I am also wondering how the characters are viewed by the different generations. My daughter is thinking of not watching MM anymore because she doesn't like the Don character. It seems she works with a few girls under 30 who also watch MM (all intelligent and college grads) and they are also becoming disinterested in the show. They were discussing episode 11 at lunch yesterday and all of them agreed that the Don character is a player and really getting on their nerves.

I attribute this to the generation gap. My daughter and her friends are college grads with good jobs and simply would not put up with Don's philandering ways. They all agree they would drop him like a hot potato. However, they all love Sex and the City. The difference being that Don is married and successful women of today expect their husbands to be much more faithful than Don. I, of course, explained that, while I don't like Don's cheating ways either, women back in 1960-62 didn't have as many choices as women of today have.

Anyway, it seems to me the writers are losing their younger viewers. Anyone else have an opinion on this

I'm 29 and I LOVE it! I've been in the agency world for 6 years and it was this historical perception of the industry that lured me into advertising in the first place. Unfortunately, the days of the 3 martini lunch are long gone. We wait until dinner to drink now. ;)

My mom is 54 and she loves the nostalgia factor. Though we live on opposite coasts, we can't wait to talk about this show every Monday!

I am 50 and think this is the best show on television. I love the clothes, characters and blatant harassment. That is the way it was. It gives you a good feeling about how much better things are now.

princess salome, glad to hear you are young and love the show. I love it, too, although not crazy about the last episode in LA. However I agree with another poster who said that this is the 1st episode that she didn't like and the rest of the show has been great. I'm sure it's even more interesting for you because you work in the advertising world. I was a secretary in the days of the 3 martini lunches and it's probably a good thing those days are gone. Thanks for your response. Loved reading another young person's perspective.

Well...I'm 74 and I'm enjoying every minute of it. I didn't get too much out of the 60's since I had young children and didn't pay attention to the world. Now I am...about the 60's 70's and 80's.
On another thread they were constantly talking about the music when Don first meets that nomadic type group. Song of India yes, but also Misirlou. Does anyone remember vinyl 45s? Terry Shaw had a unique organ solo playing Misirlou with Evening In Monte Carlo on the reverse side. I don't remember it being revived in the 60's but evidently it was. One of those things I missed.

tangfl

I am 29 as well. I don't like Don's "character" all that much either. But I know that I could never really begin to understand what it was like to grow up in that era, so watching the show (and chatting with older people on this forum, etc) is informative and so much more fun than a documentary or a text book.

This show is set in the early 1960's. That is the way it was. To portray Don according to 2008 standards of behavior would do a great disservice both to the show and the character. We may not like Don Draper's behavior, but no one liked JR Ewing's behaviour on Dallas in the 1980's either. I see a lot of similarities. Historical drama by its very nature does not reflect current standards of behavior. That's the whole point.

Speaking of standards of behavior, I have the feeling that there may be something brewing on the back burner between Peggy and Father Gill. It's subtlely implied in both episodes that feature them together. Does anyone else think so?

I think the youngest viewer on the forum was 18, and we had one who was 80 in Las Vegas. I think it's almost evenly divided into 3 sections: Parents of the boomers who are the Don's, Rogers, Bettys, Joans of MM; the early Boomers (Peggy, Jane) and later Boomers (Sally, Bobby, Glenn); and their grandchildren born 1960s-1980's.

I love the diversity of the age groups on the forum. Everyone has quite a different perspective depending on their age, and it's very interesting to read their take or opinion on the behavior, accepted practices/standards and gender roles of the MM era.

I am the Sally/Bobby/Glenn boomer age (Sally was born in 1954 like me), so I'm watching my parents and my peers. It's been a revelation and cathartic.

I was born in 1962, do remember the teased hair, sunburst clocks, and sexist attitudes (still carried on through my growing-up years in the 70's). I find this era a fascinating prism of popular culture, since I have vague memories of watching my parents (children of the 40's & 50's).

My earliest memory of a president was Nixon, our 1st grade class made birthday cards for him in 1968, strange, given what was to come. The only memory of Watergate I have is being upset that the hearings were pre-empting The Price Is Right at 3pm after school!

