Oh, man...(Mad Men tonight; mild spoilers)

[BlueIris]

Last edited Mon May 28, 2012, 08:40 AM - Edit history (3)

Normally, I don't let television affect me so much anymore. But tonight's epsiode of Mad Men really threw me. Well, it didn't exactly, but some commentary I found on one of the blogs did.

For those of you who aren't MM fans, the plot of the episode involved the three main female characters coming up against some world class '60s misogyny (ie; being forced to prostitute themselves) and...I can't really say whether I think anyone succeeded in overcoming it.

While I was reading one of the Mad Men discussion sites, about a hundred comments in one of the posters added:

"I want to go back and hug the women who came before me, who lived through that time (and times even worse before), and fought for something better, and made it not so awful anymore (for many of us…it’s not perfect yet…)."

Aaaaand my keyboard blurred. It's still blurry.

[JustAnotherGen]

1. I've never seen it

But what a beautiful comment!

[lookingfortruth]

2. I am a season behind so can't wait until it comes out on DVD/netflix

[hlthe2b]

3. Oh, yes. I saw it BlueIris... Joan, Peggy, Meghan--each in their own way demonstrating...

how intensely difficult has been the course for women's equality in the workplace (and at home).

I won't add more spoilers, but heavens, how many women (myself included most definitely) have experienced Peggy's issues in trying to receive equal respect for her accomplishments? So, this episode not only underscored the progress made, thanks to the women who came before us, but how very far we have to go. Well done episode.

[Frustratedlady]

4. Yes, it did happen and probably still does.

I had heard it rumored that some of the pretty, young girls were "invited to entertain" male visitors, but thought it a falsehood until one of the girls moved to the house next door and told me that she had been a member of the "stable"--I suppose the men referred to them as fillies, thus stable was a good code word. Whenever a bunch of guys came to town to negotiate/sign contracts, the girls would be invited to show them a good time. The girls were paid a salary/hour and got a pretty fancy meal and entertainment. What they did on beyond was, ahem...up to them.

Ironically, the practice stopped when a law was passed for equality. If the company had a govt. contract, they had to have so many minorities in management or the contract was ended. Since we didn't have hardly any blacks employed (they rarely applied), women were moved up to management positions. Of course, those women wouldn't have gone along with the (filly) stable idea so it quickly died on the vine.

I love that show.

[madrchsod]

5. yup...a very good epsiode

peggy`s....was brilliant. i think we will....her.

[zazen]

6. somehow it was Joan's dignity in the midst of this

that choked me up the most.

She showed such a shrewd assessment in using her 'gifts.' She could endure long-term use/misuse/disrespect/betrayal by either Roger or Greg, to be thrown out in the end (late 70s) for aging out of the only reason they were with her, or she could endure this short-term humiliation and then have some modicum of financial freedom and not have to depend on these assholes for her or her baby's financial well-being. She sees things as they are (were), not as they might be, and seemed to have no hope (understandably) that gender inequality could be any different. From that perspective, her choice made a lot of sense.

Peggy and Megan to increasing degrees, respectively, have greater senses that their options might be different, and aren't encumbered by a child.

[Scout]

7. i missed this episode...

Peggy and Joan are my favorite characters ... i start to lose interest if they have too many episodes without them!

i would like to get my hands on Pete and smack him just one upside the head "what are you doing?" (not really smack him, but wtf is he thinking sometimes?)

[BlueIris]

8. Pete Campbell has filled me with such violent rage for three seasons now.

He is a sad, miserable, broken human being.