I recently rented the first three episodes of AMC’s award-winning show Mad Men. It’s titled after the self-ascribed nickname given to Madison Avenue marketing execs during the golden age of advertising. Set in the early ’60s, the series chronicles the politically incorrect shenanigans of the men and women at Sterling Cooper, a fictional ad agency.

FWIW, Mad Men is a GREAT show. It’s beautifully shot. The costumes, hair, makeup and scenery are gorgeous. Not only that, the snappy dialogue shines, and the acting is first rate. Given all these pluses, I’d be crazy not to like this show right? Well, call me crazy because I just love to hate it.

Despite the fact that it’s a topnotch series chock-full of three dimensional characters and fascinating storylines, I find myself screaming at the TV. Why? Because I hate the era even though the era is what makes the show. You see, Mad Men exploits everything I despise about the late ’50s and early ’60s. For instance…..

I. THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE AND SOCIETY

A) 99% of the females in this series are either secretaries, wives, mistresses or telephone operators. Apart from the mistress thingie, there’s nothing wrong with these roles except that back then, they were practically the only game in town for women. No wonder The Feminine Mystique took the nation by storm!

B) The men call all the women ‘girls.’ Even worse: The women don’t seem to mind.

C) Sexual harassment isn’t the scourge it is today. For instance, men don’t think twice about making inappropriate comments about their secretary’s bodies. One marketing exec had the nerve to suggest that a female new-hire show more ‘leg’ to gain favor. They also aren’t shy about making passes.

D) Misogyny rules. When the female heir of a successful department store chain strongly disagreed with the way they wanted to market her father’s company, one of the male characters spat, “I’ll be damned if I’ll let a woman talk to me like that.” And this is only one example of many.

E) An OB/GYN lectures one of his unmarried patients about the pitfalls of behaving wantonly when she requests birth control. He basically says that if he finds out she’s abusing the pills (by whoring around) he’ll cancel her prescription. Um, excuse me, but if she wants to hump the entire Seventh Fleet it’s HER freaking business!

II. THE ROLE OF MINORITIES IN THE WORKPLACE AND SOCIETY

A) An executive asks one of his peers if their agency employs any Jews. The guy’s response? “Not on my watch.” BTW, he asks this question because the agency has a big meeting with a Jewish department store owner and he wants to make a positive impression—by lying of course. If that’s not insulting enough, the only Jewish person they find works in the mail room, so they throw a suit on him and pass him off as one of their up-and-coming account executives.

B) You only see people of color as dishwashers, bathroom attendants and elevator operators. True, that’s just the way it was back then, but it’s still disturbing to watch.

III. CIGARETTES!!!!!!!!

A) Everybody–and I mean EVERYBODY–smokes. Even the damned GYN smoked while doing a pelvic exam! Don’t get me wrong, smokers have every right to smoke, but this was overkill.

B) The government cracks down on the tobacco industry by releasing the first of many startling reports on the dangers of smoking. This in turn rocks the ad agencies since they now have to scramble to find new ways to promote cigarettes for their clients. Having seen the harm the tobacco industry has done over the past 50 years by their blatant LYING, false advertising, not to mention how they intentionally produced an addictive product, I have no patience for this.

But you know what? Even after all my whining and complaining, I’m still gonna watch this damned show!?! Know why?

BECAUSE JON HAMM IS HOTTTTTTT!!! :lmao:

Annnnnnnnnyway, is there a show that drives you bananas, but you keep watching? Also, what’s your favorite TV/cable show of all time?