I have never before posted on a blog, but when someone started the Candy Candy Candy thread a few weeks back, I was pulled in! What a trip down memory lane, even for us Late Boomers.

I was born in 1975. I just think it's a good show. During the first show, my interest was heightened because my mother came to New York in the late 1960s and has regaled me with tales of the sexism that was present in the workplace. So direct experience isn't the only way people can identify with the era.

I'm 57 and I adore the show. Same comments as other posters here approximately my age (give or take 5 years or so) It's a wonderful trip down memory lane every week...both as reliving my childhood and seeing my parents' adult world at the same time. Hard to explain the hold this show has on me. I feel like the writers have tapped into my brain. Fascinating on absolutely every level.

I'm 25 and my husband is 26 and we both LOVE Mad Men. ALthough as of late(the last two episodes) my interest is slowing down. I love Betty and miss her cheery side. I Hate Don but I guess that is what I love about him. I like that time in history-I think life was more simple then.....even though Don is a jerk, I understand that a lot of his issues revolve around other things.

I want Betty to take Don back-I miss them!!!

Love all the comments, especially from the younger viewers like Girl from Ipanema. Jamm54, I am your age 57 (born 1951) so I am seeing it thru Sally, Bobby and Glen's eyes also. It's like I am reliving my parents' lives. Lots of interesting comments from our parents age group - people in their 70's. Love to hear from people who were Don and Betty's age back then. Dana, it's interesting that you watch MM with a group of women so diverse in age. It seems the younger (under 30 group) are more put off by "Don's screwing around." Trisha, I was happy to read your comments about watching it with your husband, both in your 20's. Don't worry, a lot of us want Betty to take Don back (even some of us older folk), but not until he does a lot of changing.

When I said "Fascinating on absolutely every level" up there in my earlier post, I meant the show...not my brain!" haha

It's good to see I'm in such good company! I'll be 71 in December and like many of my generation, we experienced part of the Depression, the end of WWII, and all the changes since then.

Those changes affected every part of our lives in one way or another. During the late 50s and early 60s some of us went from being "sweet sixteen and never been kissed" to one night stands. (Not in one step, of course.) But it was the beginning of the sexual revolution. Goodbye to the Police Gazette - hello Playboy. Goodbye Howdy Doody - hello to some rather explicit foreign films.

We were learning about things our mothers would not talk about: sex. We were discovering ourselves. Testing the water, so to speak. I'm pretty sure Peggy's mother didn't fully explain the facts of life to her. Peggy probably learned what she knew from other girls (not always a reliable source) or from reading books.

The women on Sex and the City have the advantage of copious amounts of available information and the freedom to select the birth control of their choice without their parents consent. From the episodes I've seen they are not shy about discussing everything and anything regarding relationships and experimenting with different partners who are single or married.

There's an old saying about if I knew then what I know now... maybe some mistakes wouldn't be made. But maybe we would have missed some exciting and interesting parts of our lives that have made us who we are today.

As to Don - he's dealing with what he knows THEN, not present day mores or taboos. Women, Betty for one, of that time were not prepared emotionally or economically to just walk away from a financially secure situation. Even Joy and the other women in that weird little group depended on their men to take care of them. But there was at least to me, a sense of freedom about Joy's encounter with Don that foreshadowed what was to come in California that so appealed to the younger generation at the time.

I was too old to be a "hippie" and too young to be a "beatnik" - but I managed to live through it all and have no regrets. Well, ok, maybe one or two but then, don't we all?

Princess_Solome,
I want to comment your mom on your upbringing. I wouldn't think of showing the program to my daughter (age 19 and an artist). I would be afraid that she would hate it, and I would be crushed.
The same could be said of my friends as well. I don't want anybody I like to not like Mad Men.
I was a freelance illustrator for 18 years on both coasts at the same time. I love this program. I love the sets, the costumes and the cinematography.
Okay, and the life they depict is the one I grew up in on the west coast. (I didn't have the fancy flat roofed home with floor to ceiling glass doors). Let call it a "tract home" in the Valley.

