We've all read Lord of the Flies, right? If not, the story goes that a bunch of wealthy young white middle school boys are flying in a plane, it crashes, and the survivors must self-govern when stranded on a tropical island. Sound familiar(ish)?

"Jersey Shore" is a hot debate for me because, in high school, I was way too cool for it. Four years of studying media analysis later, no one is above "Jersey Shore" and I would like to explain why.

A reality show, as a form of media, is art. No matter what, it will always come down to that. I also must say, everyone will watch it with a different point of view. We all know that reality television is heavily fabricated.

Take a show like "RuPaul's Drag Race" in which the drama is so heavily instigated by the show's editing that they even acknowledge it. At the time of "Jersey Shore's" initial release, I am sure a lot of "Jersey Shore's" younger audience didn't pick up on this, but as adults it is obvious. We do not necessarily know the extent of the series' fabrication, which is what makes watching it today so very exciting.

"Jersey Shore" has not aged very well at all these past 8 years. I grew up in a beach town and remember the terrors so fondly as Guido culture overtook the boardwalk and fashion sensibilities of impressionable high schoolers.

This past year I began watching the series on a whim and became instantly hooked. But why? The show struck me as a demented exhibition of toxic masculinity, abusive relationships, as well as physically toxic living habits. I mean, does anyone seriously get hammered, go to bed at 7 am, wake up for an 8 hour retail shift, and repeat 6-7 nights out of a week? I digress.

By season 3, we know that Ronnie and Sam are a lost cause and he should probably have gone to some intensive counseling. I want to believe that it is only on a superficial level that the other cast members seem like relatively untrustworthy people. But as a piece of our history, and as a work of partial fiction, I would throw a "Jersey Shore" DVD right up on my shelf between "The Blair Witch Project" and "The Office."

I have yet to watch "Floribama Shore." I am contemplating if it will live up to the kitsch legacy of "Jersey Shore" or if it is smarter to wait almost a decade and then watch it. It is 2017 and if your tastes are still too refined to enjoy the original "Jersey Shore," you at least owe it to yourself to go back another decade in TV history and watch "The Osbournes." Same principle, different family.