Face Off! MTV Guidos/Guidettes v. New Jersey Italian American Legislative Caucus

Did anyone even know there was a group called the New Jersey Italian American Legislative Caucus? I have to ask that because I've been going through a Google search of the group's name and every hit so far has to do with this particular story.

I've yet to see any mention of this group of state and local legislators in Jersey without a reference to the show.

Which of course leads me to ask, "Is this group trying to make political hay for itself on the backs of a bunch of 20-somethings on an MTV reality show?"

Because, New Jersey Italian American Legislative Caucus, it kind of looks exactly like that. And, the claim in the letter you sent to Viacom asking them to cancel the show that equates the show with a hate crime (really?), is a huge stretch.

A state senator from the Seaside Heights area, Joseph Vitale, and Richard Bilotti, the chairman of the New Jersey Italian and Italian American Heritage Commission have publicly stated in this document that "The bias-related acts displayed by employees of MTV Networks in the production and marketing of Jersey Shore by their nature, are confrontational, inflame tensions and promote social hostility. These acts are contrary to the spirit of New Jersey law and jeopardize the active and open pursuit of freedom and opportunity."

(Vickie Hyman at the Newark Star-Ledger has more.)

Oh, and the Star-Ledger intimates that people "like Pauly Delvecchio ... and his out-of-state ilk" are somehow culpable in a conspiratorial way in the caption that accompanies the short item just by virtue of not being Jersey residents.

Poor Pauly, poor Rhode Island, poor Guidos.

If these protesters can prove that before this show started shooting last summer that Seaside Heights had never seen a fist pumping or a hot tub filled with barely legals of both sexes polluting the water with hair product while exchanging saliva, I think they might have a case.

And good luck with that. No, seriously, good luck.

And, btw, hate crime legislation is very specific and very important and to "go there" shows contempt not only for the hate crimes laws that have been so hard to get on the books but the people those laws protect.

So there.