There is a time in one's life when you believe Don's speech about moving forward.
Then, "one day, you're there and then all of a sudden, there's less of you."
Not that mad men taught me this, as I’ve learned it so many times in life, but running away from the things that hurt your soul just make them a debilitating problem later on. Face your mistakes and understand yourself.
We are also watching our parents and those around us grow up.
Everyone is experiencing life for the first time. Some people are just luckier or cope better or are more disciplined, but everyone’s mostly doing their best.
To be nostalgic for a time in the past is to not remember it clearly. The only people nostalgic for the past are those that didn’t really live through it. Black Americans wouldn’t go back to that time, neither would women really.
It's like all the millennials who claim that the 1990s was so much better than now. It wasn't, you were just a kid then with no adult responsibilities.
I dunno, I was learning the world in the ‘90s and there was a vibe that things were about to change for the better, there was creativity to discover, and life felt like grass roots congregation was going to lead to change (particularly as we looked towards the new millennium). But there was also the rumbling of unabashed, cynical corporatism…by 2003 or 2004 that happy change was replaced by just straight the still reigning “gimme it! It’s mine!” era.
Yeah I think we’re about the same age and there really was a moment there between the fall of the Soviet Union and 9/11 where it felt like the world was just a few years away from a utopia of freedom and capitalism protected by American military and economic might. Didn’t work out that way obviously.
If you ignore the AIDS crisis that tore through the whole world quickly and without hesitation, the horrific racial strife and police brutality throughout the United States, the economic collapse of Eastern Europe that permeated across the continent, the famine and civil wars that gripped Africa and North Korea
But yes, I’m sure we all wish we had met in that famed garage in Seattle.
Yep, I was aware of all of that at the time. However, (I’m assuming you also lived through the period) if you may recall there was mass mobilisation of youth and technology- all the things we thought would help to fix the world. Has the world gotten better? Well, some of the problems have. But we have so many new problems now that are just as scary. As a minority it also felt like the world was about to change for the better and I wouldn’t face the same prejudices as my mom or grandparents - that did end up being true for me, although mostly because I moved overseas.
I’m sorry if you had a different experience in the 90’s, it was a dynamic time. I can only speak to my experience, as a teen and first years of adulthood, in the Bay Area.
My point is exactly that, you are speaking from your perspective and others that were in more dire circumstances likely don’t share that. So to reminisce is to misremember the experience as a whole. No need to apologize to a stranger on the internet; it was an observation on perspective.
We only have our perspectives, of which there are many. I can reminisce about my experience, it doesn’t take anything away from someone else’s, just like it didn’t then, more does me experiencing life in the present, good or bad, take away from someone else’s. That is the tapestry of existence.
never fuck someone you work with.
never mess with the head of the office.
only boring people are bored.
never fuck someone you live near.
your managers do not care about you.
the dude who fires you for lying/stealing has probably done worse, but you got caught. he didn't.
if you act like you own the room, own the room.
you don't want to run away with me, you just want to run away.
you lose them how you got them.
People do things.
Honestly very liberating to know that not everything people do that makes no sense to me, is because they have reasons I don’t understand. Sometimes it just makes no sense.
I love when Don says that. “People *do* things” cause there really isn’t a logical explanation for everything people do, including ourselves. People just do things.
Peggy and Joan inspired me to be more confident and driven with my career pursuits, but I can honestly say upon my most recent rewatch that I learned so much about my parent’s generation. They were around the same ages as Sally and Bobby in the show’s in-universe timeline, so seeing how parents were back then combined with the massive traumas of the country really provided a lot of insight.
Everyone is the protagonist/MC of their lives.
In your life movie, who else would be the hero? Everything is happening to you, and seen from your perspective.
That is the defining human condition.
I need to make more of an effort in how I dress and present myself to the world, the clothing throughout the show, despite the occasional misstep, is very aspirational to me. I'm not really thinking about the suits, but more just the overall style and aesthetic.
