Comments on: MAD MEN and the last stereotype left standing

By: Rosie Powell

Rosie Powell — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 16:17:25 +0000

“I was there, and the dates are wrong. The culture shown on Mad Men is more that of the early ’50s than of the early ’60s. By the ’60s the stereotypes portrayed weren’t so much in evidence. We were a lot more aware of our value and power as women, even in 1960. Black culture was more in evidence and accepted in urban settings and on college campuses.”

You sound as if you’re describing the mid-to-late 1960s, instead of 1960, in which Season One was set. The series is right now set during a period in which there was a cusp between the 1950s and the 1960s.

By: Rosie Powell

Rosie Powell — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 16:15:33 +0000

“But he missed one stereotype completely: that ad men prayed upon culture and consumers.”

I must disagree with you on this. If anything, the series makes it clear that its ad men preyed upon culture and consumers.

By: Brad

Brad — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 14:11:28 +0000

Elected Jack Kennedy! Not a whiff of booze or womanizing out of the Kennedy Klan thank God! cough Marilyn cough Mary Jo Kopechne cough cough. Oh how progressive.

And I just read a New York Times review for mad Men that lamented that in that era Madison Avenue was barely accountable the federal government. Thank God again! Wouldn’t want a bunch of liars and illusion artists running wild over the public! A bunch of womanizing alcoholics, soulless and oppurtunistic, and dulling the nation’s senses for their own gain!

People need to wake the hell up.

By: Max Dichter

Max Dichter — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:47:43 +0000

I think you mean Ernest Dichter not Hans Dichter.

By: seaweed

seaweed — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 18:06:21 +0000

I was there, and the dates are wrong. The culture shown on Mad Men is more that of the early ’50s than of the early ’60s. By the ’60s the stereotypes portrayed weren’t so much in evidence. We were a lot more aware of our value and power as women, even in 1960. Black culture was more in evidence and accepted in urban settings and on college campuses. Antisemitism was out of style. My goodness….we elected Jack Kennedy in 1960!

Get the era right, and the show might have more truth.

By: Doyle Bernbach

Doyle Bernbach — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 15:45:18 +0000

Interesting that Madmen is so meticulous about wardrobe and sets yet the dialogue is filled with anachronisms like “that’s not going to happen”, “this world just drops a bunch of rules…”, even “we must police ourselves” is a contemporary phrase. Sorry, but I don’t buy Madmen.

By: Anoop

Anoop — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 12:16:42 +0000

Ah yet another show to add to the DVR schedule. Reminds me of a BBC show I used to watch “Absolute Power” with Stephen Fry, I’m sure that show has been discussed here before!

By: Irene

Irene — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 11:22:17 +0000

That’s kinda strange — that bit about falling in love. It’s like the show was paraphrasing every reason Frank Zappa ever gave for not singing love songs.

Also, I think the word we all keep meaning to use is “prey” not “pray.” I could be wrong, though.

By: J.Lovelock

J.Lovelock — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 17:29:42 +0000

I think the line toward the end of the episode when Don tells Rachel (the would-be Jewish & female client) that the reason she has never fallen in love like she expected to (fireworks-when-we-met / can’t-think-stop-thinking-of-you-day-and-night / you’re-the-one-who-completes-me type of love) is because it doesn’t exist, because men like him created that illusion of love to sell pantyhose – is a pretty honest depiction of ad men knowingly praying on the innocent sensibilities of the consumer. That one line suggests; by having been exposed to a wonderful and unrealistic illusion, people’s life will be less good when having to make do with reality (an attack being inflicted unbeknownst to them).

I agree though – fabulous show. I genuinely can’t wait until next week.