The Death of Adulthood in America - Madmen Season Finale

[Peter G]

Comic-book movies, family-friendly animated adventures, tales of adolescent heroism and comedies of arrested development do not only make up the commercial center of 21st-century Hollywood. They are its artistic heart.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/magazine/the-death-of-adulthood-in-american-culture.html?_r=0

[ComicConnoisseur]

Comic-book movies, family-friendly animated adventures, tales of adolescent heroism and comedies of arrested development do not only make up the commercial center of 21st-century Hollywood. They are its artistic heart.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/magazine/the-death-of-adulthood-in-american-culture.html?_r=0

Good article.

I know one thing Mad Men was far more interesting when they were in that early 1960s period. It kind of lost it`s edge and became a little goofy soap opera when it got to the late 1960s.

 

btw I loved this show, until about somewhere in the fifth season, than you could see the quality erode.

[Prince Namor]

Comic-book movies, family-friendly animated adventures, tales of adolescent heroism and comedies of arrested development do not only make up the commercial center of 21st-century Hollywood. They are its artistic heart.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/magazine/the-death-of-adulthood-in-american-culture.html?_r=0

Good article.

I know one thing Mad Men was far more interesting when they were in that early 1960s period. It kind of lost it`s edge and became a little goofy soap opera when it got to the late 1960s.

 

btw I loved this show, until about somewhere in the fifth season, than you could see the quality erode.

 

The quality didn't erode, that's what they trying to show you. It was always a goofy soap opera, they just kicked down the walls, so you could see it better. The illusion of the wealthy white guys so in control of everything played nicely with the marketing, advertising angle - it was an illusion, their excesses and behavior came with consequences - and the more walls that got torn down (literally and figuratively) we saw how it effected everyone they knew and came in contact with.

 

[zosocane]

btw I loved this show, until about somewhere in the fifth season, than you could see the quality erode.

 

I have seen every episode of MM, and I think the production and writing quality has been generally the same since the first season. I think the show lost its viewers after the fifth season when the very annoying one-and-a-half year waits between seasons started happening. That caused a lot of folks to forget and lose interest. I had a hard time remembering who did what with whom and who was working where, I almost gave up. If I wasn't a loyal viewer I would have dropped it a couple of seasons ago.

 

Kinda the same with what HBO did with the Soprano's the last two seasons.

 

 

[fantastic_four]

btw I loved this show, until about somewhere in the fifth season, than you could see the quality erode.

 

I have seen every episode of MM, and I think the production and writing quality has been generally the same since the first season. I think the show lost its viewers after the fifth season when the very annoying one-and-a-half year waits between seasons started happening. That caused a lot of folks to forget and lose interest. I had a hard time remembering who did what with whom and who was working where, I almost gave up. If I wasn't a loyal viewer I would have dropped it a couple of seasons ago.

 

Kinda the same with what HBO did with the Soprano's the last two seasons.

 

 

+1

 

 

[JazzMan]

The marathon this last week prior to the finale was a good primer.

 

That was a good series - I thoroughly enjoyed it and they stood with the period very loyally. Every character was interesting.

[ComicConnoisseur]

Comic-book movies, family-friendly animated adventures, tales of adolescent heroism and comedies of arrested development do not only make up the commercial center of 21st-century Hollywood. They are its artistic heart.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/magazine/the-death-of-adulthood-in-american-culture.html?_r=0

Good article.

I know one thing Mad Men was far more interesting when they were in that early 1960s period. It kind of lost it`s edge and became a little goofy soap opera when it got to the late 1960s.

 

btw I loved this show, until about somewhere in the fifth season, than you could see the quality erode.

 

The quality didn't erode, that's what they trying to show you. It was always a goofy soap opera, they just kicked down the walls, so you could see it better. The illusion of the wealthy white guys so in control of everything played nicely with the marketing, advertising angle - it was an illusion, their excesses and behavior came with consequences - and the more walls that got torn down (literally and figuratively) we saw how it effected everyone they knew and came in contact with.

I just found the characters less interesting when they got into psychedelic late1960s.

They became kind of boring.

It went from must see ground breaking tv to !

[ComicConnoisseur]

btw I loved this show, until about somewhere in the fifth season, than you could see the quality erode.

 

I have seen every episode of MM, and I think the production and writing quality has been generally the same since the first season. I think the show lost its viewers after the fifth season when the very annoying one-and-a-half year waits between seasons started happening. That caused a lot of folks to forget and lose interest. I had a hard time remembering who did what with whom and who was working where, I almost gave up. If I wasn't a loyal viewer I would have dropped it a couple of seasons ago.

 

Kinda the same with what HBO did with the Soprano's the last two seasons.

Exactly. The Sopranos was a dark and gritty gangster show those first three seasons, than it became a soap opera!

