So i'm watching Mad Men, and it's a great show although really on the nose for most things. Fun and addictive despite its premise. But as a non-american these questions are constantly running through my head:
>were americans really like that ?
>were men really that misogynistic ?
>were women really treated that badly ?
>were women really that easy ?
>were people really that shallow and greedy ?
Not American, but from some sources I've read (women in advertising) it was actually worse
How far are you into it? Because I'd say s1 is going much more out of its way beating you over the head with the whole "the 60s were a different time" than the rest of the series. It's exaggerating a bit.
The world of Madison Avenue advertising agencies certainly was, and in many ways it was a microcosm for American society at large
Not that I'd personally know, but all sources say it was worse, even the ones nostalgic for that time
as long as he made it through the pilot i think he's good. it's the most different from the actual show
starting season 3 now, and i wasn't really complaining, i love the show. Also i can't believe how beautiful Betty is. Season 1 and 2 Betty is literally angelic, not sure how she declines moving forward but i love her
>were
Um, sweety? No.
Really? she has a pretty face and not much else for me
I'm currently working in advertising. None of my bosses worked in that period, but their bosses did. From everything I've heard it was both worse, and not even remotely similar. The drinking has always been heavy, but the show drags it out and makes a conversation about it in a way it never really was before. Same with the sexism. As women entered the workforce, they definitely encountered significant sexism. Advertising agencies have always been prone to more unethical and unprofessional behavior than other industries. At the same time, Mad Men over-dramatizes how prevalent and how pronounced the worst of it was. Certainly there were plenty of affairs, and certainly a fair number of the men were shitbags, but you have to remember it's a TV show. It's only going to show you the stuff that's interesting and compelling. It's only going to show you the stuff that emotionally draws you in. So while the industry as a whole was somewhat rife with the kinds of things you see on the show, the concentration of this behavior is not shown realistically. And, face it, we're salesmen. We will never be honest about how mundane our lives and our jobs really are, even if it makes us look like shit. We have an image to protect.