I know plenty of people in their 20s and 30s who enjoy the show – but I must add that most of them, like myself, are in the advertising business. It's a great show, but it's extra special when they drop in the names of real ad agencies and we think "oh, so-and-so works there."

Dana, thanks for posting.
I believe that men still do what Don does. I see it in my high school mates.
It's gross. Please tell your young viewer that things have not changed. And for her to think they have, shows her youth.

Dana's post came before mine.

I know that at least one viewer who is 19 year old.
In another thread one viewer said she is 79
another is 72. I am 77

This is the first blog I have ever been on, and I have been using a computer since 1985. So I would guess that many people in my age group who watch may not participate in blogging.

I watch MM with a group of women from 34 to 55 and one 19 year old, (who is really put off by what she calls "Dons screwing around"). I tell her to consider it a history lesson.

Those who were the children of that time find it a way of looking back at their childhood through their perspective as an adult. We have some fascinating discussions following each episode and I think we all come away with a different appreciation of that time, and of the changes, both positive and negative, not only in the lives of women but also men.

Each character is so precisely crafted to show a different situation and what would be experienced by one in that situation. We are privileged to view the life of each character on a most intimate level. The choices available and the choices made, and the consequences.

What an incredible study of the human condition - in the 1960's.

I'm a 25 year old fan. I love the show for the great writing (most episodes are like a piece of literature, complete with symbolism and irony), the fantastic acting, and the 'history lesson' that comes with watching a period piece. This is sophisticated, quality TV and I savor it!

My grandparents were about Betty and Don's age during the '60s and my parents were young children (5-6) years old in '62, so I like the glimpse into what their lives might have been like at that point in time. I've watched the season 1 DVDs with my parents and enjoyed discussing the time period with them. As someone who grew up in the post-Women's Lib era, it's really hard to imagine a world that had such blatant sexism and wasn't in tune with some of our recent social concerns (pollution, AIDS, intolerance for ALL types of discrimination). This definitely gives me glimpse into another world, and I find it fascinating.

As to Don's screwing around being a turn off, I personally try to view characters in fiction (TV, films, books) without the lens of my personal moral beliefs. That doesn't mean I don't judge them or dislike them; it just means that I accept them with their flaws and generally don't let myself get too emotionally tied up in them. I think their flaws make them more interesting, and if they were following all the rules, they might lose their appeal. I would never date or marry a guy like Don in real life, nor would I tolerate the cheating. But as a character (especially being an imperfect protagonist struggling with his demons), he's captivating. I also don't see him as being JUST a product of his time (that cheating was perhaps more tolerated/ignored back then) - a lot of modern men cheat too. I see him as a product of his life experiences, and I think his horrible childhood contributes to his self-destructive behavior.

Sorry for the long post. :) It's great to see that there IS quite a bit of diversity among the viewers.

MsDMAC - I don't know if it's fortitude as much as just being a little more detached with a character like Don. Watching the series from the beginning, I quickly got that Don was one screwed-up guy, and now I wouldn't expect anything but bad behavior from him. With Don and his cheating, my take is, in for a penny, in for a pound - what's the difference between one affair and dozens of them? The affairs are all morally wrong, but that's just how Don is. He's cheated a lot in the past and would have an extremely hard time stopping. What DOES get me emotionally with Don is his interactions with his kids; given his awful childhood and lack of positive parental attention, the sweet moments where he is trying to be a good dad make me tear up. It shows us that he's not an evil guy, that he does want to be a better person, but doesn't know how to get there.

My friends and I who watch the show are all in our 30s. The character with the closest "lifestyle" to my parents is Paul. They were bohemian intellectuals in the early 60s going to hear Bob Dylan and Joan Baez before they were big and participating in civil rights marches. I haven't been able to introduce the show to my Mom yet. She needs to see it from the beginning for it to make any sense. I had her watch an episode with me when she was visiting in September and there was just too much back story for her to learn. I think she'd like it if I got her watching a few episodes.

When I was 3 weeks old in 1970 my Mom went to her first N.O.W. meeting and became a feminist.

