In The Jersey Shore

I have a dark secret that I must now share with you all.

I very much enjoy The Jersey Shore. Unironically.

Shocking, I know. I can just tell, though, that a few of the people there are completely aware of how ridiculous everything is, chiefly the runt of the group, Vinny. It probably didn't hurt that tonight they cavorted in their own promos with Michael Cera, doing his tour circuit for the new movie Youth In Revolt, or for that matter that just yesterday I discovered this video in which The Situation, Snookie and Pauly D openly show they comprehend their show's place at the back of the artistic bus (to descending degrees, in order).

As much as I hate stupid reality T.V. and stupid assholes who don't understand that they're only entertaining in an ironic way, post-post-modernly the only people who don't know not to take themselves seriously, it seems like these individuals go above and beyond the typical Real World dissociation. Rather, these people are, well, people. They have (varying measures of) depth. They have feelings, damn it. Real feelings that are based on the facts of the situations at hand and not (usually) how much money they're going to make from MTV.

Worse yet, I'm watching this like it's an anthropology study. Legitimately, these people seem to understand that faux-tans, blowouts, Ed Hardy and bad dye-jobs are only considered even remotely stylish by the people in that exact area of the world, however it just happens to be what they like aesthetically, and they seem very tolerant of others based off that. They are like the kids in high school who always went to Warped Tour instead of homecoming. They know it's not universally cool, but it's cool among the people they like to hang out with. They have their own values and rules and styles and so long as you let them do their moshing or their skanking or their fist pumping they're okay with you doing whatever the hell it is you do instead of going to the gym every morning.