New Jersey "Reality" - CNN IReport

New Jersey "Reality" CNN IReport


May 11, 2010
Cliffwood Beach, New Jersey
Vetting explained Posted by:
(me)


CNN producer note

MichellePK says she is from New Jersey.

- nsaidi, CNN iReport producer



iReport — Reality shows about the Garden State have become very popular in the last couple of years. The two that are most familiar to me is “The Jersey Shore” and “Real Housewives of New Jersey”. I admit, I was excited that there were shows about the people in NJ; that is, until I watched an episode. I couldn’t stomach much more than one or two episodes of either show.

These two shows portray the people of New Jersey to be ignorant, self-centered, loud, and tasteless. People who live here and who come here to vacation don’t act that way. I guess the operative word here is “act”. The drama on these shows is strictly for entertainment and to poke fun at New Jersey. Being that I am from New Jersey and I’m also an Italian American, I am not laughing nor am I entertained.

Let me tell you a little bit about the New Jersey that I live in. I work and attend classes at a NJ community college that has 15,000 students, and I have never had contact with anyone that remotely resembles the cast of Jersey Shore. The young people that I see every day are bright stars who are looking to make their way in the world.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey doesn’t offend me as much as it disappoints me. The show makes these women look like immature high school girls acting tough and throwing temper tantrums.

I have been fortunate to know some very creative and caring women from different backgrounds and education levels whom are well informed, work hard outside and inside their home, and they keep the drama at a minimum. There haven’t been any tables flipped at any of the dinner parties I’ve attended.

The bottom line is that these shows may give New Jersey attention, but they are not reality. These are TV shows pretending to by reality. The real New Jersey is a much nicer place with a lot to offer as far as museums, art, restaurants, concerts, theater, beautiful parks --and the list goes on.