The Truth About Snooki
An Obsession with Disaster
By Wes Fessler |
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July 31, 2010 |
The truth about Snooki is more than her arrest on Friday, July 30, 2010 at a New Jersey beach area for charges that according to the Associate Press, indicate that she was, “bothering people.” The truth about Snooki is a deeper truth, a truth about us—all of us who watch her, and tune in as her juvenile tendencies evolve before our eyes. The truth about Snooki, however, is that her story is more about us than it is about her.
Obama (Conveniently) Forgot Snooki
While I would prefer to take President Obama’s stand (however false it may be), as he dubiously announced on the television show, “the View,” that he, “Doesn’t know who Snooki is,” in reality I must confess that I do know who she is, because her image and shocking stories are found in every outlet of media known to man, and for what…a fascination with “reality TV,” and people who attract disaster wherever they go.
Addicted Eyes
Let’s face it; these are difficult days when our lives are complicated and fraught with challenges. There are times when we likely all feel that our challenges and frustrations exceed those of anyone around us…and that is certainly not how anyone should have to feel. Snooki is someone that people in difficult times can look at and think, “well, at least that is not happening to me.” As bad as it is, Snooki’s popularity is fed by the cameras and addicted eyes of viewers who can’t wait to see what kind of train wreck she will turn her life into on the upcoming epsiode.
Anything but Reality
I don’t mean to pick on Snooki, and this mindset applies to other figures that are kept under the spotlight. It’s hard to find a path to “normal” life when you are shielded from normality. The world is intent upon shooting every moment of these “celebrities’” lives, and while it may be their choice to be in the spotlight, nobody can truly expect normalcy to emerge from people in such abnormal conditions. While even celebrities are expected to follow the law, and to behave “appropriately,” their reality is what we have made it for them…a world that is anything, but reality.
We are Part of the Problem
The media and its audience are a part of the problem, whether we want to admit it, or not. Look at the daily realities of people like Lindsay Lohan, Mel Gibson, and even Miley Cyrus. The money, the fame, and the prying eyes are a difficult definition of reality to accept, and yet this is the reality in which they live.
Now we expect people like Snooki to be responsible and to live like “normal” people live, but at some point, we all (even I) have to admit that we play a part in the disasters they are making of their lives. Although the responsibility for their actions is ultimately theirs alone, we contribute to the chaos, the madness, and the actions that “bother people.”
Ignore them and they will Go Away
As much as it may damage their show’s ratings and their highly inflated self-images, perhaps the best thing people can do for celebrities is to leave them alone: you know, ignore them, and they will go away…really? Yes, if we ignore them, and deal with the realities of our own lives, we will all be better off. So, will we do it? Probably not, but maybe as we’re watching the disasters of their lives as they unfold, perhaps we will be more aware of our own, and less likely to point fingers at them to laugh at their calamities, when we have plenty to deal with ourselves.
References:
Snooki of Jersey Shore arrested in NJ beach town. Accessed 7/31/2010
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100731/ap_on_en_tv/us_jersey_
shore_arrest_5
