Whiskey, Misogyny

A lot has been written about the series Mad Men. Critics have praised its portrayal of the Sixties and the underplayed acting. It has been lauded for its set and costume design. And after just finishing the third season, I will not try to deny what has been said. It is as good as its reputation claims. It is simply quality television.

Yet, as engrossed as I was in the show, and as entertaining as Mad Men is, I felt exhausted after every episode that I finished. Each one was a moral test of character. Every time I joined Don Draper and the rest of the Sterling-Cooper became a challenge not to become completely intoxicated by their world. Mad Men is an advertisement for a lifestyle, and the show's contents can be just as poisonous as the cigarettes its characters pitch to imaginary markets.

Those wishing to avoid spoilers for all seasons should stop reading here.

The show makes no illusion about the dangerous lifestyle that these characters are living. They do not explore these issues lightly. Roger Sterling has a heart attack in the first season attributed to his vices, and Freddie Rumsen was let go from the company in order to dry out after pissing over himself before a meeting. Don Draper, the central protagonist, has a serious accident while driving drunk. In another memorable scene, a creative team is discussing the Lucky Strike contract, all with lit cigarettes in hand. When one of them makes a joke, they all began to laugh-- only to then break into violent fits of coughing. But despite all of the glimpses at the downside of their vices, not a single character has sobered up or quit smoking. In fact, the only teetotaler on the show fell off the wagon at the end of the second season.

Now, I am no altar boy. I smoke cigarettes (only until I graduate, I swear) and I drink liquor, and neither habit can be attributed to the show. But I do practice moderation. And when Don Draper pours a bourbon and lights a smoke in his office at 9 am, it is impossible not to envy that kind of casual disregard for health and safety.

But the lax attitudes towards health standards are not the only components of the Mad Men lifestyle that one might find appealing. Many of the characters, particularly Don Draper and Bert Cooper, exhibit the rational self-interest that provides the ethical backbone to Ayn Rand's writings. As a result, these characters come across as focused, driven, stoic, hard-working, and self-reliant; they are the classic portrait of American at work. They are the men returning from work in Norman Rockwell's paintings and the nurturing mothers at home waiting for them.

Add to the mix that most of the characters are beautiful and rich, and Mad Men becomes the one-sheet advertisement that our generations' parents and grandparents waved in our faces all of our lives. The Mad Men are the people we were told to grow up and be.

But it is still just an advertisement. Its claims are not true. These seemingly happy, successful people pursue their wants and get wrapped up so deep into their own desires that they fail to develop any real relationships. Husbands cheat on their wives. Wives refuse to confide in their husbands. Coworkers turn against each other. Everybody fails to connect.

Anyone who has seen advertisements for the show will tell you about the racist, misogynistic and homophobic tendencies that appear in many of the principal characters. To a modern audience, these attitudes are absurd. With some unfortunate outliers aside, these feelings are not held in the mainstream in most of the country. This has led some critics, like Mark Greif with the London Review of Books, to dismiss Mad Men as a collective pat on the back, "an unpleasant little entry in the genre of Now We Know Better."

For a lot of issues, that is true. We have made social progress since the era Mad Men takes place. We have made progresses on health standards. Our feelings about the environment have changed through necessity. And I say: good for us.

But Mad Men is not rewarding its viewers for having a certain political view. That is the glossy picture that draws your attention. That's just the pitch.

But then something happens. You sympathize for an alcoholic. You cheer for a chauvinist. You want the sniveling little creep to get the promotion.

And when you are too blinded by all the immaculate haircuts and cocktails and Cadillacs to watch the show through your own cultural lens, you realize that they did it.

They just sold you.

What do you think of Mad Men? Have you seen it? Does it deserve the Golden Globe? Have any ethical revelations stemming from the show? Leave your comments on the below