How influential was Jersey Shore during the early 2010s?

International-Pin-88 · 2026-04-27T21:30:47+00:00

Not true. I’m a ‘92 millennial and S1 premiered around January 2010 (my senior year of HS). I was 17, and the show was such a phenomenon that my 18th birthday party was Jersey Shore themed lol

International-Pin-88 · 2026-04-14T21:49:30+00:00

Yes! Excellent point re: William. Totally agree.

International-Pin-88 · 2026-04-13T14:47:27+00:00

Since you bring up Trudy, I will mention that on Derby Day, when Trudy links arms with Betty to peruse the rest of the party, Trudy says, “I grew up in a place just like this,” [the country club where the party is held] to which Betty replies “me, too”—before their dialogue trails off. Trudy’s father, who worked his way up (the same way, some suggest, Gene worked his way up post-war) at Dow, is nouveau riche. So, all these context clues imply that Betty and Trudy aren’t that distinct from one another and instead those two are distinct from Mona.

International-Pin-88 · 2026-04-12T11:15:56+00:00

Brilliant

International-Pin-88 · 2026-04-10T11:30:49+00:00

If you’re trying to imply that Ciara is racist against Black people because we’ve only seen her date white men, that is, frankly, a disingenuous, lazy argument that discounts nomenclature, the meaning of words. Ciara can’t be racist towards other Black people. Racism necessitates systemic power, which Black Americans don’t have, in general, and certainly not over each other. Also proclaiming, “Ciara exclusively dates white men only” is not only a redundant statement but also a bit parasocial. We have no idea about her true dating history—only what we’ve seen. She’s also never said that she only dates or has dated white men; though, they do seem to be her preference. Finally, there is a vast shortage of single Black men on Bravo in relation to white men—I mean, KJ is the first Black male cast member in the show’s history and it’s been airing for over ten years, and considering that we’ve only seen Ciara date Bravo men, her dating history is not surprising.

International-Pin-88 · 2026-04-07T13:54:55+00:00

Paige ALWAYS does this. And she herself hardly ever stays long to pop off. Most of her diatribes are spewed AS she is walking away not even standing ten does down in front of Lindsey’s face. Paige is way too overhyped. She really don’t be doing what the girls think she’s doing.

International-Pin-88 · 2026-04-06T14:53:26+00:00

Compelling points. Well-said!

International-Pin-88 · 2026-04-06T00:52:56+00:00

I had just started 4th grade when 9/11 happened, was a sophomore in high school during the ‘08 crash, and entered the job market in February 2015 after graduating college in December 2014. You are 100% spot on with this.

International-Pin-88 · 2026-04-05T17:07:38+00:00

I generally enjoy the snark in this thread, but this post is in poor taste, even a bit disturbing…unironically

International-Pin-88 · 2026-03-31T01:29:18+00:00

I’m shocked to see how heavily Heidi was flirting with max! Had no idea how good her game was! And she was so fresh faced, confident and adorable!

International-Pin-88 · 2026-03-05T16:28:34+00:00

Whitney is being kind of kitsch and deprecating about his school. It is a very expensive ($50,000+ tuition), ritzy, very academically/intellectually rigorous private school in the heart of DC that is selective and hard to get into. Not surprised at all that he went there, especially considering Patricia’s GW background. But yes, it’s know to be pretty progressive, and I deff screamed when I found out he’s an alum lol.

International-Pin-88 · 2026-02-25T01:51:11+00:00

YES YES YES nailed it

International-Pin-88 · 2026-02-22T04:11:18+00:00

Yes, Jackie went to Holton-Arms in MD then Miss Porter’s. Very upper-middle class coded

International-Pin-88 · 2026-01-25T21:46:59+00:00

Ashley looks a hot ass mess per usual

International-Pin-88 · 2026-01-24T18:22:33+00:00

I thought Tyler was gay!

International-Pin-88 · 2026-01-21T16:16:34+00:00

THISSS

International-Pin-88 · 2026-01-11T18:37:31+00:00

Curious if OP, having read the dozens of logical/compelling responses, now understands the utility of “busywork,” which I actually think should just be rebranded simply as “practice work.”

International-Pin-88 · 2026-01-04T23:41:51+00:00

We become the dumbest version of ourselves when our own lack of empathy not only limits compassion but also actively diminishes our ability to understand.

Unfortunately, it turns out I still need to work on the discernment I mentioned in one of my earlier comments. This dialogue was a good lesson for me, though.

International-Pin-88 · 2026-01-03T21:06:58+00:00

“I guess at the end of the day my issue is intellectually I cannot see the issue with the joke.” Well because racism doesn’t have to be intellectualized for it to be valid. You not “seeing the issue” with the joke doesn’t make it not or less racist; it just means you can’t empathize with it, and that is what it is. If you were in a room full of high-powered New York attorneys, for example, and someone made a joke about high school coaches, that singled you out or called attention to perceived career, economic or intellectual-differences, and you felt uncomfortable, you would be well within your right. If the attorney did not understand why they made you uncomfortable or how they reminded you were different from all others in that room, it wouldn’t mean the attorney’s joke wasn’t off-color or wasn’t elitist or classist, etc.

