Tags: Aboriginal Canadians, Arts - TV, Colleen Simard, Lifestyle

An aboriginal version of Jersey Shore?

Now that would be a hit

February 14, 2012

WINNIPEG, MB, Feb. 14, 2012/ Troy Media/ – My friend and I were discussing the merits of Jersey Shore. He was surprised I even watched the MTV reality show.

He also scoffed at the thought that anything good could possibly come out of a show about a group of young club-hopping “guidos” and “guidettes” living in a seaside community in New Jersey.

I partly agreed, but thought Jersey Shore does have a few things going for it. They aren’t role models, but the cast members are interesting because of their flaws. It’s like a sociological study of some modern club-loving young Americans.

Jersey Shore all about bad choices

I was never really part of what some aboriginal people call “the fast life,” so watching Jersey Shore is a chance to check out what I missed. Apparently, I didn’t miss much, except some generally bad choices. But the show is amusing all the same.

An aboriginal version of Jersey Shore? Now that would be a hit.

We need to get in on this reality television craze. It would be a win-win for everyone.

We aboriginal people love our reality shows, like Jersey Shore, dramas and comedies. Maybe we see a little of ourselves when we watch certain shows. We could name this show Sagkeeng Shore or something.

Just put a couple of aboriginal college students, musicians and a few working stiffs together in a house and watch the hilarity and drama unfold. We could call them the Bannock Crew.

Couldn’t you just see an aboriginal Snookie with poufed hair and a bunch of makeup? Actually, I think I know a few Snookies already.

Of course there would be no GTL for us, just GL because we’re already tanned.

There’s also tons of drama in the lives of most aboriginal people – my own included – so there’s no danger of a boring storyline. Maybe it has something to do with having so many relatives.

Granted, a Sagkeeng Shore might get some of the more conservative among us a little riled up. After all, just documenting young aboriginal people doing things like going to the bar and trying to romance women wouldn’t look good.

I can see their point.

It has taken decades just to get to where people don’t think of us standing around teepees, wearing loincloths and headdresses. I blame Dances with Wolves.

C’mon, people – we’ve got aboriginal architects, bus drivers, comedians and bank managers now.

Some people would say an aboriginal Jersey Shore would be a step backwards, but I disagree.

Something also tells me non-aboriginal people would enjoy an aboriginal reality show, too.

It could do some good and break down some barriers that keep some white people from sitting down next to us on the bus. Maybe a reality show would let other people see us as more than those stereotypes we all know; the angry Indian, the victim Indian, the poor Indian, and the corrupt Indian for starters.

Failures and victories

Just like J-Woww, The Situation and Snookie, we’re human. We love to have a good time, and once in a while, we get lonely for our family back home. We are passionate; we break up with our boyfriends, get back together, and break up again.

Some of us make mistakes, especially when we’re young. And just like the Jersey Shore crew, we get older and hopefully wiser.

Everyone has struggles and little victories on a daily basis and, in the end, we all just want to be happy. A reality show would be the perfect way to show that.

The show could also be a teaching tool if you think about. Young kids could see the mistakes the Bannock Crew makes and learn from them.

One thing is for sure, it would get people talking – and watching, whether they like to admit it or not. Now that’s worth a fist pump right there.

Maybe I should write a TV pilot. Someone call my agent.

Colleen Simard, an Anishinabe (Ojibway), a writer and a mother of two, lives in Winnipeg’s North End. She is also a columnist for The Winnipeg Free Press. She can be reached at colleen.simard@gmail.com

This column is FREE to use on your websites or in your publications. However, Troy Media, with a link to its web site, MUST be credited. Colleen’s column will appear weekly.