I'm 29. I love period pieces and am curious about pre-Beatles pop culture in America. I think that is why I love the show. I also am a stay at home mom to a self-employed man...so I identify with Betty...the characters and plot are superb in this show....I was hooked at Season 1 episode 1

@hanna: what fortitude of mind you have! my problem is that I get TOO emotionally wrapped up- especially in this show.

DD cheating does bother me so much, and when him and Betty are together and have a "moment" I almost cry. That is how it should be. Letting his DW escapist personality take over when he is cheating is beyond forgivable. Even through the character's hard times growing up, he should honor his wife, the "life" he wanted so bad- he faked everything to get. This is the pay-off, buddy! Swallow the past and "go forward" as you are always saying....

Anywhoo...I love the diverse ages myself. Now everytime I meet someone that is oh, 70+ I think, what was their life like in the time of Mad Men...wish my grandparents were here!

MsDMAC,
Pretend I'm your grandmother!
I'm 79, and my own life "in the time of Mad Men" was exactly as presented in the show: Early 60s, Manhattan, advertising, 3-martini lunches, family life in the northern suburbs, children, drinking, smoking, infidelity, divorce, etc. My husband and I were the same ages as Betty and Don, and our lives were scarily parallel.

You might be interested in checking out the thread, "O.K. Who are you?? And what brings you here??" Posters of all ages (18 to 79) volunteered their personal stories on the thread, and they are fascinating to read. Each story is unique in its own way.

clemdane, I am probably a little younger than your mom (57) but I too remember seeing Bob Dylan (not in his folk years, but after he went electric which he got a lot of flak for doing). I was going to peace protests. Traveling around with my friends in a VW van with peace signs and flowers painted on the side. On the darker side, one of my good friends had an abortion in 1971 (they didn't become legal until 1973 so it was a "back alley job") and stayed at my house while recovering.

As far as MM goes, I think young women of today have it much better than women in 1960. They have the opportunity to get an education and a decent, well paying job. I've seen a few posts above from young women working in the advertising field who enjoy the show from that perspective. Women today have many more options available to them when dealing with a failing marriage than Betty has (or most women back then had). Women don't have to stay; they can choose to leave with many lessons learned so hopefully they don't make the same mistake the next time around.

Remembering, wow that's incredible how close your real life was to MM.

I'm in the first wave of the Baby Boomers, graduated high school in '64 and college in '68. So much attention is always given to the later 1960's that this earlier period has, until now, been very much overlooked.

I'm a 25 year-old college student (BBA Management); a first generation American with Indian parents. I am so happy that tangfl started this thread. I was curious what the demographics were for this show. I live in texas and no one from my age group (23-26) is into MM. I finally got my girlfriend (25) into the show and she loves it. Honestly for someone like me there isn't alot of relatability to the characters given the vast cultural difference between Sterling Coo and my own world. The only reason i got into this show originally was because of Sopranos.

Now that I am a fan, i'm really a fan. I love the characters they are abstract but ordinary in a lot of ways. I love how it portrays the ugliness of American life beneath the sexy veneer and how hollow relationships are when everyone is in complete denial. Also I enjoy the historical elements of the show that relate so much today.

Also this show has piqued my interest in American lit and history. I just checked Great Gatsby and This Side of Paradise (two F. Scott Fitzgerald novels that seem to be the basis of Don's character) and finished watching a really cool documentary about the sixties. Thanks MW.

thanks again tangfl for starting this thread

Also i'm trying to find "meditations in an emergency" but the school library doesn't carry it.

I was born in '59, and I must say that watching a show depicting this era, with so much accuracy, and seeing the characters interaction while viewing it through the filter of the time period...is just fascinating. Brilliant show.

I've thought a lot about the statements Don has made about life recently "is this all there is" and "you don't know where it's going, but you know it's gonna end badly" which are questions often asked during mid-life. I think that at 36 Don is still a little young for a serious mid-life crisis. At 57 and having been married for over 30 years to a husband who is always searching for "the meaning of life" (I think he's on his 5th or 6th mid-life crisis now), I decided to come to terms with mine.

