I'll Tell You Which Exit...

When I was a freshman at an out-of-state college, little naive Chrissy was asked by her professor "Which exit?" when I told him I was from New Jersey. Believe it or not, I didn't get the joke. I know.

It's really amazing that my little home state has endured such a horrible reputation. Why? I never understood. All the jokes and comments and stereotypes are based on biased feedback from out-of-towners who only drive down the NJ Turnpike (yes, I'll admit - I hate that road, too and will avoid it when I can) or see the hideous sites around Newark Airport. Or watch TV.

I've heard enough about Snooki and her poof, and the rest of the gang at Jersey Shore. For all the hype about how offensive the show is to Italian-Americans, we have to remember: these kids aren't even Italian. And they're not from Jersey. And they're they reason, for at least 30 years - probably more, it's known as "Sleaze-side." And they truly need to grow up and get off TV.

We'll soon have more of the same with the upcoming Jerseylicious. I'll tell you, I wouldn't want any of them touching my hair.

We have our loudmouthed Cake Boss, who does make some amazing cakes - but he just needs to cool it with the attitude a little. But then again, there wouldn't be a show, would there?

Before that, we had our desperately gaudy Real Housewives of NJ. Oh, my gawd. Seriously. My sister said she knew someone who flipped a table like that. If that's true, it's sad. But not "real."

I won't even get into talking about the Sopranos.

With gems like these, it's no wonder the rest of the country hates us. Do we have our quirks? Of course. Do we have corruption and crime and guidos and all that New Jersey is known for? Sure. But we also have "normal" people - wonderful families, with normal jobs, that talk in normal tones and care about things a little more important than bronzer and hair gel. Where are the shows about that? Do people realize that we have lovely countryside, mountains, streams - beautiful, quiet beaches! Our state is steeped in tradition and history, but you would never know it. Maybe it's not as captivating as the charade taking place in a nasty hot-tub, but to TV viewers, it would certainly be something new. "What do you mean, put normal people on TV?" Yeah. Just a little cibo for thought.