Soon after signing up for Netflix Canada's steaming only service, I became instantly addicted to the TV Series, Mad Men. I watched each episode of first season and I'm now in the middle of the second. It's not necessarily the plot lines which intrigue me; it's how well the program can paint a picture of life in New York in the early 1960's.
The show's attention to deal is superb. Just ensuring that the props and scenes are vintage must take such an eye for detail. But it's more than that. It sets the mood and feelings just right. I find it fascinating knowing that I was a tot during those times. For those who long for the good old days, it is quite brutially honest. Seeing how professional women were treated is an eye-opener. Also, seeing the smoking and drinking which takes place in the office is shocking by today's standards.
What prompted me to write about this today, however, was a scene from my most recently-viewed episode. The protagonist was out for a family picnic. When they got ready to leave, the husband just tossed his beer can into the bushes. The family then got up and collected their blanket, but left all of the garbage on the ground. These were educated, well-off folks with no concept of taking their trash with them. Now, I understand why I can remember the litterbug campaigns of the 1960's.
I wish I had the photo of me at about 5 years old standing at a highway rest stop next to a huge trash can in the shape of a bug. The trash went into his belly.
