If you are like me, you're grateful for distractions from these challenging times. My recent trip to Maine was a lovely panacea, even with fog, rain, and frustrating travel delays, courtesy of tropical storm Debby. The escape from news about world events freed my conscience to indulge in lobster and blueberry everything!
Among other summer breaks, I recently discovered Mad Men, the hit American TV drama series about Madison Avenue’s advertising industry set in the 1960’s. Call me late to the game, but I am spellbound. What appeals to me? Everything!
With period sets, clothes and cars, intricate character development, unexpected plot twists and turns, and Manhattan backdrops, every episode delivers. I especially love the throwback to a time when elegance and high fashion were de rigueur.
When I left Texas for New York in 2017, I reveled in moving to a city whose Gilded Age glitz and glam is still evident in architecture, urban design, and historical landmarks. How entertaining to watch Mad Men now with its references to memorable places I have personally experienced.
Even more importantly than the mood it creates, Mad Men brings to life historical events and cultural mores of the time – some funny, many painful, and others poignant.
Entertaining and amusing backdrops:
Advertising campaign pitches for Lucky Strike cigarettes, Kodak slide carousels, Right Guard deodorant, Playtex undergarments, London Fog raincoats, and UTZ potato chips (besides French fries, my other favorite potato!).
Iconic props including princess phones, typewriters, console TV’s, and record players.
Fun product placements -- Ritz crackers, J&B Scotch, Pepsi vending machines, and a gorgeous 1962 Newport blue Cadillac Coupe DeVille with classical rear fender skirts.
Engrossing but disturbing themes:
Non-stop cigarette smoking (actor Jon Hamm, who plays the lead Don Draper, compared the taste of fake herbal cigarettes as a terrible cross between soap and pot!).
Relationship dalliances (very few characters stay “with the one who brung ‘em”).
Blatant discrimination against everyone other than straight white males.
Three lessons I learned from Mad Men:
Even though I’d watch the show solely for the captivating deep dive into the 60’s, I am also hooked by its contemporary relevance. If you are a fan of the show, you undoubtedly appreciate the richness of its complex messages. Here are three of my favorite lessons, illustrated by priceless quotes from the characters.
Lesson # 1: To cope with challenges, you always need a support team.
The story of Mad Men is the search for meaningful personal identity. Each character approaches the journey differently. Some sink in personal quicksand with no one to help pull them to safety. Others move beyond their circumstances by cultivating connections who value, encourage and support them.
"There will be fat years, and there will be lean years, but it is going to rain."
"You aren’t good at relationships because you don’t value them.”
Lesson # 2: It’s all about the pitch.
In the advertising business, what sells a product is a creative pitch which builds consumer connection. As a nonprofit consultant and author, I also think carefully about the words and stories which will most memorably engage donors and readers in the causes I represent.
“You don’t need to have the most complex product or service. Just make it simple and valuable. Ensure that it fixes an issue your ideal customers are facing.”
“Sometimes when people get what they want, they realize how limited their goals were.”
Lesson # 3: History repeats itself.
Not the exact events. Each generation has unique struggles. The 60’s had the Bay of Pigs, the Kennedy and Martin Luther King assassinations, civil rights struggles, Vietnam War protests and chaotic political party conventions. Today, we face acrimonious divisions at home, threat of international conflicts, and worry over global pandemics and catastrophic climate events.
However, what distinguishes today’s struggles from the 60’s is an increasing loss of civility. I can’t put my finger on the exact moment our country shifted from tolerance for other points of view to a descent into parochialism, argument, and blaming.
“People tell you who they are, but we ignore it because we want them to be who we want them to be.”
“I’d say ‘go to hell’, but I never want to see you again.”
“If you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation.”
I so hope we can move away from being a nation of “Mad Men”. Let's hold onto the spirit of our wonder at the solar eclipse in April, or our national pride during the summer Olympics in Paris.
Let’s remember that we only have control over what’s inside of us. I always want to show up as my best self. I know you do too.