"Mad Men" and Modern Morality

Published: July 20, 2007, 1:22 pm

Tags: television, advertising, amc, mad men

Hollywood's envisioning of the turbulent 60s has primarily relied on JFK, riots, Woodstock, and Vietnam as the defining images of that decade. Former "Sopranos" producer Matthew Weiner has instead dared to relentlessly and fearlessly examine every sacred cow of that era through the eyes of a group of charming, but sleazy ad execs in the AMC series "Mad Men." With glitz and style--not to mention lots and lots of smoke--Weiner deftly weaves a tale in which prejudice, sexism, and a hefty use of tobacco products are common place. More importantly, Weiner uses these events to foreshadow our own current culture wars. In fact, "Mad Men" is, in some ways, what the sometimes smart, savvy, relevant show "Studio 60" tried so hard to be. The world of the Sterling Cooper ad agency embodies a time younger generations of viewers will find hard to imagine--when it was acceptable to drink scotch and smoke in your office while telling your secretary to show off her legs if she wants to get ahead.

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