life (especially my professional life) to actively distance myself from these stereotypes (which do follow me around, especially when I tell people I'm from Queens), that I really do cringe at the thought of even more people being exposed to this kind of behavior.
I mean, it's no worse than any other ethnic group really, but it just seems to be more significant because of all the pop culture surrounding the stereotypes.
11/25/09