Guyland in Mad Men

In episode nine of season four of Mad Men, the main character, Don Draper said something that reminded me of Kimmel’s chapter four of Guyland. Joan interrupts a meeting that Don is having with some of the staff at Sterling Cooper Draper Price, and is asked by Don to have a freelance writer, Joey, called in for some work on a Mountain Dew campaign. Joan, having just had a run in with Joey where he basically calls her a whore who is asking to get raped, informs Don that Joey is causing problems with the women in the office. She will not go into detail, but just lets him know that Joey’s behavior is very inappropriate. Almost immediately, Don excuses Joey’s behavior by saying “boys will be boys.” I immediately had to stop and post about it because I just finished Kimmel’s chapter four titled “High School: Boot Camp for Guyland” about high school bullying that often times gets excused under the phrase “Boys will be Boys.”

I found this episode to be especially interesting because of the ways that men seem to be praised for their aggressive and inappropriate behavior because it reinforces their masculinity. Joey ends up getting fired by Peggy, the copy writer, but only because she complains to Don after Joey further assaults Joan with a drawing he tapes to her window. Don urges Peggy to handle the issue because his getting involved would result in Peggy looking like a tattle tale. Whether this was true or whether Don just did not want to betray the guy code by disciplining Joey, one will never know. But just seeing this episode play out was interesting because I had just read about similar situations in Guyland. Mad Men is a great show for study about masculinity, and I am sure that I will have more posts about episodes I watch in the future.

In chapter four of Kimmel’s book, he discusses how violence is a very important factor in Guyland because it not only establishes dominance; it also helps to establish loyalty. I was appalled at the level of brutality that some males were engaged in, and also the ways that their families helped to protect them when they faced punishment. What was even more surprising was the way the school system acted towards the victims of the taunting, saying that they deserved the treatment they got because they were gay. They were basically saying without always saying it, that “boys will be boys.” It disgusts me beyond belief, the amount that guys have been able to get away with under this phrase. It was interesting to see that this has been a phrase that has been used for many decades, as I saw in Mad Men. It was especially interesting to see that the men of Mad Men could probably be viewed as alumni for Guyland.

I will post more about Chapters four through eight later next week. I have to gather my thoughts about the material, as it is very heavy to analyze.