Over the weekend you'll be watching the Mad Men episode from the end of season 2, "Meditations in an Emergency," named after the collection of poetry and eponymous poem by Frank O'Hara (which you'll also be reading). Don Draper himself is shown dipping into this book at the start of the season, and reciting "Mayakovsky" as a voice over to end the season premier. Click on the link to listen to the one poem, or go nuts and watch the whole episode.In order to offset the Americanness of this representation of the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis-- as it is experienced by the public on the national level, on the level of (capitalist) corporation, and the more personal plane of familial experience--we will also read Victor Nekrasov's Russo-Soviet travel impressions, "On Both Sides of the Ocean," written roughly concurrently with the events depicted on Mad Men.
Post your questions below about any and all of these texts. Also, consider how they paint a fuller picture of cold war gender roles and normative American society more broadly, as a stark contrast to the marginal American expatriate communities Burroughs provides in Queer. Keep in mind how the cold war was not just about politics at the highest level, but about the most intimate aspects of everyday life. The two threads are inextricable, these texts suggest. How?
In this Mad Men episode, it is clear that there is much tension between the Drapers. Though he does not spend much time with Betty, Don spends time with his children at his hotel. In his letter to Betty, he writes that he would not let the children change the TV channel because he did not want to see the news. Even so, Don Draper does not lose his composure nor does he make any rash decisions or confessions like Betty, Peggy, and Pete do. Does this lack of hysteria affirm his masculinity? How does his masculinity play a role in how he takes care of his family?
ReplyDeleteIn Queer, Lee fantasizes about the young boys he sees while on vacation with Allerton. Through this image, Burroughs illustrates a notion of desire. In “On Both Sides of the Ocean,” Nekrasov describes an imaginary encounter with Patrick Stanley. What is the function of this “invention”? Why does he “wish that it had been” real? Is Nekrasov also trying to convey that notion of desire? If so, is it a desire for amity between peoples?
In the Mad Men episode, everyone is frustrated with the news about Pig Bay Missile Crisis; a sense of gloom hovers over and everyone's decisions seem to be made with the mindset of "there might not be tomorrow". I wonder how the Soviet citizens are feeling in that time, and how do the soviets think of the Cold War in general in comparison to the American's paranoid state of mind?
ReplyDeleteIn On Both Sides of the Ocean, Nekrasov depicts the Cold War as generally unwanted and unnecessary, viewing from a Russian citizen's point of view. He even invokes nostalgia to the "hot war" in which USA and Soviet troops shared camaraderie. How does this statement of mind compare to the paranoia felt by the Americans in Mad Men? Would it also be how the American citizens actually feel toward the whole situation?
Nekrasov also adopts an objective tone when describing the domestic affairs of USA; he even uses a rather relatively friendly tone towards negros. Does this confirm USSR's attitude towards racism as depicted in Circus? How is the USA in Nekrasov's eye different from the one depicted in Circus?
In Queer, women are often described as being overbearing and overly emotional compared to men. In Mad Men, Betty is the one who ends things with her husband, which shows a dominant side of women. This also emasculates her husband. Peggy also turns down Pete after he tells her he loves her, emasculating him as well. How do these dominate roles of women function differently from the weaker, worthless depiction of women in Queer.
ReplyDeleteIn mad men, Francine Hanson (betty draper's neighborhood friend), says in the scene at the hairdresser, something about how, despite being all Americans/friends in a crisis, that everyone is so hostile to each other, parallels how Nekrasov says he had trouble making American friends. He again reiterates near the end saying how Russia and America, despite helping each other in war, despise each other so much. Do you think it's because of American Capitalism and Pride prevent cooperation? Or is it mutual fear of each other?
ReplyDeleteIn Nekrasov, he describe how they called the US the "United States of North America". Is there any reasoning behind this change of name? Could it be a way of propaganda?
ReplyDeleteAlso in Nekrasov, he discusses how the Russians weren't allowed in the South because that's where the racial tensions were. Did the race shown in Mad Men follow Nekrasov's account of race in New York?
Both Nekrasov and the creators of Mad Men portray americans as self centered. Nekrasov discusses how "The young american is concerned first of all about himself and about his career." While, in Mad Men, Pete is more than willing to take a promotion even if it costs Don, his superior, his job. In both stories, I felt as though the american characters were unconnected to their emotions, how does these actions portray the culture during the Cold War in America versus Nekrasov's description of Russia?
ReplyDeleteIn Nekrasov's story he talks of the American citizens' interest in the visiting soviets, even claiming that they "watched [their] every movement and listened to everything [they] said" therefore creating an idea that the Americans were afraid of the soviets. In the mad men episode the characters seemed to be a little more relaxed on the subject of the soviets, even on the day before the predicted nuclear war. Why do you think the creators of both works chose to depict the Americans in such light? Which one do you think is more true?
ReplyDeleteIn the Mad Men episode, we were able to see that the roles of women had changed, and they were now working in offices and had jobs. Although the jobs might be considered "lower jobs", such as being a secretary or hairdresser, they were no longer stay at home wives. Why do you think the lives of women were not really portrayed in Queer or in Nekrasov's piece? This is the first time where we get to see the lives of women and their families react to the dangers of the Cold War.
ReplyDeleteNekrasov says, "Washington is the most un-American of all American cities" (260). What does he mean by this? He explains that it is not as industrial as other cities and that all the buildings are low. What is he implying when he says Washington isn't up to "par" compared to all of America's other cities such as New York and Chicago? Why is Washington so calm a day before the elections and in the middle of the Cold War?