Having faced mid-life crisis in my 40's (looking older, facing menopause, etc) and then again facing it in my mid-50's with a health crisis that had me seriously facing death, I've learned not to take life as seriously as I used to. I don't want to think as deeply about life as I used to. I just want to enjoy life because, believe me, it is way too short. I am over my health crisis except for some after-effects that I will have to live with for the rest of my life. I used to worry about whether I was happy with my marriage, happy with my job, what if I had done things differently - how would my life have turned out. Now, I'm just happy to be alive. Everyday I make sure I go outside and look at the trees, sky, birds, sun and think about how beautiful it all is while I'm still on this planet to appreciate it. I decided to work part-time instead of full-time which has made me less stressed and happier.

After thinking about it, I am happy with my marriage. He is a good man, a good husband, a good father, a good provider (someone has to work full-time) and I'm glad I picked him to spend my life with. I was blessed with 2 great kids, happy and successful. What more could I want? I realize now that, had I chosen a different path in life, different husband, etc., it may not have turned out as well as it has. Sometimes I think you actually have to face death to really appreciate what you have in life and not worry about what you don't have.

I'm also grateful to the MM writers for giving us such a quality TV series, far above all the others in my opinion. I know a lot of people like to deeply analyze this show and share their opinions, which is great. I do too sometimes. But mostly for me, it is just plain entertainment and I love that.

Donald Whitman, loved reading your insightful comments on the show, especially from someone only 25 years old.

Hello Madmen family, I posted my age somewhere in one of these post a couple of days ago.. But Im 26 and have the mindset of a 32 year old. I love movies that were made back in the "dirty harry" times, up until know. I ve always liked movies that had something important to tell. This is the first television show that has me rushing home to catch it right at 10 all though I have ondemand i perfer to watch it 10. I never blog but look at me know. I love talking to most of the grown ups about the show it makes it even more interesting!!

What first drew me to the show was the accurate portrayal of the people, the clothing, the furniture, the values and mores of 1962.
First watching the show, I was blown away to see an IBM Selectric Typewriter with the changeable ball on one of the secretaries desks. Damn that machine was as heavy as an anchor made out of cast metal, it lasted longer than the pyramids! You couldn't kill that thing! And I remember having to cover it at night before I went home just like the girls on the show do, I remember that I used to type 6 copy carbons on it and you could change fonts by changing the ball.
Then....the characters came. And I became engrossed in their stories. I have to take my hat off to the entire cast of Mad Men! A good actor will convince you that he is the character and raise your concern, interest, empathy, sympathy for him or her...and this ensemble does it beautifully!
For those of us who lived at that time, the show is a highly satisfactory flash back. For younger viewers, it is a fascinating history lesson on how we used to think and behave and what we do now. For EVERYONE, the story line is totally unique in that we love the way the characters lives entwine and each new turn in their stories. We can't wait to see the next episode and therefore, the writing is unique and the series draws us into it.
There are times when I watch the show and say to myself...."Hell. You'd never get away with doing that today!" So, I'm sure that there is a component of "culture shock" for younger viewers. But that just shows how well this entire show is crafted.
I was so moved the first season when Peggy Olson gave birth to an "illegitimate baby" and was more or less forced to give it up and had a breakdown. Thank God that there are no more Homes for Unwed Mothers....a genuine nightmare from the 1960's that society has eradicated!

@Rozsie: If you haven't found "Manhattan Tower" yet, it can be purchased at Amazon.com and you can also hear it on YouTube.

@Hanna: When are you going to start the Association game again? It's so much fun.

@SweetJudyBlueEyes: Yes, there were homes for unwed mothers back then and back-street abortions and girls using coat hangers before Roe v Wade. I also heard of a nice young girl committing suicide when she discovered she was pregnant....very sad.

I am 72 and was part of the Mad Men scene, especially in the office atmosphere in the early 1960s. More of my story can be found in the "Who are You" thread. I think I posted 2 or 3 times there.

wasthere - I'm glad you enjoyed the word association game. I started it when there was a two-week period with no new episode and people thought there would be nothing new to blog about. Lately there's been so many new posters and threads, so I didn't think there was a need for it (plus I've been busy with a new job). I'd be happy to put up a new word game thread!