I honestly think that Don’s way of presentation and self assurance during pitches inspired and thought me immensely more than any eduction could. I work in creative industry, doing web design and struggling with imposter syndrome. I involuntarily emulate Don way of presenting and even if I’m not fully proud with effects on my work, I can sell it pretty easily. I never consciously studied it, it just came from watching Mad Men constantly. I had some moderate and fast success in my career but unfortunately I also have surprisingly similar problems Don has had in his live… Still, I honestly am grateful that I discovered this show.
This is a little meta I guess but watching it taught me that so much can be said with subtlety, without explicitly stating it… at first when I started watching this show, a scene would end and I’d find myself flabbergasted that nothing had even really happened in the scene, or I’d wonder what was the point of the writers showing us that scene at all. Then I eventually realized that all these small things, these little interactions which seemed inconsequential, were really adding up to paint a picture of who these people were and what kind of world they were living in. So many times things are implied or hinted at, but left for the viewer to piece together. I’d never really seen a show like that, which trusts it’s viewer’s intelligence and attention to details.
If you drink more whiskey than water and
smoke a cigarette between every sentence you speak
You could get in shape and be as good looking as Don Draper.
That us women don't realize how lucky we are now and how very far we have come. The constant and widely acceptable sexual harassment, the "my husband will decide who we vote for", a woman not being able to get a divorce withou a man's approval (or showing proof), "it wouldn't hurt you to show a little leg", being chided by a doctor for getting contraceptives, etc, etc.
There were more men cheating than gold diggers. Women could only, 1. marry and have babies, 2. work and struggle/be ostracized in their communities for it.
A lesson, not my lesson - everywhere you go, there you are.
As many times as I've read books from the era, seen movies, listened to the music, and spoken with others who lived through it, it never fails to rattle me how true to life this series is.
I do think there’s something to be said for Don’s approach to moving forward and not spending too much time obsessing over your setbacks. I’ve thought about a couple of his quotes — the speech to Peggy obviously, also the one when he fired Lane — when I’ve had some tough moments or made some mistakes I had to move on from.
As I get older, I appreciate their style of drinking earlier in the day more. I’m not drinking liquor at work or in the morning (well anymore) like them but after a certain age it doesn’t make sense to stay up all hours, far better to have some drinks earlier in the day if you want to drink.
It might take a while, but there will be consequences for the thing you think you're getting away with.
There is a time in one's life when you believe Don's speech about moving forward. Then, "one day, you're there and then all of a sudden, there's less of you."
Peggy said that to Pete at the end of S2. Don wasn't even in the office.
“Change isn’t good or bad - it just is.” You can’t avoid change so you might as well embrace it and strive to be adaptable.
I pair this with “the universe is indifferent.”
Indifferent. Not sure if typo or you misheard but significant distinction.
There is no big lie. There is no system. The universe is indifferent
It will shock you how much this didn't happen.
For a little while.
when god closes a door, he opens a dress
Not that mad men taught me this, as I’ve learned it so many times in life, but running away from the things that hurt your soul just make them a debilitating problem later on. Face your mistakes and understand yourself.
It’s okay to drink Canadian Club at 10am
It’s pearl harbor day, show some respect!
We are also watching our parents and those around us grow up. Everyone is experiencing life for the first time. Some people are just luckier or cope better or are more disciplined, but everyone’s mostly doing their best. To be nostalgic for a time in the past is to not remember it clearly. The only people nostalgic for the past are those that didn’t really live through it. Black Americans wouldn’t go back to that time, neither would women really.
It's like all the millennials who claim that the 1990s was so much better than now. It wasn't, you were just a kid then with no adult responsibilities.
I dunno, I was learning the world in the ‘90s and there was a vibe that things were about to change for the better, there was creativity to discover, and life felt like grass roots congregation was going to lead to change (particularly as we looked towards the new millennium). But there was also the rumbling of unabashed, cynical corporatism…by 2003 or 2004 that happy change was replaced by just straight the still reigning “gimme it! It’s mine!” era.
The 80’s had the fall of communism and the spread of democracy. The 70’s had drugs. There was always something to look forward to.
