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"Gov. Christie is a friend of mine and if he's offended by the show I'll have to watch it sometime. He must have some time on his hands. He passed a property tax cap. That's why he has the time to watch the show."
-New York governor David Paterson explains why we're all FUCKED he hasn't had a chance to watch "Jersey Shore," unlike his counterpart across the river, who is displeased by the show.
cue SNL clip of Patterson ripping Jersey.
I'm concerned that Gov. Paterson, due to his disability, is simply unable to grasp the sheer totality of the Jersey Shore experience. Pace Lovecraft, one should not hope to convey in mere words the unutterable hideousness etc. etc. etc.
How do you say "oompah loompah minstrelry" in sign language?
@Deep O: Minstrelsy, indeed. Snook is not even from NJ!
@Bookish: I don't mean to pounce, but I find this to be a common misinterpretation of the show. The fact that Snooki, and indeed several of her castmates, isn't from New Jersey is a feature, not a bug. Jersey Shore isn't about Jersey. It's about these folks. Being a part of the barbarian horde that descends upon the shore every summer and being from Poughkeepsie are perfectly consistent with one another.
boy of destiny is right. The people might not be from Jersey, but the Shore is.
@boyofdestiny: You can take the Jersey out of the Shore, but you, uh. Can't get Snooki into a jersey? Seriously, woman, HIDE YOUR SHAME.
footnote, re. Snooki — Honestly, I think she's adorable. Like a little yappy dog that ingratiates itself to you by chewing the ears of the other annoying yappy dogs. But she's on TV, and thus I can turn her off.
@boy True facts, but that doesn't make the Snookster's portrayal any less minstrelsome.
@deep I think I might agree, but then again, doesn't minstrelity imply that it's an act? That after taping, Snooki is going back to her solarium, wiping off the spray tan, throwing on some Dvorak, and having a discussion about why the existentialist dilemma is so damn bleak?
My attraction to the show from the very start was the sincerity of it. Sure, the Situation (or The Sitch, as I hope we start calling him) hams it up for the camera, but I don't think he's acting like a fundamentally different person. The earnestness is the draw.
I assume you've all seen this?!
You beat me to it, Dorothy!
I think minstrelality doesn't necessarily mean that the actors are acting TOTALLY fake, but that they are aware that they are performing an exaggeration/mockery. And that the people who are paying them DEFINITELY aren't part of this earnest subculture.
Christie also said in this interview that he will attempt to clawback pension payments to retired state workers and teachers.
WHAT DID WE LEARN? If you say "Jersey Shore," it's like a mind-erase whistle, and that's all the story synopses will be about.