Boy, did this piece in Slate Magazine strike a cord. For all you ‘Jersey Shore’ devotees – it’s not a joke – this is a lifestyle. I wouldn’t say it’s EVERYWHERE on the island – but definitely a certain part of the island.
No wonder I used to sneak off to Manhattan in High School. Though, can’t front, all the girls were jealous about my tan + I may or may not have dated a ‘guido’ (def did not fist pump) – haha.
In all seriousness – this is NOT SI’s main cultural export, maybe the most exploitable for entertainment based on ignorance. Staten Island is NYC’s greenest boro, with parks, museums, a chinese scholar garden (only one on the east coast), a ZOO, beaches (water safety? questionable), WU-TANG, really good pizza and home to people with strong senses of family. Sure, it’s infected with stripmalls and tanning salons the more South you go…but when my parents could afford to live on SI, they jetted from the concrete (and risky) jungle of Queens for their version of something better for us. SI has it’s fair share of NYC grit too.
So, thanks folks. I don’t hate where I’m from. I feel blessed. Now on to some other shitty youth culture, MTV. Not that you have the same influence you once did…but that’s a whole ‘nother subject.
