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| US asks why 'jet bomber' had visa The US homeland security chief asks how a Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a jet could have a visa. news.bbc.co.uk |
Italian-Americans hit back at Jersey Shore's use of the word 'guido' MTV in hot water over reality TV show's depiction of loud-mouthed stereotypesThey are four men and four women, thrown together in a New Jersey beach house for one acrimonious summer. Loud, foul-mouthed, hyper-groomed, spray-tanned and constantly looking for sex, they appear to come straight from central casting for reality television.But Snooki, the Situation, Vinny, DJ Pauly D, Ronnie, Angelina, Sammi and J-WOWW – the stars of MTV's new reality show, Jersey Shore – are distinguished by a common factor that has provoked controversy unusual even by the standards of the genre: they are Italian-American. Worse, they are self-styled "guidos" and "guidettes"."I love guidos! I love Italian boys with muscles," screeched Angelina soon after the start of the first episode of a series that has gained notoriety almost overnight. "I want to find the hottest guido and take him home," chimed in J-WOWW, real name Jenni, who gained her nickname apparently because when she walks into a bar the guys yell "J-WOWW!"The problem is that "guido" – slang for a working-class urban Italian-American – is widely perceived by Italian-Americans as a pejorative word, like "spic" or "wop", and the stereotype is unflattering. In its promotion for the series, which went on air last month, MTV said it had gathered the "hottest, tannest, craziest guidos" and assembled them in Seaside Heights, a popular beach resort.But if the channel expected applause from the Italian-American community, it had a rude awakening. Three Italian-American groups cried foul, including Unico National, the largest Italian community organisation in New Jersey. Its president, Andrew DiMino, said: "It's a term used to insult us, implying we are all uneducated people without social graces." New Jersey state senator Joseph Vitale has called on MTV's parent corporation, Viacom, to take the show off the air. "It promotes hatred and insults women of this state," he said. "If this were the same with African-American or Hispanic or Polish kids, there would be hell to pay."Seaside Heights council is regretting its decision to host the show, putting out a statement last week clarifying that it does not condone it.An official, John Camera, said: "We're getting a lot of calls from residents and property owners saying that they're offended and they don't know why the town did it."DiMino accepted that the "G-word" is used by some Italian-Americans – not least the eight cast members of Jersey Shore – as a self-description, but he said that didn't make such "self-loathing" right and likened it to black Americans calling themselves by the N-word.MTV has been showered with complaints. The New York Post's Linda Stasi waded in with a fiery column in which she accused MTV of stereotyping her ethnic group as "gel-haired, thuggish ignoramuses with fake tans, no manners, no diction, no taste, no education, no sexual discretion, no hairdressers (for sure), no real knowledge of Italian culture and no ambition".MTV responded with a statement insisting that the show depicts just one slice of youth culture. "Our intention was never to stereotype, discriminate or offend," it said.The frustration for protesters is that controversy is life blood to any reality show. Jersey Shore's ratings doubled to 2.1 million in the second episode, in rough proportion to the stink that it created.In one respect, though, MTV may be vulnerable. Advertisers are becoming nervous about appearing during the broadcast. Domino's Pizza pulled all its commercials, and other brands are thought to be quietly shunning the show. That helps explain MTV's increasingly cautious approach. It no longer uses the terms "guido" and "guidettes" in its marketing material, and in the last episode it edited out a shocking scene in which one of the four women, Snooki, is punched in the face at a nightclub by a man who was later revealed to be a New York PE teacher.Even before the episode was shown, the clip of the fight went viral on the internet (www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe7V85lA-bI) and such was the fallout that MTV decided to cut it.New Jersey's 1.5 million Italian-Americans – the highest number in the US outside New York – are already bruised by what they see as their negative portrayal on TV in The Sopranos. "We do not say 'fuhgeddabouddit' nor are we in waste management," fumed Linda Stasi.For all that, it's a safe bet that Jersey Shore will do well, as its cast continues to fist-pump, fight and fornicate their way up the ratings. And the cast's reaction has been predictably robust. "I just have one thing to say to Domino's, Dell, Unico and all the other haters out there," Snooki (real name Nicole Polizzi) told Steppin' Out magazine. "Fuck you! If you don't want to watch, don't watch. Just shut the hell up! I'm serious... Fuck you!"MTVUnited StatesUS televisionEd Pilkingtonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Letters: Where's the true merit in a meritocracy? Gordon Brown writes in the Observer of New Labour's distinctive belief in genuine meritocracy (Commentary). In a high-pay, high-stakes society, this is dangerous.Meritocracies go sour. People gain senior positions in society on their merits. They are paid high salaries: the more senior the role, the higher the pay. This conveys many advantages on their children. They go to elite, fee-paying schools, holiday in exotic places, meet socially other meritocrats – and so have the edge when applying to elite universities and for senior posts in industry, business, finance. Society becomes polarised into self-regenerating meritocracy and underclass.How can this be prevented? First, state education has to be universally good so that private education withers on the