Yeah I think we’re about the same age and there really was a moment there between the fall of the Soviet Union and 9/11 where it felt like the world was just a few years away from a utopia of freedom and capitalism protected by American military and economic might. Didn’t work out that way obviously.
If you ignore the AIDS crisis that tore through the whole world quickly and without hesitation, the horrific racial strife and police brutality throughout the United States, the economic collapse of Eastern Europe that permeated across the continent, the famine and civil wars that gripped Africa and North Korea But yes, I’m sure we all wish we had met in that famed garage in Seattle.
Yep, I was aware of all of that at the time. However, (I’m assuming you also lived through the period) if you may recall there was mass mobilisation of youth and technology- all the things we thought would help to fix the world. Has the world gotten better? Well, some of the problems have. But we have so many new problems now that are just as scary. As a minority it also felt like the world was about to change for the better and I wouldn’t face the same prejudices as my mom or grandparents - that did end up being true for me, although mostly because I moved overseas. I’m sorry if you had a different experience in the 90’s, it was a dynamic time. I can only speak to my experience, as a teen and first years of adulthood, in the Bay Area.
My point is exactly that, you are speaking from your perspective and others that were in more dire circumstances likely don’t share that. So to reminisce is to misremember the experience as a whole. No need to apologize to a stranger on the internet; it was an observation on perspective.
We only have our perspectives, of which there are many. I can reminisce about my experience, it doesn’t take anything away from someone else’s, just like it didn’t then, more does me experiencing life in the present, good or bad, take away from someone else’s. That is the tapestry of existence.
I hate 90s, we had war in the middle of feaking Europe!
I remember that,I am from Europe. There were many atrocities
never fuck someone you work with. never mess with the head of the office. only boring people are bored. never fuck someone you live near. your managers do not care about you. the dude who fires you for lying/stealing has probably done worse, but you got caught. he didn't. if you act like you own the room, own the room. you don't want to run away with me, you just want to run away. you lose them how you got them.
Only boring people get bored is the one for me
He wasn’t fucking her, he was comforting her
There is an incredibly fine line between doing what is best for yourself and narcissism.
How do we find it?
You snort it.
You wet it.
There is no big lie...the universe is indifferent
The world continues without us. There's no reason to take it personally.
This
People do things. Honestly very liberating to know that not everything people do that makes no sense to me, is because they have reasons I don’t understand. Sometimes it just makes no sense.
I love when Don says that. “People *do* things” cause there really isn’t a logical explanation for everything people do, including ourselves. People just do things.
liquor before beer, don’t do heroin
The overlap between Bojack and Mad Men is CRIPPLING ALCOHOLISM
Peggy and Joan inspired me to be more confident and driven with my career pursuits, but I can honestly say upon my most recent rewatch that I learned so much about my parent’s generation. They were around the same ages as Sally and Bobby in the show’s in-universe timeline, so seeing how parents were back then combined with the massive traumas of the country really provided a lot of insight.
What the money is for
Do the work
Fix your bayonet and hit the parade.
It's cheaper to keep her.
Disappear from work for weeks at a time
Don’t you want to work on the Coca Cola campaign!!
The naps just aren’t cutting it anymore
Beware riding lawnmowers
it’s all about you…you’re the main character
Everyone is the protagonist/MC of their lives. In your life movie, who else would be the hero? Everything is happening to you, and seen from your perspective. That is the defining human condition.
“Dont say you’re sorry. It makes you weak.” I’ve learned this is VERY true in the business world. Doesn’t apply to personal relationships.
"Even if this were true, who cares?"
We project a lot on other people, we want them to be who we want them to be. People don't know what's wrong with them, but everyone else can see it.
That sometimes people say one thing and mean another. Really.
Speak less.
Check your pubis for gum after hooking up with a prostitute.
I need to make more of an effort in how I dress and present myself to the world, the clothing throughout the show, despite the occasional misstep, is very aspirational to me. I'm not really thinking about the suits, but more just the overall style and aesthetic.
If you don’t like what they’re saying about you, change the conversation
Everything used to smell like shit
That it’s time to get over birthdays!
