The Battle for New Jersey's Soul

Look at Muhammad Ali hammering Chuck Wepner and you get an idea of what the media has done to New Jersey. The Bayonne Bleeder withstood a lot vs. Ali and even knocked the champ down during the fight, but for a more apt example, imagine if the media was Mike Tyson and New Jersey was Michael Spinks. That quick knockdown is what it's been like for New Jerseyans to defend against the media onslaught over the past decade.

The initial punches for this generation were The Sopranos. But it got a pass from many because it was fictional, well-written, on HBO and artsy, even though the opening credits were jabs to the gut. Then came the uppercut to the jaw, MTV's Jersey Shore, followed by the roundhouses: Real Housewives, Jerseylicious, & Jersey Couture. Everyone across America was watching the fight and the world viewed via satellite TV. Even Iranian secret agents who tortured dissidents were enamored by what they saw as exciting - fast forward to 42:25 to see.

But now comes a new round in the larger heavyweight fight. If you were on vacation, Snooki from MTV's Jersey Shore made $32,000 speaking at Rutgers University recently. Here were some students' reactions:

Snooki's Rutgers Appearance Raises Eyebrows

The story blew up because it was slightly more money than Noble & Pulitzer winning writer, Toni Morrison will make at commencement. (Although according to nj.com, Snooki's fee was split some ways by related parties). Some initially feared that Idiocracy was upon us; others noted she was a cheaper alternative to many higher profile and more expensive acts. Writers may have hopped on this bandwagon because local stories dried up; some are tired of it already. But it's significant. It matters because a punch has been thrown back.

A facebook event has been posted to counter Snooki's appearance and get The Boss to return to Rutgers after a very long 30 plus year hiatus. Additionally, a petition (that lacks the political overtones) was started.

If Springsteen comes to Rutgers, it would be bigger than just vindicating the University's image post-Snooki and after the tragedy of Tyler Clementi. It could be a winning round on the scorecard of a losing fight. It matters because what's going on at Rutgers could be a microcosm of New Jersey's overall pulse. Social media is being used to galvanize the grassroots and counter the media who have for so long used us as their punching bag.

Maybe Bruce will come. Maybe he'll play and not be political about how this came about (unlikely for The Boss these days).

But let's not underscore this: timing is everything.

The New Jersey-themed reality shows are mostly petering out. Their 15 minutes are up. Even Jersey Shore, a show that has staying power and whose cast just got big bonuses, is rumored to be ending after season 4. People will forget the shows, but the stereotypes will live on. A show by Bruce Springsteen on the campus of Rutgers would represent New Jersey fighting back, while these shows are still relevant to many.

Jersey guy Chuck Wepner went to round 15 with Muhammad Ali and became the inspiration for Rocky. We're calling for you Bruce. Make this matter.

Mail from the Jersey Shore . . .

I told you we'd share some readers' emails.

Dear Sir,

My name TJ, I am 23 years old, currently live in Brick and can tell you that I do not live in North Jersey or South Jersey, but live at The Shore and have so my entire life. I have never lived north of Neptune or west of the Parkway. I have flown out of both Newark and Philly. While I root mostly for the Jets and Yankees, my family also supports the Phillies and the Eagles and would never, ever root for the Giants. My family has been based here for generations. Many of my friends are like me, ambiguous on teams, get made fun of for our accents by both north and south Jersey people(found this out when I went to Rutgers), and call it pork roll. Please don't call the towns in Ocean county and Monmouth county north Jersey due to the large influx of Bennys permanently relocating to the area( as a friend of mine now lovingly calls the area "little Long Island"). We are the shore, both area's come to vacation here, but we don't vacation there.

One other thing about this great state: While the North hates the South, and the South hates the North and we at the Shore hate everybody, one thing holds true. Like the Greek City states of old, we do battle with each other on a regular basis, however should a foreigner like NY or Philly, like Persia, attack one of us, we band together to fight off the invaders and I will help my brother's and sister's in the north or the south. Anyway good luck with the movie.

TJ
Who lives at The Shore

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This one is from the Rutgers' Football message board and a guy from Monmouth County:

Wanna' start a bar fight with someone from Monmouth County? Ask him if he's from North OR South Jersey!

For all of you, out there, who seem to think that the entire state can be neatly divided between North and South, wake up! Central Jersey has always existed but you can't seem to wrap your heads around it because you're too busy fighting over your sports teams, with your godforsaken accents!

I'm from Monmouth County .. it's CENTRAL JERSEY! I can't imagine that it can ever be considered anything but that. Of course, when I got to Rutgers, those folks from Bergen County told me that I probably had "relations" with livestock because I was from way-down-South. And, those from Camden County told me that I was from that nasty area "all-the-way" up north.

The reality is all of you seem to think that the part of the state that revolves around your particular identiy is yours and EVERYTHING ELSE is the other. It's not. There are many parts to the Garden State. It isn't just a question of North and South!

OK - There is something different about the Jersey Shore . . . admitted. Lifestyle is the biggest thing I've noted. But I do think that this last post and his "friends" in Bergen County were all cheering the New York Giants' Super Bowl victory this past year. . . but after that? Is there much in common? As always - you debate.

But now all I want (and I am serious and even contacted his PR guy) is for Greg Schiano to just say "We're ALL New Jersey" for our film . . . anyone out there know him?

What unites us?

We should ask the question if North Jersey people have more in common with New Yorkers and South Jerseyeans have more in common with Philadelphians than they do each other.

So this prompted us to write our book chapter on, what unites us in Jersey? Many things came to mind; check out two of them below:

Most people think The Boss did this (he does cover it live), but it was actually written by Tom Waits. Here is Bon Jovi's cover:


Also:

We're writing a book too!

Hey all, we've got some pretty cool things to still film, but for the most part we are in post-production right now. We're writing a book about the differences between North and South Jersey with New Jersey's "popular historian" John T. Cunningham and I just finished my chapter on where the divide of sports loyalties exists (e.g. - are you an Eagles or Giants' fan?).

We were in Hoboken today partying with many Rutgers' football fans, the biggest unifier of our state from what we've found. So I'm posting an old clip here to showcase the fun we've had. 2008 is the year our film will come out, (and hopefully the book too) so Happy New Year all! And cheers to a Rutgers' win!