Over the years, we’ve commented on the emasculated, sole-searching, directionless, man syndrome made famous by those Verizon Dumb Dad ads. Writing in Entertainment Weekly about how today’s man just won’t grow up and how he’s portrayed by show creators and advertiser as a aimless, child-like buffoon, Mark Harris captures, perfectly, the ironic attraction of AMC’s Mad Men.
He writes, “…the 35ish Don Draper is a New York advertising whiz with a wife, a mistress, unquenchable ambition and not an iota of little-boy-ishness; in fact, he’s determined to grind his inner child into dust and obliterate any trace of vulnerability…He’s a relic of an ancient civilization, and a flat out terrible role model. But in his struggle not to lose his soul, he is also, indisputably, a grown up. No wonder he suddenly seems like the sexiest thing on television.”
While Don’s aspirations may not mesh with the aspirations of today’s men (or women), one must admit it’s refreshing to see a man be a man on TV for once. OK, OK, let those comments role in from those who feel it’s anachronistically insensitive to celebrate a Neanderthal who philanders and is sexist. But while you write your comment, remember, he’s the sort of person who can make a decision without having to cover his ass by vetting that decision through committee like most decisions made today. Have at it.
