Jersey Shore is the latest TV reality show to hit the head lines after a controversial encounter shown on You Tube went viral; the video has since been pulled from You Tube and, under pressure from viewers and experts in violence issues, MTV has decided not to air the incident on the next episode of Jersey Shore on Thursday December 17th 2009.
The Snooki punch on Jersey Shore
Snooki, Nicole Polizzi, a cast member of the new Jersey Shore show, was shown being punched in the face in an incident in a bar; the punch was allegedly thrown by Brad Ferro, a North Queens Community High School gym teacher in Flushing. Brad Ferro has since been arrested, fined, found guilty of 'simple assault', given a suspended sentence and will have to undergo anger management classes, according to various news reports.
MTV's decision not to air Snooki punch on next Jersey Shore episode
MTV are taking the 'Snooki punch' seriously, and released a statement stating that:
“... what happened to Snooki was a crime and obviously extremely disturbing.”
While choosing not to air the incident, MTV are reported to be airing a public service announcement following Thursday's episode from The Love is Respect project which is a hotline dedicated to teen dating abuse. MTV stated that the video was 'taken out of context'.
Jersey Shore has courted controversy ever since it first aired with complaints from several Italian-American organizations on the portrayal of its various characters; some advertisers, including pizza chain Dominos, have consequently pulled advertising from the show.
Violence against young women: The Love is Respect project
The Love is Respect project states that:
...” teen dating violence is a huge issue and Love is Respect has seen a 600 percent increase in calls and chats since 2007.”
Teenage girls are at a greater risk of teen dating violence since the introduction of the digital age; texting, e-mails and social networking web sites are often used in different ways in abusive relationships.
Promotion of digital violence
The Snooki incident and the subsequent video which went viral on You Tube shows how the promotion of such incidents can escalate out of control, whatever the circumstances surrounding this particular incident.
Many celebrity women have also suffered violent or domestic violence incidences, including singer Rhianna.
For more information on teen dating violence visit:
Love Is Respect web site
CopyrightSharonFalsetto2009
Warning: The video below contains violent footage.
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