October 8, 2009
Enough With 'Mad Men' Already
I've held my tongue on the 'Mad Men' front for a long time now. A lot of my friends like the show. It's clearly the drama du jour for those in the know. It's bringing in mega-awards for its talented actors, good writing, and fantastic production values.
I've never managed to watch more than five minutes of it.
Don Draper, now a role model.
When I flip to 'Mad Men', I see a lushly produced nostalgia trip, one that's specifically designed to make the gender inequality of the sixties look attractive. Men are men and women are required to wear tight outfits and lipstick.
'But it's a critique'! cry many. This reminds me of a story Tina Fey told in Vanity Fair. Her now-husband once suggested that they go to a strip club 'ironically'. To which she reasonably replied, 'The f*ck we will.'
I felt the same way about claims that 'Mad Men' had anything but love for its subject matter. I didn't see any distance here, just an escapist fantasy where men, specifically, can indulge themselves after their perceived loss of absolute power.
And, as always, I was right.
Askmen.com has just voted Don Draper, the ficitonal alpha male of 'Mad Men', the most influential man of the year. Maybe I'm a cynic, but I'm not terribly surprised that a fantasy figure beats out real-life representations of responsibility, equality, and compromise.
Says the magazine: 'What matters is that Draper's hardass 1960s persona represents something about male identity that is enduringly captivating but has nonetheless vanished...Like most men, us and our fathers both, Draper is permanently conflicted over how to reconcile his morals and his desires.' Referring to the second and third place winners, the show's creator Matthew Weiner said, 'It's interesting how drinking, smoking and carousing wins the race today, no offense to President Obama and Mr. [Usain] Bolt.'
Ironic? The f*ck it is.
