The Good Old Days Weren't Always Good

Next, I want to look at worlds that examine the past and point out that our nostalgia for simpler times is probably misplaced. To do this, I will examine Pleasantville and Mad Men, a wonderful movie and television series (if I think of anything else, I will include it as well).

Each one points out the downsides of their respective eras in different ways; Pleasantville demonstrates that the 50s weren't as idyllic as we believe them to be, no matter what old television shows like The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet might tell us. The movie is about two teenagers from the 90s being sucked into a 50s-era TV show, and completely ruining the "utopian" setting. However, in doing so, they make the characters human.

Mad Men takes place in the 60s, and is about the change from the conformist 50s to the more liberal 60s and 70s, and is examined through the eyes of advertising executives on Madison Avenue. The series looks at how these men and their families try to be happy, because they believe that they have everything, and should be happy, but under the surface, darkness lurks in everyone. The series points out the radically different cultural norms by specifically not pointing them out, leaving it up to the viewer to expect one thing, only to be amazed when the reaction defies what we consider to be morally right.

Up next: TV Land...