The Significance of Mad Men (and Reading Commentary #2)

Some people would call me a television junkie. I prefer to think of myself as a connoisseur of fine viewing. That being said, tonight was a big night for junkies and connoisseurs alike as we all celebrated another fine year of programming with the 61st Annual Primetime Emmys.

While I would love to diverge into a discussion about the best and worst dressed (Mariska Hargitay and Sarah Silverman, respectively) and my misgivings about certain winners (Breaking Bad winning over House? Seriously?), my thoughts are turning more toward a certain "Outstanding Drama" winner: Mad Men.

Mad Men, a program about the personal and professional lives of ad agents in the early 1960s, has captured the interest of America in a unique way. This colorful depiction has led to New York Times articles analyzing character's drinks, fashion designers creating '60s throwback clothing named after the characters, and a number of nostalgic written works by people who remember the Madison Avenue scene in the '60s.

In light of this week's Public History readings, I have been thinking about the public's particular fascination with a program so steeped in history. Rosenzweig and Thelen argue in The Presence of the Past that the public has an extremely intimate connection with history. In an extensive survey conducted, most respondents stated that they believed that history presented alternatives to the present. In their own narratives, participants reflected mainly on change that has occurred and how changes impacted the present. It seems reasonable, then, to assume that the interest in a historical (albeit fictional and dramatized) program derives from an interest in the vast cultural differences between "then" and "now."

Interestingly, Rosenzweig and Thelen also discovered that most of the surveyed people ranked television as one of the least reliable means of obtaining historical information. The commercialization of the programs has embedded a (not entirely unjustified) cynicism in the public that overrides some of the potential to glean facts from fiction. However, when surveyed about the frequency of interaction with history, watching a historical movie or television program was second only to looking at and taking photographs.

Further research conducted by Kim Hyounggon and Jamal Tazim illustrates a deeper connection between people and their history. They followed the experiences of frequent attendees at Renaissance Fairs and their quest for existential authenticity. They form an entirely new self-identity in an accepting environment as a means of interacting with history. In a way, they are doing to a much more complicated extent, what historical television does for millions: enabling them to connect to (and perhaps escape to) a time and a place with which they have a personal or emotional connection.

In fact, I think Mad Men's leading man, Don Draper, explains it best:

"There is the rare occasion when the public can be engaged in a level beyond flash- if they have a sentimental bond with the product...It takes us to a place where we ache to go again."

(I'm sorry I can't embed the video. Apparently that would violate copyright laws. But definitely click on the link. It's well worth it.)

It is this cultural bond along with a desire to communicate history that led Michael Frisch to propose the idea of a Philadelphia "Historymobile" which would collect personal memories and turn them into historical Philadelphia exhibits that would travel the city, allowing its members to contribute and experience history in a festival-like atmosphere. The idea never came to fruition, due to lack of funding, but the idea is based on the theory proven by Rosenzweig and Thelen, that people want to be connected to their history.

Drumming up an avid following of Mad Men probably isn't the best way to bridge the gap between scholars and the public with regard to history. Let's face it-- the sex appeal probably shares equal responsibility with the history for the show's popularity. But the variety of reactions to the program shed light on the fact that the public is interested in the past, especially when the past holds a personal connection to their present. And I think it is a valuable use of time to discern where public history and popular history can converge to best communicate with their audiences.

Maybe make Don Draper the new face of the AHA? Seriously, that man can sell anything.

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