Why Jersey Shore is Punk Rock

Most Punks will tell you that they rarely watch television, but if and when they do, they typically watch a show or series that has surpassed the plots of many other television shows in circulation. In essence, in order for Punks and people of the "underground culture" to watch television, the show HAS to be a pretty big deal. Jersey Shore premiered its second season after the immense and overwhelming success of the first season, and while the premiere of the television show’s second season may continue to be irrelevant to the Punk Rock music scene, it has rapidly become one of the biggest sensations to strike both television, and even Punk viewers who never before considered the television to be a form of entertainment. Jersey Shore has struck Miami Beach, but more importantly, Jersey Shore has struck the Punks in your local scene, with good reason.

The premiere of the series created intense hype which surprisingly, also affected the Punk community. While some object to the scandalous occurrences of the show and criticize the series for further delivering trash and unproductive characters on television, the reality of it is, Jersey Shore is pretty Punk rock. Many of MTV’s reality TV shows feature personalities and scenarios which are far fetched and unrelateable to not only Punks, but also to the general public. Shows like The Hills and My Super Sweet Sixteen feature lavish and wealthy lifestyles that appear to virtually afford beauty, glamor, and material objects of any size, shape and price. Punks definitely come nowhere near to any of that. Even shows like The Real World fail to capture the interest of reality TV junkies, mainly because the people they cast are typically suburban-living-White-Caucasian-preppy Chad and Ashley, with token African American guy for variety. Once again, the given scenario does not appeal to Punks… and why would it? Jersey Shore rose up above these pretentious shows as the underdog, and unlike the typical "reality tv" shows of the other networks, demonstrated the nitty-gritty of a lifestyle that keeps appearing more and more similar to the Punk rock life.

Just how is Jersey Shore Punk rock? Besides the show’s distinguished nature which separates it from the above mentioned shows on MTV, Jersey Shore delivers reality TV in a manner which most networks have failed to provide, and in such a manner that it has caused most networks to mimic and replicate it. The biggest factors contributing to the success of the show consist of Punk Rock’s favorite things: alcohol, sex, and Rock N Roll (or in Jersey Shore’s case, Techno). Music, alcohol, and sex explicitly create the situations of the show and deliver it a la mode de infamous Punk rockers Sid Vicious and even GG Allin (Minus the prejudice and sexism). In fact, when watching Jersey Shore, GG Allin’s song "Drink, Fight, And Fuck" seems to perfectly coincide with the situations of the show as cast members of Jersey Shore indulge in alcohol, then occasionally become involved in physical altercations, then engage in sexual escapades with people they meet, though not necessarily in that order. Truth be told, Jersey Shore’s ability to honestly illustrate one aspect of youthful-living in America makes the show that much more credible and interesting. Punks can appreciate honest illustrations of human beings, even if they’re not the most positive. As the underdog, Jersey Shore has demonstrated characters at their worst, and has also caused critics to misunderstand the Jersey Shore entity, similar to the way in which society has misunderstood Punk Rock and its music for years. Though Jersey Shore may indeed be trashy and classless, has Punk Rock ever NOT been considered so? Jersey Shore and Punk Rock aren’t as different as they are deemed to be.

The Punk community has been hit with a television show that bears a striking resemblance to a lifestyle that has been frowned upon by society for years; a lifestyle which most can say is like the Punk Rock lifestyle. Maybe not all aspects of the show are relateable, as the cast member’s sexual encounters may not exactly be the standard of most Punks, and Edge kids would not relate at all to the use of alcohol, but the profanity, fights, and side stories included (such as Sam and Ronnie’s quest for love) are all situations which the majority of Punk Rockers can agree they’ve experienced at ONE point in their lives. While the rest of America indulges in shows like So You Think You Can Dance or Glee, most members of the Punk community have made it clear through their social networking pages that Jersey Shore is the show thats garnered their interest; a show which undoubtedly, is pretty Punk Rock.
 

-Stephanie M.-
Senior Staff Reporter
Big Wheel Online Magazine

 

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