Video analysis of the 1st episode of 'Mad Men'

Some thoughts on Mad Men: Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

Don Draper is a product of his time: he is sexist; he is racist; and he smokes! But he is also discreet, professional, and principled. Don Draper is the top ad man at Sterling Cooper because he can sell anything, even a lie, even death--the trick is to make it seem like happiness. Everything and everybody stays in their place, but, like the Dylan song goes, "times are a changin'" and Draper's changing, too, whether he wants to or not!

This period drama that looks at the world of advertising as a metaphor for the 60's-the most turbulent decade of the 20th century-is the history of America in a nutshell. What makes Don Draper appealing to me as a Black man is that despite the fact that he's racist, sexist, and steeped in the mindset of the establishment, he is conflicted as all of us are--if we are willing to admit it! He has secrets and isn't what or who he pretends to be. But, above anything else, he's principled. Don Draper is a microcosm of a nation at the epicenter of changes and revelations. This is 1 of the best written and directed series ever (created by Matthew Weiner), on par with Dallas of the 80's, a truly iconic, larger-than-life-flawed-everyman whom you can't help but like and respect even against your will.