UNICO National, an Italian-American service organization, protested that the show be canceled due to its exploitation of cultural stereotypes and frequent use of the term “Guido.”
Andre DiMino, president of UNICO, told FoxNews.com, "It continues to perpetuate negative stereotypes about Italian-Americans. If you replace Italian-Americans with any other ethnic group, would they use such a pejorative term to promote the show?"
Daniel Cappello, executive director of the Jersey Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau, described the show as “one-dimensional” and failing to represent the cultural diversity and beautiful beaches of NJ's Monmouth and Ocean counties.
Despite the backlash, MTV stands by its series and responds with this statement:
“The show continues MTV's history of documenting various subcultures, rites of passage of youth people, and the ways they self-identify… The Italian-American cast takes pride in their ethnicity. We understand that this show is not intended for every audience and depicts just one aspect of youth culture.”
But might it rethink that if complaints from advertisers mount?
Domino's Pizza pulled its ads from the show's timeslot, saying in a statement, “We decided that the content [of Jersey Shore] wasn't in keeping with what we're all about.”