1. Tim Lincecum knew that Prop 19 wasn't going to pass 2. Some curses just don't last 86 years 3. Brian Wilson had to go back to his day job as a neighborhood pedophile 4. The team needed to show Barry Bonds that small head size does, in fact, win championships 5. The city of SF needed something something to talk about besides how bad the 49ers are 6. Josh Hamilton forgot to go to church on Sunday 7. The Yankees and Phillies really just wanted to attend this sick Halloween party in the Meatpacking district 8. Basketball had to start sometime 9. After 56 years, you should have some return on fan investment.
A man stares on wistfully as his world falls apart before his very eyes. Destroyed by a monster of his own creation, the lines and objects that used to give order to his life break down all around him. The floor gives way, and he falls endlessly into the miserable abyss of his work. His own creations have become the tools to his destruction. Happy families sitting over a picnic. Enticing bottles of alcohol offering that first drop of fake happiness. The suggestive stare of a woman that hints at something more. This man witnesses the monsters he has created and has no idea what to do about it. He is helpless to his own condition. This new American dream is as hallow and empty as the bottles stacked under desk. He is the conductor of his own reality, but just a passenger along for the ride.
If this scene makes absolutely no sense to you then you are probably not too familiar with the hit AMC show Mad Men. (If so, sorry for wasting your time for the last paragraph. Move along. I hear a rerun of Two and Half Men is on Spike right now.) For those that don’t know, Mad Men is the critically acclaimed show created by one of the many talented former staff writers for The Sopranos, Matt Weiner. The series itself revolves around the rise and fall (and rise again?) of a New York ad man in the 1960’s, Don Draper. A man of questionable past and even more questionable morals, he chaotically juggles the challenges of his family, his work and his time with varying levels of success. The key to the show’s critical and popular success can be traced to its stellar writing and supremely accurate wardrobe and sets that can literally teleport the viewer into the real 1960’s. However, I believe that our societal fascination with this show runs far deeper than just the style of Joan’s tight blouse. I believe that we are inexorably linked to the 1960’s because we are facing some of the same challenges today.
While some argue that we have longed moved past the conflicts that divided the 1960’s between the era of love and decade of destruction, I would contend that we can draw many cultural similarities between our information age and the 60’s. Both eras have transcendent presidents who in the course of their candidacy dared Americans to dream the unimaginable and that the great American dream is not granted magically but worked for tirelessly through personal sacrifice and hard work. Also, we deal with the ever-looming threat of terrorism is eerily similar to the fear and anger that defined communism in America. Finally, the issue of gay rights, especially in terms of gay marriage, is bringing out powerful a social upheaval that almost directly mirrors the civil rights movement of the Mad Men era.
When it comes down to it, we are looking to have an honest and social connection to an era that has mostly been reduced to corny generalities, grand sweeping stereotypes and over simplified social parameters for an era that was more complex than most people care to admit . One of the USC resident Mad Men experts, Sabrina Chong, explains it best.
'The real life events which weave themselves into the fictional narrative of Mad Men provide a reference point, in which the show offers an emotional connection to commonly misunderstood era,' said Sabrina. 'For example, take a look at JFK's assassination. We all studied it in our US history class, we may have even watched documentaries about that day, and we've all certainly seen footage of Americans mourning the loss of their president. But those experiences don't provide an emotional connection because we don't know them. We never voted for Kennedy or worried about the war in Vietnam. Even though Peggy Olsen isn't real, she offers an emotional response to JFK’s death that we can completely relate to in this day and age while lying prone in Duck’s hotel room. And that is what makes a show like Mad Men so compelling.'
So where does this leave us? Is Mad Men a perennial series that ends up defining an age like The Sopranos did or is this just a passing fad, like The OC but for intellectuals? Only time will tell. But I do truly believe that this show is something special that goes beyond a simple time piece. It goes to show us that regardless of all the massive innovations that have taken place in the modern era; we are still defined by core emotional responses and stresses. In the end, we all still have the same coping mechanisms for this stress, whether it’s an ad men in a suit ordering an old fashioned or a dot comer knocking back a red bull and vodka.
We all have role models in our life. Some are real, and some are characters in movies or TV shows. Some can be as lofty as presidents, while others can be a just family member. Regardless of stature, these role models can affect directly the way we view the world and interact with it. While our role models can change with our tastes and interests, as we get older, we never forget the qualities that originally drew us to those people.
Recently, one of my own role models retired from the position that made him one of the most universally respected and loved people in the Village of Saltaire. I am of course referring to Chuck Jones. For 35 years, Chuck has been the pillar of the community. Whether leading lifeguards to keep us safe in the ocean and bay, devoting his time and energy to the children of Saltaire, or even his tireless service to the Fire Department, Chuck Jones has been the best that Saltaire has to offer.
I could laude Chuck’s inspiring service to the Village of Saltaire, but words cannot do justice to the man and what he has pushed every member of this community, young and old, to be. I would like to share just a few of my memories as a testament to Chuck and what he has given to most every member of this community.
I always fondly remember just stopping in to say hello to Chuck. He could often be found sitting on his patio reading or just watching the world go by. We would just spend some time just chatting about anything from Corvettes to events going on around the Village. Chuck has always been one of those rare people who has nothing bad to say about anyone. More than anything, he made you want to be a better person. His unmatched character has been so astounding that my friends and I have a running joke that Chuck Jones was even greater than Chuck Norris, resulting in a string of ridiculous “Chuck Jones” jokes.
However, what is said in humor is meant in earnest. We all grew up and spent time with Chuck, who was the guiding force behind most of our summer activities. From the screaming contest to the Jog-a-thon, Chuck has been one of the most essential and important people to the Village.
Things go on whether you like it or not. People grow up, and they move on with their lives. While I truly wish Chuck and Sandi the best in whatever direction life takes them next, I would humbly ask you to remember one thing from my scattered rantings. Always be thankful for the important people you meet on the winding road of life. In an age where the term hero is all but extinct, I would argue that people like Chuck Jones are our modern day heroes, offering a strong vision of leadership when young people, especially this writer, needed it most. And for that, all I can say is this:
Thank you for taking a look at my blog! I know that there are so many other things on the Internet you could have looked at from sneezing pandas to dramatic gofers,
That being said, I am glad you are here. I hope this humble little blog can be a weekly destination into my crazed and scattered mind. From personal topics to sports to entertainment, I will try to make this blog something for everyone. At its best, I hope it can be an open dialogue between you, my hopefully interested readers, and me.
Please be honest about what you think about each new post. I am always looking for ways to improve and to write about things that you will actually care to read about. This should be the start of a fun journey, and I truly hope you will enjoy reading my work as I do writing it.