I think it's great that many age groups are represented on this forum. I'm 55 with a son who is 26, daughter who is 22 and another daughter 14. I've had various discussions with my two older children about infidelity and with other people their ages and I can tell you that none of them would approve of Don. They take their long-term relationships seriously and I think they're a lot more conservative than I was at their ages. Still, as we get older, we tend to see that nothing is "black" or "white". As much as I rag on Don for cheating on Betty, I still try to appreciate his better qualities...although what is up with him right now?? Guess I'll scoot to the "Diagnosis" thread and see if anyone has psyched him out properly! LOL!

@tangfl: thank you for a wonderful reminder of what's important/what isn't. Just brought me back from a deep hole about things......so again, thank you for sharing your perspectives and beliefs about living life. Much needed today.

I'm 51 and I love this show. I grew up in the 60's and 70's, and although I was only 5 in 62, I have 2 older sisters so I was exposed to all of the cool stuff. Madmen is probably the best show ever on US television, and the character of Don Draper among the most complex ever written. This may not appeal as much to a lot of younger viewers because they do tend to have shorter attention spans for character development due, I believe, to all the flash electronics to which they have become accustomed. My age does help because I remember hearing all the songs on the radio, and it sort of seems like yesterday to me, my mom was a huge Jackie Kennedy fan so the idea of Camelot was a presence in our home and last but not least, my dad was a huge philanderer! yes, it is true wives looked the other way ,and I was not really spoken of. The only real danger the writers may face is trying to progress the women too quickly. Even coming from a family that appears to be well off ( remember Pete's family) I don't think because of a myriad of financial and societal reasons not to mention the fact that she is a CHILD, That Betty would have kept Don out of the house this long. She does like the power, but she is afraId of her husband. She did, however, positively glow while she had him at her beck and call particularly in episodes 9&10.

@Tang: I've always enjoyed reading your posts because you bring a lot of perspective to your thoughts. Thank you for an insta-reminder that one shouldn't sweat the small stuff! Continued best wishes to you!

i am 26 and i cannot get enough of this show! i must say that betty annoys me with acting like such a doormat. like, if she says "oh, i didn't know that" one more time, i am going to scream. especially when don told her she looked desperate by wearing that awesome yellow bikini.
most gals nowadays would have either a)engaged in an argument defending themselves, or b) argued/slapped their husband and then wear it anyway.
on these more recent episodes though, i am starting to lean a little more sympathy onto don. betty is being really strange, and she needs to stop toying with don.
then again, i wish that don would find rachel again and steal her away from her husband so they can finally be truly happy together. speaking of which, JOANIE AND ROGER need to get back with it. I HATE JANE!!!!!
once a week doesn't suffice! who knows what i am going to do when the season ends!

I am 18 years old and I love this show. I think that it is one of the best executed shows of the past 25 years. This time period reflected in Mad Men is a time that leaves a feeling of nostalgia when you watch but you realize that there was also a darkside and that is what appeals to me about this show. I love every single episode equally, like children.

I'm 53 and I am absolutely addicted to this show. I love it!!!! I remember my friends parents drinking as casually as they do on MadMen and the parties they had. Everyone seemed much more elegent back then. I remember watching soap operas and the characters were dressed to kill just sitting in their living rooms. All the ladies wore gloves and the men always had on a suit no matter what. A whole different lifestyle now. Everyone is so casual now. Parents are much more involved and hover over their kids now. Back in the 60's we were pretty much on our own. We had food, clothes, a roof over our heads and a warm bed to sleep in and that was about the extent of our relationship to our parents. Sometimes I look back on those days and almost think it was better back then. We definitely had more respect for our elders than kids today do and we especially didn't think our parents owed us anything. We were much freer to be on our own back in those days too. Could play outside all day with no adult supervision as long as we were home by dinnertime. Something I would never have let my own kids do or let my granddaughter do now.