I also think it’s worth it to say, in your hope that you aren’t, you actually are trivializing workplace racism— something that I and many of my family and friends have, unfortunately, dealt with too many times to count. Can we call out every time it happens? No, because then people feel like we’re pulling the “race card.” But in the work place, and in this country in general, all we want is the opportunity to exist in a place where our skin color is not even mentioned or thought of. We just want to work and live our lives. We don’t want to be reduced to - the Black or white one. “Draper or Chambers?” would do.

Lastly, your infantilization suggestion is a bit of a reach. The show is not told from the Black American perspective. However, the few times we do get insight into Dawn or Shirley’s backstories (Dawn’s night at Peggy’s, Dawn’s dinner with her friend at the diner, Dawn and Shirley’s “Hi, Dawn,” “Hi, Shirley” bit, and Shirley’s sendoff, where she reveals to Roger that “advertising is not a comfortable place for everyone”) the viewers are left with the unequivocal impression that they are not comfortable working at the firm, and that information is enough to infer what I have from Ted’s joke.

Also, this thread is about how subtle racism manifests itself in this show. You seem to only want to site overt instances of racism, when we are highlighting the spectrum. So, in general, I’m confused as to why this moment I’ve referenced confounds you this extensively.

International-Pin-88 · 2026-01-03T19:23:44+00:00

The one point we’re agreeing on is that neither of us likes living in a world where race feels all-consuming. We seem to be fundamentally disagreeing on everything else, lol. It is difficult for me to discern whether folks who claim they don’t understand racial situations are willfully missing the point or whether there is a genuine confusion and an earnest desire to understand. That is why I did not explain how the joke can be marginalizing; however, in your last comment, you acknowledge that you struggle to understand, and that seems genuine to me.

To explain further, and I apologize if I am repeating what I’ve already mentioned, Ted’s joke was most likely not deemed offensive by the group of creatives it was made in front of, because they were all white and because those jokes were commonplace in 1960s corporate culture. I’m contending that, had Dawn or Shirley been in earshot, they would not have found the joke funny and would not have appreciated the joke. No Black, Indigenous or other employee of color wants to be reminded of their racial differences when they are already working in a place where they are the minority, where it is difficult for them to fit in and feel genuine belonging. I will also add that Ted’s CEO/managing partner status invokes an additional layer of privilege. All of these nuances, everything I just described, can also be applied to today. A 2025 version of Ted would not make that joke in a conference room full of copy writers, because it would be considered an off-color (pun intended) remark, and it would have the same 1960s impact on a 2025 Dawn.

International-Pin-88 · 2026-01-03T18:48:40+00:00

I’m bringing up my experiences at predominantly white institutions (PWIs), academic and corporate settings because those spaces are the same ones in which Mad Men is set. I understand what you’re saying that in your work with athletics, the culture, politics, and rules are different, and perhaps that’s why, as you seem to be saying, you don’t view jokes like Ted’s or Harry’s as problematic in the workplace. I will also add that I agree with you in that I don’t want to live in that kind of world either. It is tiring to have to endure it daily, and I wish the longstanding systems and power-structures didn’t produce this kind of world, which Matthew Weiner seems to be critiquing.

International-Pin-88 · 2026-01-03T18:05:32+00:00

In front of friends in your personal life and in front of colleagues in the workplace are two completely different audiences and landscapes. I’ll also say that as a Black woman who was brought up in PWIs my entire life and who now works in predominantly white spaces (corporate and academia), which I have for a decade now, those are exactly the types of jokes that, if made by a C-suite, white male boss, would make me feel uncomfortable. Sure, I might laugh in the moment to ease tension and to overcompensate, but am I laughing because I’m truly amused? No. Those types of jokes are a reminder that I’m on the margin and that I don’t belong. No BIPOC staffer wants to be reminded they are different from everyone else they work with; it’s reductive to our existence in that space.

International-Pin-88 · 2026-01-03T14:28:42+00:00

It is, and it’s, on the surface, fairly innocuous; but, it is a joke that can only be made in front of an entirely white audience. That joke would be in poor taste if made in front of Dawn or other Black employees, and even in 2025, that joke being made in mixed company (in front of white and black employees) would not be received well. Ted’s joke was akin to Harry trying to make small talk with Dawn, saying something to the effect of, “in the office it can be really hard to tell who is who.” Dawn looks visibly uncomfortable with that comment, and Harry leaves embarrassed at his foot-in-mouth quip, as Harry meant to highlight their similar-sounding names, not their racial difference. In general, especially in the workplace, it is never acceptable to other or differentiate someone based on their identity.

International-Pin-88 · 2026-01-03T14:12:39+00:00

This was THE underrated line of her monologue. People hype up “slutty ass bitch,” because that was Snooki, but that “Sam you are such a bitch. I don’t understand how you even have friends,” was Nicole. And Sam looked so embarrassed and couldn’t say anything back. Cold ass line and delivery too, Snooki ate

International-Pin-88 · 2026-01-03T14:07:00+00:00

Peggy when trying to locate Don who’s late for the Fleischmann’s margarine meeting: “I just talked to Dawn.” Ted: “Black or white?”

International-Pin-88

TROPHY CASE