January 22, 2010

Jersey Shore on the rez?

MTV Jersey Shore Could Be Set on Any Indian Reservation

By Roscoe PondI got to thinking about what MTV is doing. They certainly wanted TV ratings and so they stooped to the lowest common denominator. Stereotypes. They even capitalized on the controversy by standing behind the show as people tuned in to watch. It paid off. They even released the scene where a male bartender literally punches "Snooki" in the face. That scene has become an Internet sensation even though MTV won't air it on the actual show. Smart marketing. "Snooki" has become an instant reality TV celebrity for being punched as she sits there drunk and not really knowing why she gets clocked.

I began to think about reality TV ideas. We Native Americans can honestly put this show to shame. Yes, our stereotypes are at worst set in the American West as Native "warriors" and "princesses." If you set our reality TV show on the Indian reservation and in an all-Indian Bar. Then you would have more than a train wreck. You would have a free for all. I don't think "Snooki" would survive one day in an Indian Bar let alone on an Indian reservation. Plus, our TV show names would be too, too funny. I performed in a stage play called "Evening at the Warbonnet" many, many years ago. It was about several lost Natives who walk into a Bar called "The Warbonnet" to confess their sins. That would be a great "title" to this Native Reality TV show. It is something to think about.
Comment:  I don't know if Pond wants to see Jersey Shore set on a reservation. My take on Jersey Shore would be a little different. Both it and the proposed Evening at the Warbonnet deal in stereotypes. So do their violent counterparts: The Sopranos and SCALPED. Stereotypes are bad, so entertainment products like these should avoid them. To the extent these products use stereotypes, they're also bad.

For more on the subject, see TV Shows Featuring Indians.

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