Thursday, September 30, 2010

Why I Love "Jersey Shore"

To get down to it: I love Jersey Shore because of the community that the producers of the show and the natural chemistry of those involved have created. By "community" I mean both in the sense of the actual communal living and interactions, but also the larger, almost Zeitgeist, embodiment of all that is right and wrong with pop culture today. In Jersey Shore, you see the tightness of a community, especially among Vinny, Pauly, and Mike, that I really miss right now. Even though their motives are often puerile and self-serving, there is a real love of each other that I don't think the producers needed to cultivate - I think it's just naturally there. And that love for one another pulls me in as a viewer and makes me feel like a part of their emotional lives.
Next is the constant drama, that may or may not be fabricated from show to show. The feeling of anticipation that is created at each commercial break, a wondering what will happen next, makes for compelling television, even if the fulfillment of that anticipation is totally morally deficient. Yet in the drama, I think the show strikes on an issue that is extremely relevant and resonating within the lives of the mainly teenage audience of the show: loyalty and respect. Loyalty is a huge theme throughout the show, seen especially in Ronnie and Sam's relational saga, but also on every other level of all the housemates' social interactions. You can get away with a great deal as long as you remain loyal. Teenagers long for friends who are above all loyal to them and their wishes and expressed feelings about things. As far as respect goes, or lack thereof, Angelina finally left the show tonight, and not a moment too soon. Why did she feel as though everyone else in the house hated her? They had no reason to respect her, because she did nothing to respect them. She actually purposefully sought to disrespect them.
Finally, returning to the idea of the Zeitgeist- I love the Jersey Shore because it holds up a mirror to adolescent (and adult) vapidity and vanity, but also the longing for connection and a sense of belonging. It celebrates the self and the drama of human relationships in a way that leaves one thinking that we are all not so different from one another, that our inner worlds might not be so ostentatiously self-serving, but still exist in a potent and seemingly endless variety of ineffectual self-pleasing mechanisms that all inevitably fail. What is the point of the show? To where does it lead? I can't imagine anywhere entirely meaningful. They are there to have fun, and to a certain extent so are we. We cheer in the cosmic drama of Angelina leaving the show because we feel that right has prevailed, but to what end? The Jersey Shore is both a break from our own cosmic struggle for connection and belonging, but also a creative submersion into a parallel universe, a world very similar to our own, in which our struggles are played out in fist fights and trash talking and stealing girls at clubs. Their world is a safe space for our beleaguered emotions to duke it out, and hopefully come to some happy resolution at the end. I just love the Jersey Shore. Judge me if you must :)

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

A Twittering Twit

Yes, I went and done it. I finally ceded my pride to the blithering masses and signed up for Twitter. And you know what? I don't regret it one bit. In fact I secretly love it. Not so secret any more. Here's the thing I like: not posting my own more or less inane and unoriginal "tweets," but the convenient consolidation of so many different sources of information in one place. Instead of checking all these sites individually, I now have them all in one place. And usually it's only the most pertinent info that ends up there, which is great. I think I resisted so long because I dislike fads and becoming a part of any zombie-ish unthinking social movement. But at least for me, for right now, this one totally makes sense. Who knows, I might start actually "tweeting". But for now I'm just enjoying the view. If you're not on it yet - give a try. It's not so scary. I mean your craving for brains may increase by 30% or so, but that's a small price to pay for the lilting thrill of being "followed" by someone. When is the Twitter brain implant coming? Would it stimulate your auditory nerve and simulate a bird's tweet? That would be great. It would also be great if people only had 160 characters to make their point in real life and conversation. Not only would we all be clearer thinkers, we could cut out the fluff and keep it simple. Thank you, internet, for again infinitely improving our lives.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Malcolm Gladwell and Being Unemployed

I've been reading a ton of Malcolm Gladwell lately, and although a lot of people already know his work I thought I'd just throw in my two cents. I started with Blink, which I thought was really interesting. My main question is how does one develop the sort of expertise he's talking about so that one's snap decisions are accurate? I guess that's where he goes in Outliers but I haven't got to that one yet. I then read Tipping Point, and I think that when you combine the sorts of insights from that and Blink together, you have a really complex and perceptive way of viewing the world and your place in it. I think they both help develop a sense of awareness and cognizance about the world that is extremely useful in understanding everything from basic social interactions to larger world phenomena. Thinking through what those books suggest, I've been hyper-aware of the littlest things during interacting with other people. Noticing whether people look me in the eye or not when talking. Being aware of when I move my hand or arm in response to the person sitting across the table from me. It's all very interesting.
Next, on being unemployed. It's a very interesting sort of state, of suspended animation. I'm not totally unemployed; I'm substitute teaching every now and then, but not nearly often enough to live on. I understand that this is a great time for reflection, to analyze what is important to me, what kind of job I would love to do, etc. It's just a lot of pressure, feeling like it's make or break, that I need to find something soon or else. I'm not really sure what that "else" is, but it isn't good. I'm just perpetually surprised that I can't find good work, and that is interesting in and of itself. There's no reason why I should. The universe made no pact with me. I think I can be successful, that I have gifts and abilities and a desire to contribute to the world and make it better. I just don't know what it will take. We'll see.