Mad Men Season 1 (or I want to punch everyone in the face)

I should probably not even be writing this post yet.  I've only watched the first disc of the first season of Mad Men, and I feel, like a record album, the TV show season should really be judged as whole work of art, not in small chunks.

BUT.  Just the first three episodes of this show made me want to go on a rampage.  I almost turned into the Hulk.  I kept wanting to punch Don Draper and Pete Campbell in the face over and over and over until their shellacked hair and cancer-ridden lungs popped.  If you'd like to know why, go on and read after the jump.

At this point I'm going to assume anyone still reading cares about this show, so I'll assume you sort of know who the characters are.  And now, with all the media saturation, I would be amazed if anyone had not heard of this show or its characters.

This show makes me indescribably sad and frustrated.  And what's worse, I know that is how I'm supposed to feel.  Thanks writers, for being just that heavy handed.  No subtlety here.  In the first three episodes alone, we've gotten some prejudice against Black people, Jewish people, gay people (does that get capitalized?), women, children, divorced people, poor people, and probably some other ones I forgot.  Everything is grating, to be sure, but the sexism really gets me the most (probably, because, you know, I have ovaries).  And it's this bullshit upper class sexism, which to me always seems a lot more blatant and overt.  I guess because the women don't "have" to work (often they even have nannies and maids), so the sexism is prevalent ideologically and in practice.  In less affluent households, it seems like women had to be more equal in work and decision making because resources were scarcer, and so the women were afforded more opportunities to exercise their minds and wills.  Sexism was still present in thoughts and speech, but not necessarily in practice.  But maybe that's bullshit. 

The final straw for me was at the very end of the third episode.  (Note: this might be a spoiler?  If so, it's not a super exciting one).  Don Draper's wife, Betty, goes to see a psychiatrist (a psychoanalyst who's really annoying).  At the end of the day, Don calls up the psychiatrist to get the low down on what Betty talked about and what is "wrong" with her.  HELLO???  DOCTOR-PATIENT CONFIDENTIALITY???  This is one of the most disturbing parts of sexism to me - infantilization (see earlier Sookie Stackhouse post).  And as a person who conducts psychiatric interviews, confidentiality is extremely important.  As I say to kids every day, everything you tell me is private, unless you tell me that someone is hurting you, or if you want to hurt yourself or hurt someone else.  This is a very important part of psychology/psychiatry/mental health, and it enrages me that it is violated.

I know sexism still exists today, but watching this show really makes me so grateful that I was born in the 1980s and not the 1950s.  And it's amazing how quickly some things change.  My mom is about the same age as Sally Draper, and she grew up to be a pretty kick ass, independent lady.  She went to law school and became a lawyer and a judge.  So I think there is hope, and things can and will change. 

I'll definitely keep watching.  The clothes are certainly gorgeous.  And I figure, if the writers are shoving this much sexism and prejudice down my throat right now, in the future it'll be addressed and something interesting will happen.  It's just frustrating to wait for it.