I plowed through all four seasons of Mad Men recently. It's one of those shows that tries to remind us the the past was not a great time in which to live and yet makes you want to live in that time period anyway. Mad Men is unique from all those other shows, books, and movies in that it examines angles other than that of the suppressed and unhappy housewife.
The deal is that back in the 1950s and early 1960s the American dream for a man was to find a successful career, house, and wife who would subsequently take care of the house and future children. The dream for the wife was to find a husband whose house and family she would take care of. We've learned since then that this sort of lifestyle obviously does not buy happiness. In fact, the media continually likes to remind us that these products of their time were severely UNhappy.
I would like to point out that in today's society it is generally expected (of men and women alike) that at some point in your life you will:
A. find a successful and fulfilling career
B. buy a house
C. get married
D. have children
E. be a well-rounded and sincerely HAPPY individual
Um, really? The people in the 1960s weren't expected to be really, truly happy and the women didn't even have the pressure of finding a job. The only thing today's generation has got on those of the past is that we have until we are 30 or so to reach that goal. I, however, will be 30 in a year (and a month) and have yet to acquire any of these things. I mean, usually I'm a reasonably happy and well-rounded individual, but then I take a look at factors A through D and realize I have a long way to go before I can attain COMPLETE happiness.
Thankfully, I have also learned from Mad Men that drinking and smoking can solve all of my insecurities and make me look insanely suave. Pass me a bottle of brandy...
No comments:
Post a Comment