24 here and also hopelessly addicted. Aside from being in love/hate with all of the characters, I think the show really raises the bar for television. The production value is staggering and I for one love seeing something that results from so much work and effort. Especially given the less than stellar trend that TV has taken recently (read: reality shows).

I wonder sometimes if I'm missing out because I have no frame of reference with regards to the time period. I think I just experience the show differently than others who have a more intimate knowledge of events and 60's culture.

I am 18 yrs old, but I've been a fan since I was 16. I am ridiculously addicted to this show (proudly) because it is the best show on television IMO. It is great that there's a broad range of ages and backgrounds in helping to keep things in perspective; made the watching experience much more enjoyable.

jamm54 and Visan, I love reading your posts also. You put a lot of thought into them and they are always insightful.

I was born in 1971, and I love this show because it's great art. I'd put it up against any book, movie or TV show from the past decade. I've managed to turn on a few people to this show, ranging in age from 24 to 65 (Hi Mom).

Don Whitman, if you don't mind the suggestion, a really cool book that serves as a handy compendium/prologue into Mad Men is David Halberstam's 'The Fifties.' It's long, but broken into nice easy chapters on the seminal events/people of what seems to be a misunderstood era (Brando, Quiz Show scandals, McCarthy, early Civil Rights, etc). I know Mad Men begins in 1960, but this book really shows how the 'innocent' 50s were really a prologue to the 'turbulent' 60s. It's a fun read.

odlfashioned: loved Halberstam's "The Fifties". ThatWAS a great read, wasn't it? Great suggestion - fifties weren't that "innocent", alright.

It'd be fun to compile a "reading list" for the sixties that the forum might want to check out:

David Halberstam - what a wonderful writer. I read his book on Michael Jordan. Didn't David die recently? If so, how sad. I'm sure there was much more of value for him to write about.

Love all the comments...
I am 54 and find the show very accurate. However, I don't remember any kids like Glenn in my neighborhood! We rode bikes (without the helmuts) and had talent shows and stayed out until "curfew" which in the summer was 10:00 o'clock p.m.!! I grew up in a small town but the drinking and smoking was just like the big cities.
The early 60's were very different from the late 60's...something I hope the show stays on tv long enough to explore.

LOVE THIS SHOW...and not looking forward to the wait until season 3!

Jamm54 and wasthere, Yeah, Halberstam was wonderful, died in a car accident last year. He was a great journalist, too.

A 'reading list' is a cool idea -- maybe we could even do a virtual book club in the 'offseason' to keep us busy.

I love that idea oldfashioned. Maybe before the last episode, we can start a topic on a "over the winter/off season" reading list that's somewhat pertinent to the 1960's. An MadMen "Book Club".

I definitly am hooked on MadMen and I am 52. I love watching the show portray the "60's". It is neat to see office life happening from then. How different it was. Drinking and smoking, everyone, in the office. How weired is that?!?! The show for sure has my attention.

Jamm: I tried commenting on your separate thread about the book club idea but couldn't log into it for some strange reason. BUT IT'S A GREAT IDEA. I plan on reading books that have been discussed on the show and in our "chat room." I am already in the middle of the book "Revolutionary Road" and enjoying it. Perhaps we can have a consolidated list of books to refer to. Again, great idea.

@wasthere: I got Dry Manhattan to finally post the book club topic, so you can comment over there on DM's start of the topic. I've already put in my list, but it would be really fun, wouldn't it?

Of course!! I'm 22 and I am ADDICTED to Mad Men. I tell as many people at school about it as possible. I'm a marketing major at Ryerson University and I found other marketing students that love the show as well. And all the 1960s advertising campaigns just thrill us. There's even TWO facebook groups on Mad Men and I'm pretty sure there are plenty of members under 30 there. Our teachers love it as well.
And I think that Don Draper oozes sex appeal. It's a power thing!

