I am associated with the Culture Change Institute, a Tufts based group founded by Sam Huntington and Larry Harrison, which examines various cultures regarding attitudes towards prosperity, democracy and social justice. My area is the effect of entertainment upon cultures. Next week, I'll be leading a seminar about the cultural effects of American entertainment media on current attitudes. Last week, I watched a television news program in which a reporter asked "women in the street" what they thought of Don Draper, the anti-hero of the hit cable show Mad Men.
Draper is a cad, but a remarkably charming and handsome one. For those of you who don't watch the show, it is set in a 1960s advertising agency, where ad men drink, smoke and chase women around and over the desks. Draper appears the most suave of the characters, but he is also the most complex. He is extremely talented, and possesses a keen sense of the internal politics of his agency. He rises to creative director and a junior partnership in his firm. Don is a player in every sense of the word.
Nevertheless, most of the women interviewed by the television reporter said they would be more than happy if he fixed his attentions on them. Given the change in attitudes of women in the 1970s, I was surprised by their eager response. I am trying to determine the extent of the favorable response to the Draper character before I comment about its cultural effect at the seminar. Therefore, I would like to pose two questions to those of you who have seen the show, and know the character:
Would you date a "Don Draper"?
Would you considering marrying a "Don Draper"?
I've gotten zero comments on some postings, and a hundred or so on others. Here I need all the comments I can get, so please respond, I need the largest sample I can get.