What happens is they try to pull in more viewers, which unfortunately makes them change the style of the show.

 

[fantastic_four]

The big change that turned off viewers was the characterization of Don. The first 4+ seasons, Don was on top of the advertisement game and landing poon left and right. By the fifth season, everything at work began to become very little of Don winning and morphed into frustrating office politics. They also stopped showing Don living that fantasy life of wooing every woman he met and more marriage drama with his new wife. The show went from Don living a life of glamour and winning at everything to Don living with ignominy and losing in seasons 5, 6, and 7.

[vaillant]

Comic-book movies, family-friendly animated adventures, tales of adolescent heroism and comedies of arrested development do not only make up the commercial center of 21st-century Hollywood. They are its artistic heart.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/magazine/the-death-of-adulthood-in-american-culture.html?_r=0

I would say there are a good deal of things perfectly representing "death of adulthood" in its worst meaning way more than these listed, starting from "adult" hollywood movies and even novels.

 

One for all, the fact that "heroism" is a word barely understood today: mostly, it is used as an empty shell, so better to restart from rewarding and see what Walt Disney meant with "family-friendly animated adventures" which were something pretty serious to him.

[Peter G]

Comic-book movies, family-friendly animated adventures, tales of adolescent heroism and comedies of arrested development do not only make up the commercial center of 21st-century Hollywood. They are its artistic heart.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/magazine/the-death-of-adulthood-in-american-culture.html?_r=0

Good article.

I know one thing Mad Men was far more interesting when they were in that early 1960s period. It kind of lost it`s edge and became a little goofy soap opera when it got to the late 1960s.

 

btw I loved this show, until about somewhere in the fifth season, than you could see the quality erode.

 

The quality didn't erode, that's what they trying to show you. It was always a goofy soap opera, they just kicked down the walls, so you could see it better. The illusion of the wealthy white guys so in control of everything played nicely with the marketing, advertising angle - it was an illusion, their excesses and behavior came with consequences - and the more walls that got torn down (literally and figuratively) we saw how it effected everyone they knew and came in contact with.

 

I don't understand why contemporary society has such animosity towards white America. Oh yeah, they keep telling you the white people are privileged. I hate racism in all its forms and this type of attack against white people is racist. i wish the PC police would at least be principled about racism.

[budsbundy]

The Madmen series finale

 

Om, om, lame, om, om

 

[budsbundy]

Ok, the significance of the coke ad at the end just occurred to me, and was confirmed by my brother when I told him.

 

I guess the actors said(while talking about their time on the show after it was over) that Don went back to McCain Erickson and wrote that coke ad after he got the idea for it near the end of the episode when he's chanting and gets that smile on his face.

They said that he had accepted that he was an ad man, and was ok with it, basically he had come to terms with his life and himself.

 

So, knowing that, It seems less lame now, and a nice wrap up to things.

[awakeintheashes]

I really enjoyed the series finale. I am going to miss Roger Sterling so freaking much!

[awakeintheashes]

Ok, the significance of the coke ad at the end just occurred to me, and was confirmed by my brother when I told him.

 

I guess the actors said(while talking about their time on the show after it was over) that Don went back to McCain Erickson and wrote that coke ad after he got the idea for it near the end of the episode when he's chanting and gets that smile on his face.

They said that he had accepted that he was an ad man, and was ok with it, basically he had come to terms with his life and himself.

 

So, knowing that, It seems less lame now, and a nice wrap up to things.

Yeah, I thought it was a nice way to tie things up. I had a feeling they were going to go the Coke route. This year is the 30th anniversary of the ad, too.

 

I'm glad the whole DB Cooper theory did not become a reality. It may have been interesting, but it would have been a total mess.

[Prince Namor]

Comic-book movies, family-friendly animated adventures, tales of adolescent heroism and comedies of arrested development do not only make up the commercial center of 21st-century Hollywood. They are its artistic heart.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/magazine/the-death-of-adulthood-in-american-culture.html?_r=0

Good article.

I know one thing Mad Men was far more interesting when they were in that early 1960s period. It kind of lost it`s edge and became a little goofy soap opera when it got to the late 1960s.

 

btw I loved this show, until about somewhere in the fifth season, than you could see the quality erode.

 

The quality didn't erode, that's what they trying to show you. It was always a goofy soap opera, they just kicked down the walls, so you could see it better. The illusion of the wealthy white guys so in control of everything played nicely with the marketing, advertising angle - it was an illusion, their excesses and behavior came with consequences - and the more walls that got torn down (literally and figuratively) we saw how it effected everyone they knew and came in contact with.

 

I don't understand why contemporary society has such animosity towards white America.

 

Example? Do you have a clear example of this?

 

As a white american, I can say I've never in my 50 years ever felt animosity toward my 'whiteness' by contemporary society.

