Collegiate Times

Growing up in suburban New Jersey, I was always told that hard work, dedication and self-respect could lead me anywhere. I now know that anywhere no longer includes the “Jersey Shore.”

Thanks to MTV’s latest installment in the network’s oh-so-impressive reality show collection, millions of Americans, myself included, have been exposed to the likes of Snooki and the gang, infusing the cast’s lingo and lifestyles into their own.

But a larger cause for concern than their drunken antics and public arrests is their representation of society.

In past times of economic distress and political confusion, people could always believe in the idea of the American Dream: If you work hard, everything will be all right. The dream, however, has taken a sharp turn from the wholesome to the indecent, trading in its hard hats for hair poofs.

“No work, all play” has become the road to a big payday, with these television staples earning more than most Americans could ever dream of.

Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino will reportedly bank $5 million by the year’s end while the other cast members earn thousands of dollars for as little as a club appearance. Now, before you go punch Snooki in the face (again), remember that the bulging payroll isn’t confined to Seaside Heights. Lauren Conrad from “The Hills” pulled in $125,000 per episode,  and everyone’s favorite Armenian drama queens, the Kardashian sisters, earn anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 for tweeting about a given company, according to ABC News.

It is thanks to this new influx of television personalities that a new American Dream is taking shape.

While a carefree, financially stable lifestyle is by no means a revolutionary desire, it is the immoral means of its acquisition that have changed dramatically. Morality is not a word  most of these people live by. In fact, I’d be surprised if half of the aforementioned celebrities could spell the word.

So, is it so wrong to believe in integrity, despite the reality that finding a wealthy and respectable social figure is harder than finding a UVa fan in Squires Student Center?

Look, I get it. The whole partying lifestyle and skin-exposing catfights are ratings boosters. It’s not rocket science. But since when does that kind of behavior lead to cushier lifestyles than the highly educated, productive individuals of our country? Millions of Americans are struggling in this economy, and this is where the money is going?

What may not be as surprising is the fact that the economy is partially responsible for this onset of “reality.” According to an article in People Magazine, “The Situation” was — get ready — a mortgage broker before crashing onto the MTV program. The crash in the economy led to a change in his career path, one that involved a lot fewer button-up shirts and a lot more exposure.

It’s an unfortunate case and there are many, many more around the nation just like him. Yet it goes to show how a hard-working job and respectable living cannot survive the times like these — yet the alternative option is held in such high regards financially. With examples like this, it is no wonder young people today are readjusting their expectations and goals.

I have nothing personally against these people; it is their lifestyles and rewards from said “jobs” that I think are unjustified and unfair. While there may not be a price on happiness or hard work, it seems as though MTV and other cable networks are doing everything they can to match it.