The Real Jersey Shore

The History of Guidos

"The Sopranos is like Shakespeare and Tony Soprano is King Lear. The trouble is, a show like Jersey Shore is just a room full of attendants: all Rosencrantz and Guildenstern without a leader." – Gina Barreca, an English professor at the University of Connecticut.

Italians are given many different racist names such as "Guido," "Wonder Bread Wop," and "Zip." Guido has become the most popular used nickname for Italians, which means someone who reveals a mafia personality. Many Italians wanted their mafia ways to be hidden because being exposed could only destroy their rep. The Oxford English Dictionary describes Guido as "A person regarded as socially unsophisticated, esp. one whose attire and behavior are viewed as typically a lower class and suburban; especially an Italian American man, esp. one who is aggressively masculine and vain regarding his appearance and possessions." The explanation in the OED justifies how Guido can be an offensive word for Italian Americans. No one wants to be known as a lower class American who only cares about their looks and material items. According to the OED, Guido was recorded on March 24, 1985 in the Record New Jersey when, "Russo proudly calls himself a 'Guido', a term used in local discos to describe a guy who is flashy, macho, and cool."

The female cast members in Jersey Shore use the term 'guido' when they're chitchatting about the perfect guy. According to an interview in The Star-Ledger with SallyAnn Salsano, for these girls, a guy should be muscular and tan with spikey hair. For example, Jwoww said, "I think it's my mission to hook up with the hottest Jersey Guido." Jwoww would say this every night before she met her boyfriend, Roger. Another example, Sammi used the term like this, "The smaller the shorts, the better because all the little Guido guys out there love them." The male cast members used the term talking about the "lifestyle" more. A particular Pauly D quote is the definition of what MTV believes, which is "I got a fucking tanning bed in my place, that's how serious I am about being a Guido and living up to that lifestyle."

MTV took the ethnic slur "Guido" and added twists to the meaning of the culture. André DiMino, president of Unico National, told the New York Times how he felt about the Jersey Shore cast members by saying, "Their behavior is reprehensible and demeaning in all respects. I don't see any redeeming values in the show. They are an embarrassment to themselves and to their families," during an interview. His statement proves some groups of Italians are very offended by this popular lifestyle term. These Italian communities stand up strong for their culture and history. They believe in good values and upholding family morals. Good values include respecting others and being well-behaved in public. Family members teach their children what good judgment is and that family is everything. Dennis J. Starr's discusses the Italian families' lifestyle in his book called The Italians of New Jersey: A Historical Introduction and Bibliography.

The Jersey Shore cast members break these values daily. The girls and guys are always fighting with someone, whether it's a roommate or someone at the bar. Their fights create drama with each other and with any others associating with them. Everyone has to get involved and say what they believe in. The cast members show very little respect for anyone. For example, Snooki has been caught drinking in bathrooms or storage closets on many different occasions. She also got arrested in Season 3 in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, for being too drunk after a two-day beach drinking bender. Snooki's arrests and poor actions prove how the cast members are ruining the shore and Italian-Americans' reputations.

MTV commented back to Andrè DiMino by saying, "We understand that this show is not intended for every audience and depicts just one aspect of youth culture. Our intention was never to stereotype, discriminate, or offend." This shows how the producers didn't think about what Italian-Americans would think about their new show. The apology in the same article of the New York Times from MTV was very thoughtful and respectful.

Finlo Rohrer, a reporter from BBC News, interviewed New Jersey state Senator Joe Vitale about his option on the term Guido. Senator Joe Vitale said, "For me using 'Guido' is like using the n-word." Andre DiMino backs up the Senator. "It would be close to using the n-word. It is an insulting term. When I was younger that was a term where you would fight for your honour." DiMono explains to Rohrer that the term means an Italian American who is a low-class person who is uneducated, boorish, and stupid, which is the complete opposite of MTV's definition of Guido. MTV's cast members of the Jersey Shore suggest the word means someone who is "a fun-loving, well-groomed, sun-tanned gym-frequenter," points out Rohrer. How did MTV twist the real meaning this much? What is the source of this new definition? Why would MTV want to change the meaning of this ethnic slur?

Lisa Rose of The Star-Ledger interviewed Sally-Ann Salsano, co-creator of MTV's Jersey Shore show, for some answers to these questions. Salsano shared how she wanted the show to reflect her experience on the beaches and bars at the Jersey Shore that she discovered after college. She's a 36-year-old native of Long Island, New York, who's an Italian American. In the article, Rose mentioned to Salsano that she doesn't use the "g" word. The fact that Lisa used g-word, instead of saying Guido, proves it's offense. Salsano responds, "The kids say it. That's how they refer to themselves. It is something you're proud of. It's never been a derogatory term to me or anyone in my family." She doesn't seem to understand that maybe her family never got offended by being called a Guido, but others may have other ideas. Salsano brings up another name used to refer to Italians, which is "Benny," then states how Guido isn't any better. Salsano backs up her faith in the lifestyle of Guidos by agreeing with Rose to a point. She agrees "Benny" isn't any better than being called a Guido but adds that it's like a bridge and tunnel thing.

The proper term for Sally-Ann Salsano's Guido lifestyle is "bella figura," according to Fred Gardaphe in his interview with The Times US. "Bella figura" means, "to put on a show so people don't know the real you. It means you're poor, you make them think you're rich. If you're rich, you make them think you're poor. It's all about protection," Gardaphe points out to The Times US reporter, Caryn Brooks that HBO's The Sopranos depicts this way of living with the mafia storyline and background.

This Italian-American based show is respected more because the cast members aren't making the culture look bad. The show helps explain the history behind the lifestyle rather than mocking New Jersey and Italians. The Sopranos didn't mock the Italian culture or history like the Jersey Shore does.

The term Guido drew my attention because I wanted to know where it comes from, why it sounds so familiar, and who it refers to. Doing the research for this essay, I could not believe what I read. I'm not even Italian and I started getting offended about the word choice. MTV said that it didn't mean any harm, but I was shocked after I read articles about the true meaning. I was curious how MTV had spun things. Salsano, the co-creator, made me feel like someone had erased my memories of the Jersey Shore. She had no right to say that "Guido" never offended her family, but they're not the only family on this planet. The word may not be a problem for the Salsano family, but it is for a lot of other families.

My research has taught me that I have to stand up for what I believe in and not let someone like Salsano walk all over my home state. My voice will be heard if I feel strongly about my beliefs and back my thoughts up with facts. I am proud to say that I am from New Jersey. Nothing will ever change that.