One of the toughest parts of Watching "Mad Men" While Feminist, I always found, was watching portrayals of sexist, racist social mores that still haven't passed away, and trying not to throw my shoes at the screen. Tougher still is turning off the TV and taking a look at current events, which so often include politicians endorsing some of the most backward views depicted on the show.
Take GOP presidential contender Sen. Marco Rubio, for example, who praised "Mad Men" for showing us all how "great" the 20th Century was, but then urged us to move forward...and embrace the same tired views that keep everybody stuck in the past:
#MadMen finale - a reminder 20th Century was great, but it's over & it isn't coming back. It's time for New American Century. #TheEndOfAnEra
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 18, 2015
Rubio isn't alone in totally misreading the show, nor is he alone in promoting the same sort of carelessly sexist gobbledygook Roger Sterling has been wont to spew. In fact, taking a "Mad Men"-style approach to conceiving of women's ability to make their own decisions or, say, exist as independent individuals in the world, has essentially become the norm among Republican politicians -- so much so that the "gynoticians" attempting to legislate women's healthcare can be indistinguishable from characters on the AMC drama.
In one scary illustration, Planned Parenthood published a fun/terrifying quiz about Republican presidential candidates' views on women's health, asking participants to guess who said it: A "Mad Men" character, or a potential future president? The premise is simple: "The current GOP contenders for president sound like they want to take women back to the 1950s."
See if you can guess the difference:
Answer: #Gynotician presidential candidate Rand Paul said this — NOT a Mad Men character! http://t.co/4VRsqYsMqu pic.twitter.com/fptKdGJwlL
— Planned Parenthood (@PPact) May 16, 2015
#Quiz Q2: “When God closes a door, he opens a dress.” Who said it — a Mad Men character... or a likely GOP presidential candidate?
— Planned Parenthood (@PPact) May 16, 2015
#Quiz A2: A Mad Men character said the line about fate opening "a dress." But current GOP presidential contenders sure sound like the 1950s.
— Planned Parenthood (@PPact) May 16, 2015
#Quiz Q3: "I’m going to need your help to find a way out of this definitional problem with rape.” WHO SAID IT: #Gynotician... or Mad Men?
— Planned Parenthood (@PPact) May 16, 2015
#Quiz A3: It was likely GOP 2016 contender & #Gynotician Lindsey Graham who had a "definitional problem" with rape: http://t.co/uODvk6r5XZ
— Planned Parenthood (@PPact) May 16, 2015
#Quiz Question 4: Who said it, Mad Men character, or GOP presidential candidate? “Once [women] hit 30, it’s like someone turns off a light.”
— Planned Parenthood (@PPact) May 16, 2015
#Quiz A4: Mad Men womanizer Roger Sterling made that quip about women in their 30s — not a GOP presidential candidate. Hard to tell, right?
— Planned Parenthood (@PPact) May 16, 2015
#Quiz Q5: Did a Mad Men character say this gem of a quote... or was it a #gynotician GOP contender for president? pic.twitter.com/Ucy5ile79a
— Planned Parenthood (@PPact) May 16, 2015
#Quiz A5: GOP presidential contender Mike Huckabee—not a Mad Men guy—actually said women' can't control their libidos http://t.co/JVs8iscigw
— Planned Parenthood (@PPact) May 16, 2015
#Quiz Q6: Did GOP presidential candidates have this convo, or was it Mad Men→ “Let me ask you something. What do women want?” / “Who cares?”
— Planned Parenthood (@PPact) May 16, 2015
#Quiz A6: It's Roger Sterling again! But do GOP presidential candidates really care what women want? See for yourself→http://t.co/JVs8iscigw
— Planned Parenthood (@PPact) May 16, 2015
Last #Quiz: Mad Men or GOP 2016 hopeful? “What we need to do is re-educate...women to understand that they are...defenders of these babies.”
— Planned Parenthood (@PPact) May 16, 2015
Last #Quiz answer: That was GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson (who's *not* on Mad Men). Read his full quote here: http://t.co/JVs8iscigw
— Planned Parenthood (@PPact) May 16, 2015
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