 

Oh yeah, they keep telling you the white people are privileged.

 

Who does? Nobody tells me that.

 

I always hear about people saying that people are saying that, but I never actually hear anyone say that.

 

I'm starting to think someone is trying to lead us into thinking a certain way.....

 

I hate racism in all its forms and this type of attack against white people is racist.

 

Attack? The season finale is an attack on privileged white people?

 

My bad. Here I thought it was an attack on white males born from prostitute's. I had a picket sign made and everything.

 

i wish the PC police would at least be principled about racism.

 

Who are the PC Police? Why do I never see them? Is it the African American who stands up and speaks out when he's discriminated against? Is he the PC Police? Is it the female who stands up and speaks out when she's discriminated against? Is she the PC Police?

 

What are you trying to say? That the world would be a better place if we could just call a woman a biatch, pay her less, smack her bottom and send her back to the kitchen?

 

Isn't the mainstream media all owned by the biggest, richest, whitest male dudes on the planet?

 

I'm going to have to listen more closely to what they tell me. It might all be BS.

[budsbundy]

I really enjoyed the series finale. I am going to miss Roger Sterling so freaking much!

Roger was great!

I liked his character from the first episode to the last.

I didn't really care for Pete at first, but by the end of the series I liked him too, nice to see him get a happy ending.

Peggy got a happy ending too, but poor Betty gets to chain smoke her way to the graveyard.

I didn't really see the point in killing Betty like that, but maybe it was Wieners commentary(lung cancer) on the rampant smoking on the show.

[Davenport]

 

I don't understand why contemporary society has such animosity towards white America.

 

Example? Do you have a clear example of this?

Wow. Too busy trying to bait someone into a discussion that can't be conducted here (no politics) that you missed the prime example linked in this very thread?

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/magazine/the-death-of-adulthood-in-american-culture.html

"Every white American male under the age of 50 is some version of the character he [Louis CK] plays on “Louie,” a show almost entirely devoted to the absurdity of being a pale, doughy heterosexual man with children in a post-patriarchal age. Or, if you prefer, a loser."

[jools&jim]

 

I don't understand why contemporary society has such animosity towards white America.

Example? Do you have a clear example of this?

 

As a white american, I can say I've never in my 50 years ever felt animosity toward my 'whiteness' by contemporary society.

Quite true in my experience as well.

 

But a sweeping generalization like "contemporary society" is nearly always bollocks. Unfortunately, if we drill down a little deeper, there is indeed ample evidence to suggest that a philosophical animus towards "white males" or (more obliquely) "white masculinity" is very much the rage amongst a growing number of contemporary intellectual elites (of all races -- the white author of the article referenced in this thread is a Harvard grad) and the contemporary "liberal arts" faculty members and curriculum which produce them.

 

Sometimes it's outspoken; often it's merely presumed. But it IS there.

 

Spend some quality time on the campus of any Ivy League college or university; page through their course offerings in various "-studies" programs in the Humanities; and examine the CVs and publications lists of the people teaching them. Chances are you won't have to look very far to find it.

 

For a recent clear example, Google "Saida Grundy". There are many others...

 

 

 

[Prince Namor]

I don't understand why contemporary society has such animosity towards white America.

Example? Do you have a clear example of this?

 

As a white american, I can say I've never in my 50 years ever felt animosity toward my 'whiteness' by contemporary society.

Quite true in my experience as well.

 

But a sweeping generalization like "contemporary society" is nearly always bollocks. Unfortunately, if we drill down a little deeper, there is indeed ample evidence to suggest that a philosophical animus towards "white males" or (more obliquely) "white masculinity" is very much the rage amongst a growing number of contemporary intellectual elites (of all races -- the white author of the article referenced in this thread is a Harvard grad) and the contemporary "liberal arts" faculty members and curriculum which produce them.

 

Sometimes it's outspoken; often it's merely presumed. But it IS there.

 

Spend some quality time on the campus of any Ivy League college or university; page through their course offerings in various "-studies" programs in the Humanities; and examine the CVs and publications lists of the people teaching them. Chances are you won't have to look very far to find it.

 

For a recent clear example, Google "Saida Grundy". There are many others...

 

Absolutely. A minor segment of society voicing their opinion's on blogs and newspaper articles, and in some cases making inflammatory, hurtful remarks.

 

Not the 'contemporary society' majority that some would make it seem.

 

In fact, it sounds like the flip side of the type of stupid behavior and remarks I've come to expect from the 'respectable' white males that read the 'news'.

 

Social media has us believing that anyone with a voice is 'news'.

 

And I can probably find just as many people on the internet who believe they were abducted by aliens and write about it on a blog.

 

As a white male I just don't feel the animosity that others tell me they do. I just don't see as much animosity as others make it sound like. I don't feel like a victim.