In Bro Culture: The Inspirational Journey of Mike "The Situation"
Inspirational wisdom from Jersey Shore's Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino
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In 2009 the first episode of Jersey Shore premiered and life as we knew it changed. Grenades were no longer just instruments of war, but what four greasy, tanned men in Affliction T-shirts declared ugly women to be; the women you had to hang out with so your friend could hook-up with her significantly more attractive friend, hence jumping on a grenade.
We no longer said, “The cab is here,” when they arrived. We had to yell, “CABS ARE HERE!” with our best Pauly D impression. Something most of us born before 1993 still do to this day.
We learned to never fall in love at the Jersey Shore, unless you want Ron to throw your bed out the upstairs window.
And of course there was Mike Sorrentino. A self described player with eight pack abs that he referred to as “The Situation.”
As MTV released more episodes Mike became known as “The Instigation” with his fellow cast members. He lied, went behind the roommates’ backs, and started beefs that led to drinks and punches being thrown. Today all his bad behaviour could be summed up in a snake emoji.
While Jersey Shore was being filmed in Italy, Mike got involved in a fight between Ronnie and Sammi and ended up ramming his head into a concrete wall like a real life Wile E. Coyote. The aftermath was his lowest moment on the show. Injured and delicate, the roommates left him isolated which lead to the infamous scene: miserable Mike wearing sunglasses and a neck brace, wiping away his guido tears.
What we didn’t know was that Mike was struggling with a drug addiction, which caused him to act erratically, especially in Italy where he couldn’t get his fix.
After the show Mike spiraled and made some bad decisions, the main one being tax evasion. He got sober from drugs and alcohol but in 2018 he served eight months in prison (#freesitch).
Now that that’s behind him the only vices he has are deep fried shrimps and fettuccini alfredo. On the current show Jersey Shore Family Vacation (which I watched so much of I ran out of home internet data), Mike has become the opposite of who we were originally introduced to. He stays out of fights, usually mediating (“The Mediation”), and offers inspirational quotes. Shockingly, he is now the most mature and mentally sound cast member. Mike transformed from “The Situation” to “The Inspiration.”
These are my favourite inspirational phrases from my man, “The Situation.” Obviously he didn’t come up with any of these himself, but he is great at memorization.
Tough Time Don’t Last, But Tough People Do
Mike said this to JWoww when she was going through a messy divorce. It’s true, tough times don’t last (pandemics?) but you just have to stay strong so you’ll still be standing when it’s over. My version of this is that when something bad happens to me I think about how in a year it won’t even matter, like how JWoww’s divorce is over and she’s now engaged to a 26 year old.
The Comeback is Always Greater Than the Setback
I love this one, and I have said it out loud to a real person. Bad friends, a body you’re unhappy with, a substance abuse problem, those are all setbacks. But you can make changes and comeback better (hotter) than ever.
Become Better, Not Bitter
This is my favourite of the three because it’s about something we all do, which is complain about other people when we should be putting that energy into working on ourselves. I think every white male stand-up comic I know should make this their mantra.
I’m sure people think I’m joking when I say “The Situation” is an inspiration to me. But I’m not. If he can go from the most hated person in the shore house to the most loved, anything is possible. People change, people work on themselves, people get better.
But if you still need drama Ronnie is as toxic as ever. 🐍