Jack Myers
The Future of (Mad) Men
Excerpted from The Future of Men: Masculinity in the Twenty-First Century
By Jack Myers
The final 14-episode arc of the legendary series Mad Men is destined to become a landmark television season, continuing the saga depicting the progressive downfall of men (as personified by the realities outlined in this book). From father to son, there is a genetic bond among men – the DNA of detached, disconnected, self-centered behavior. In Mad Men, Don Draper’s ex-wife’s stepson trades his mom’s sandwich on a school picnic for gum drops, which he then expresses regret about but nonetheless eats. The kid’s life then sucks because his Mom won’t let him forget his indiscretion. Boys will be boys, they always said. But that is an unacceptable truth now and into the future. Don Draper should have listened to his daughter when she told him to “just tell Megan you don’t want to move to California.” The true storytelling of Mad Men is its brilliant portrayal of the real man of the 1960s and 70s. Social scientists and therapists will be studying Mad Men for generations, and it will increasingly be recognized as one of the first of a new wave of honesty about relationships, told with the females’ side of it at the forefront. Megan’s reflection of every woman who has experienced male dishonesty and detachment, and every women has, is right on target with reality.