vine; second, the income differentials between the lowest and the highest paid need to be reduced substantially. A grossly unequal society rapidly becomes a malignant meritocracy.Michael BasseyNewark, Nottsâ– Where were Gordon Brown's advisers when he chose to start his article with a reference to Hamlet? Doesn't he know that the tragedy of Hamlet was not external circumstance but his own inability to make a decision and act upon it? Presumably he wanted others to take a lesson from the quotation: "We know what we are, but not what we may be", but he inevitably invites us to see this as an apt description of himself.Mary JamesCambridgeGloves off over Boxing Day Taking on board David Mitchell's wise comments about pedantry ("Only a poltroon despises pedantry", 7 Days), I must inform Barbara Ellen (Opinion) that next year's Boxing Day will not be on a Sunday. Boxing Day is traditionally and strictly the first weekday after Christmas. That so many now insist on inappropriately locating Boxing Days at weekends is not, I feel, a reason for acquiescence.Liam RafteryLeedsNew Labour's bad debt Is Will Hutton applying for a post as Gordon Brown's spin doctor? His claim that the UK economy is not a basket case after all (Comment) will no doubt be appreciated by New Labour, but is highly selective in the evidence cited. To say that "growth in Britain from the dark days of the 1991 recession to the end of a disastrous 2009 has still averaged a solid 2.1% – higher than any of the big economies in Europe and Japan" could as much indicate how bad the 1991 recession was in the UK as how we have performed since. Similarly, to say that UK industries which have survived the recession are highly competitive is at least partly due to the lower value of sterling. The fact is that levels of public and private debt have increased dramatically under a government which paraded its claims of fiscal prudence and the cost will take many years to repay, probably under another government.Geoffrey PayneLondon W5This is cruel, not valuable The most disturbing aspect of Tracy McVeigh's article "Olympics row over horse 'cruelty'" (News) was the assertion by World Horse Welfare that hyperflexion – the extreme flexion of a horse's neck – is "a valuable training method". WHW fails to make the important distinction between what is valuable and what is ethical. Remembering that "hyper" in this context means "in excess", the British Horse Society's position on hyperflexion is clear. It is cruel and should not be countenanced.Patrick Print, chairmanThe British Horse SocietyKenilworth, WarwickshireGive that man a knighthoodApple is one of a few companies – Bang & Olufson is another – where design takes first, second and third place in its internal hierarchy (Steve Jobs Profile, 7 Days). The main designer at Apple is Jonathan Ive, a Brit. Jobs and Ive see each other daily, an event rare in any other company (imagine this happening at, say, Microsoft, the NHS or Network Rail) because too many CEOs do not value design. Ive has been the UK's best-kept secret design export. It is time he was knighted for his outstanding contribution as the world's best designer of consumer goods.Derek Wyatt MP, co-chair, all-party parliamentary communications group House of CommonsLondon SW1The rape of Peru goes onAnnie Kelly is right to highlight the plight of thousands of indigenous Peruvians ("Peru's mountain people face fight for survival in a bitter winter", World) whose poor living conditions have deteriorated still further as a direct result of climate change. But climate change is not the only scourge brought about by forces beyond their control.Peru is a country rich in valuable mineral resources such as copper and gold. These seams are being vigorously mined by European and North American companies under a favourable tax regime. The combined effects of tax incentives and tax avoidance means that Peru collects only a fraction of what European countries demand.Sarah WilsonChristian AidLondon SE1Sermon was not broadcastYour article "How a radical student joined the global terror network" (News) gives the impression that a sermon by Anwar al-Awlaki was broadcast in Kensington Town Hall. This was not the case.We contacted the organisers and told them the event would not go ahead unless they agreed to not broadcast the speech. They agreed, but on the night tried to distribute a DVD of the speech, which council staff prevented.Cllr Merrick Cockell, leader of the Royal Borough of Kensington and ChelseaLondon W8Check out checkouts, BarbaraBarbara Ellen's article ("The receipt in the bag trick is a recipe for customer rage", Opinion) is an attack against the poor retail assistant only doing their job in difficult times. After reading the article, my wife conducted an experiment: on her checkout, she handed every customer their receipt and every single one put it in a bag. Perhaps your columnist should spend a day on a checkout at a busy, multinational store and see it from the other side.Ben Baldwin, branch chair, Norfolk areaThe Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw)UC memories go up in smokeI do not recall Andrew Wingard (Letters, ) smoking on University Challenge in 1975. At the time, smoking was more acceptable, maybe even on the plywood set of UC, and so perhaps less noticeable. However, as a member of the winning Downing College team, we may have been concentrating on beating Sussex!Martin HemingwayLeedsPeruGordon BrownDavid MitchellBarbara EllenAnnie KellyTracy McVeighWill Huttonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
The U.S. Military in Haiti: A Compassionate Invasion Residents of New Orleans who suffered through Katrina can only look on in envy at the speed with which the Obama Administration has mobilized national power in response to the Haitian earthquake feedproxy.google.com |
Biden pledges Blackwater appeal US Vice-President Joe Biden, in Baghdad, promises an appeal against the dismissal of the Blackwater manslaughter case. news.bbc.co.uk |