The punch heard round the world...

The Jersey Shore is probably one of the the most if not the most infamous Reality TV programs on air right now. With its equal part haters and supporters it has put MTV on the top of the map of Reality TV show makers. What initiated the shows popularity during its inaugural season was what I like to call "the punch heard round the world". Snookie, one of the shows main characters, was inebriated at a bar, as she often is, and began to curse and throw something at another patron across from her. The patron, who was later to be revealed as a school teacher, took action to Snookies drunken shots with a shot of his own, and preceded to punch her in the face. When looking at the video this whole thing is shocking, disgusting and just flat out wrong, but this is what MTV is looking for.

MTV, and other Reality TV show creators want this, they want to capture the borderline crazy and very much of the time illegal to happen. It makes for good ratings because viewers want to see the risque shocking and appalling to happen. But where do we draw the line? As much as I have expressed my disdain for Snookie even she doesn't deserve to get hit like that. I mean in my opinion MTV all but sets this up to happen, they constantly send these now very public and very publicly hated figures out into the most volatile of situations. It's easy enough for a normal person like you or me to go out to a club and get into a fight, now imagine going out with a crew of cameras and a group of people with a negative reputation in a place that feels the very show being filmed paints it under a negative light.  You are just asking for things like this to happen and continue to happen.

My point is that today its an always drunk Snookie getting punched in the face for her antics, but tomorrow who knows? When is this going to stop? Will we have to wait until someone gets really hurt or maybe even killed before we stop following around cocky drunken characters into the night? The same way Snookie was punched in the bar that night  future violence can escalate, someone could end up getting shot or stabbed the next time they are in  one of these heated altercations, which happen on almost every episode. Or is this what MTV and Reality TV creators want to happen next...to capture the first live Reality TV show stabbings, or shootings or worse on their prime time television show?