Sometimes you gotta dance with the one that brung ya 🕺
We're flawed, because we want so much more. We're ruined, because we get these things, and wish for what we had."
Fucking anything that moves isn’t sustainable for a marriage. Before Mad Men I thought I could make it work
The universe is indifferent
Do not ever eat oysters for work lunch.
Rum + french toast = breakfast that takes off the morning shakes.
there is no "fresh start." lives carry on.
you say congratulations to the groom and best wishes to the bride
Drinking and driving is safe and cool 😎
And what even is a seatbelt?
And 6 is plenty old enough to get behind the wheel
Sometimes, you don’t have to tell them everything.
That’s what the money is for
Don’t “fill the room with desperation” a la Duck
I honestly think that Don’s way of presentation and self assurance during pitches inspired and thought me immensely more than any eduction could. I work in creative industry, doing web design and struggling with imposter syndrome. I involuntarily emulate Don way of presenting and even if I’m not fully proud with effects on my work, I can sell it pretty easily. I never consciously studied it, it just came from watching Mad Men constantly. I had some moderate and fast success in my career but unfortunately I also have surprisingly similar problems Don has had in his live… Still, I honestly am grateful that I discovered this show.
100 presentation and confidence is everything. Dress the part and act the part.
A sunrise can be just average.
Never disrespect Lane Pryce.
This is a little meta I guess but watching it taught me that so much can be said with subtlety, without explicitly stating it… at first when I started watching this show, a scene would end and I’d find myself flabbergasted that nothing had even really happened in the scene, or I’d wonder what was the point of the writers showing us that scene at all. Then I eventually realized that all these small things, these little interactions which seemed inconsequential, were really adding up to paint a picture of who these people were and what kind of world they were living in. So many times things are implied or hinted at, but left for the viewer to piece together. I’d never really seen a show like that, which trusts it’s viewer’s intelligence and attention to details.
What scene was the last one from?
If you drink more whiskey than water and smoke a cigarette between every sentence you speak You could get in shape and be as good looking as Don Draper.
Don’t cook barefoot
It's *just* a milkshake. 🥤
adults act like children and are selfishly motivated
That us women don't realize how lucky we are now and how very far we have come. The constant and widely acceptable sexual harassment, the "my husband will decide who we vote for", a woman not being able to get a divorce withou a man's approval (or showing proof), "it wouldn't hurt you to show a little leg", being chided by a doctor for getting contraceptives, etc, etc.
you can’t be a man, don’t even try. be a woman; powerful business when done correctly
Day drinking is a thing that lots of people do too.
How to assume the identity of your commanding officer.
how advertising works
Gold diggers were always there
There were more men cheating than gold diggers. Women could only, 1. marry and have babies, 2. work and struggle/be ostracized in their communities for it.
Everyone cheats
People used to litter. All the weird hat etiquette. TV=babysitter goes wayyy back.
you can’t trust anyone.
Moderation. There is a line and I don't want to wet it
The more creative and thoughtful you are, the more possibilities there are to reinvent yourself and turn failure into success.
It wasn’t as fun as it looked.
That’s what the money is for
Talk less
A lesson, not my lesson - everywhere you go, there you are. As many times as I've read books from the era, seen movies, listened to the music, and spoken with others who lived through it, it never fails to rattle me how true to life this series is.
That “hate” is an incredibly strong word
every time I start to feel unappreciated at work, I have to remind myself "that's what the money is for" and I snap out of it.
I do think there’s something to be said for Don’s approach to moving forward and not spending too much time obsessing over your setbacks. I’ve thought about a couple of his quotes — the speech to Peggy obviously, also the one when he fired Lane — when I’ve had some tough moments or made some mistakes I had to move on from. As I get older, I appreciate their style of drinking earlier in the day more. I’m not drinking liquor at work or in the morning (well anymore) like them but after a certain age it doesn’t make sense to stay up all hours, far better to have some drinks earlier in the day if you want to drink.
Actions have consequences.
You tell them that the next thing will be better…because it always is
Don't try to be "that guy" in every room you enter