I showed up in 1969, so I am smack dab in Generation X. I enjoy the show a lot...got hooked recently and I'm just about done catching up with last season. The show is very well written and it keeps me coming back for more. My mom worked in an office back in the 1950s and 60s but I never got around to asking her what it was like. When I'm watching the show I always mutter..."you couldn't get away with talking like that nowadays!!!" I do read the episode wrap-ups (I don't mind spoilers for season 1). Draper now makes sense to me...he creates lies so people buy products but he is a lie himself...

I'm a 21 year old college student who's been a fan of the show from the beginning.
To be honest, Don's cheating doesn't put me off very much. Considering how common cheating is in marriage (the stats are about 50% for both married men and married women in the U.S.; I imagine they're even higher for unmarried couples), I'm surprised the women my age are so distressed by it.
I'm certainly not an expert on relationships, but it always seemed to me that people entered them with a sort of implicit agreement that cheating was to be tolerated, as long as it was kept discreet (it should be said here, though, that I am working under the assumption that most people know that infidelity is common).
Perhaps it's the the disconnect between Don's infidelity and the image we have in our minds of that era that provokes such strong emotion. We look back on that age as being more innocent, as being representative of traditional values. It can be shocking to see people behave callously, at least in certain regards (e.g. we expect sexism, not outright abuse of women).
Any thoughts?

I am 19 and I think I am one of the youngest viewers but I have followed MM from the start and plus I have some of the best post. Is anyone here younger than me?

I am 29 and LOVE the show. I often associate the difference between Joan and Peggy as the cultural/subgen difference between someone my age (Cuspers - not really Gen X, not really millennials) and someone born after 1982 or 1983 (aka true millennials). True millennials tend to be more casual, especially when it comes to work, and I've also noticed that some are more likely to communicate in Textese rather than proper language.

Oh PUULLEEEASE! It's the over 50 crew who actually REMEBER the 60's so well! We're the voice of being able to say WE actually wore either Peggy's little girl clothes; Joan's seductive apparel, or Don's dapper suits accompanied with hats, that were worn prior to JFK.

My mother wore the Joan Holloway outfits, although she didn't/couldn't work in the offices Joan did during that time. Our home was the quintessential 60's home and I remember wearing the shirt-waist dresses, and absoutely hated when my mother insisted I wear the Peggy clothes.

Thank God for the 70's!!

RDee
A 50 + Maddaddict!!

Hi Boop... You happen to be correct..... young girls have to stand up, and even with that, there are still far too many young women who are more than willing to flaunt their thong straps to get attention from boys/guys; as long as they exist, it'll remain hard for women who take themselves seriously... although not impossible to do.

I used to THINK the reason men still do pretty much the same things the men in the show is because they CAN, and because women still allow it at some basic level.

Now.. I KNOW that men do the same things as they do in the show because women still allow it... I see it EVERYday -- the players may've changed [clothing], but their game remains the same. And when Joan said, "And that's why we love them" says it all about the psyche of many females, then as well as now.

However... Don's till my man.... I'd have to beat his ass everyday, but he's still my man!! ;)

RDee

giveprops, I think someone said they knew an 18 yr old Maddict - that's the youngest I've heard of. As someone born in 1951, I am enjoying reading all the posts from the younger viewers. Of course, I'm enjoying everyone's posts, older and younger.

I was 8 in 1962 - just like Sally Draper. Somehow that's easier to say than my age in 2008. Anyway, while many posters are fellow boomers in their 50's, I can't seem to find any MM fans among my own friends/coworkers. That is why I've introduced the show to my 23 year old daughter and she is now totally hooked! As a female in the finance industry in Manhattan, she is fascinated how things have changed for the working woman. Unlike me, she doesn't get the nostalgia factor but we can both appreciate Jon Hamm.

I'm 46, born in 1963, but happen to have a good memory, even for things when I was two years old. So many particulars presented in MAD MEN I can remember and corroborate.

Frequently while watching MM, my mind flashes onto just what a foreign world this milieu must seem to those Americans born after, say 1975.

A younger viewer of MM would almost need a "sherpa" to explain all the telling plot-points, in-jokes, and other clever shibboleths presented in the show.

Interestingly, my own Mom... now 67... does not like to watch movies about the 60's... "I was there" she says; "I have no desire to 'go back'".

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