ReplyDeleteIn Nekrasov's writing, he talks a lot about the youth and the culture of trying to earn money as quickly as possible (sometimes dropping out of school). In the episode of Mad Men, even with the crisis going on in world events, most of the men are equally worried about war as they are about losing their jobs. What does it say about American culture that this is such a prominent factor of this time and of today? What does Nekrasov's (a russian) focus on this mean? The difference Nekrasov points out in the youth seems to be the political and cultural struggle of the two powers personified in the youth. Does the made up bar scene try to invoke a sense that they can get along or does it show how it is only a dream?
ReplyDeleteIn Nekrasov's essay, why does the Soviet Union refer to the US as "The United States of North America"? Nekrasov points out that during World War 2 the US and Soviet Union used to be allies, but 20 years later during both sides rise to power they are enemies who don't trust each other. Is there any correlation between the power struggle seen in the Mad Men episode between top advertising executives and the political escalation of the Cold War? What does the Mad Men episode and Nekrasov's essay say about the fight between Capitalism and Communism ?
ReplyDeleteThe most striking similarity I found between Queer and Nekrasov's "On Both Sides of the Ocean" is the vital need for human connection. Throughout Queer, Lee searches for an audience and someone who he can connect with. In Nekrasov's piece, the narrator repeatedly talks about how his trip to America was based on trips to museums, and how he wished he could have had a real conversation and connection with an American instead. He even went as far as creating an entire imaginary meeting to stress his desire for this human interaction. In the Mad Men episode we watched, the country is in a frenzy over the missile crisis, and many people think their world is about to end. The last scene with the family sitting together and the husband and wife holding hands after previously being apart showed to me that as humans we value relationships and human connection more than just about anything. That being said, how much of a role did the cold war and the widespread sense of fear being experienced at the time influence peoples' need for an interpersonal connection of some kind?
ReplyDeleteIn Mad Men, women seem to play more of a dominant role in society in comparison with the roles played by women in Queer and On Both Sides of the Ocean. As the latter pieces were written and published closer to the times of the Cold War, which of these texts do you feel is portrays the role of women more accurately? Has Mad Men been affected by Hollywood's need to give women more dominant roles in film? Or do Burroughs and Nekrasov suffer a bias against women?
ReplyDeleteWhy did Nekrasov imagine the scenario at the bar?
ReplyDelete"Eloquent in its brevity"
Throughout Queer, it is evident that women play a very minor role in the overall plot. Therefore what is the purpose of Mary as a character in the novel? Furthermore, the woman figure is shown as more dominant in Mad Men; hence, Betty. What significance does the female role have in relation to both the novel as a whole and the episode? And what effect did women have on the cold war?
ReplyDelete"In art and literature, as in love, one can lie only for a while; sooner or later comes the time to tell the truth". Nekrasov includes this line from Tvardovsky, one can connect this quote to the relations between the US and Russia which can be seen as an odd form love. This also connects it to Queer and the relationship between Allerton and Lee.
ReplyDeleteQuestions from Rebecca Sai: During the TV episode from Mad Men, there was a lot going on but one thing that was evident to me was the widespread fears of the cold war its affects. Women in hair salons were even talking about it and were fearful. How accurately does this depict America during that time? Questions from Nekrasov--one thing that shocked me early on in the story was how the soviet tourists already had their preconceived notions about the US and how dangerous it was. Thats shocking, but can what the government did to make its citizens afraid of the United states be compared to what the American government did to convince its residents that communism wasn't right?
ReplyDeleteWhy was Nekrasov rather kind to America in depicting it?
ReplyDeleteOne prevalent theme thrughout all three works is the need for a human connection. For example, Lee consistenly pursues Allerton in Queer, while the characters in Mad Men use their time to rekindle or addree thier relationships. Does this need for human interaction and companionship stem from the paranoia present during the Cold War?
ReplyDeleteHow do the different genders in Mad Men handle the situation of a possible Soviet attack differently from one another? How are the conversations between Don and his coworkers in the office different from those had by Betty and the women in the hair Salon? What does it say about American businesses at the time that throughout the episode and despite the fears of an attack the primary focus was a deal being made for Sterling Cooper?
ReplyDeleteIn Mad Men, women are depicted to be more in control then the men. One example is how Betty is out drinking in a bar while Don is home taking care of the kids. How is this depiction of American gender roles during the Cold War/ Bay of Pigs Missile Crisis different versus the gender roles in Soviet Russia?
ReplyDeleteIn Mad Men, the men of the show seemed to be primarily focused on their professional careers despite the drama and tension surrounding the Cold War/Bay of Pigs Missile Crisis. How does this depiction of American businessmen reflect on Soviet perception of American men during this period?
ReplyDeleteMad Men, written by an American, still portrays Americans as self centered. While it may be true, why would Matthew Weiner, the creator of Mad Men portray his country like this? On the other side, in "On Both Sides of the Ocean", Nekrasov says, "People working in Soviet culture are striving hard in a period of crisis" (p 226). Here, Nekrasov portrays the Soviets as a hard working people, showing loyalty to his native country.
ReplyDeleteIn Mad Men, we see Mrs. Draper struggle with the new knowledge that she is pregnant. Abortions were more or less socially unacceptable at the time, yet she still considers having one. She admits that it "isn't a good time" for her to have a baby, but what does she mean by that? Now, I haven't seen any other episodes so this is out of context, but is she referring to the current political state of the world? How does the impending doom with the Soviets reflect in her choices, from considering the abortion, to hooking up with the man at the bar? Is the crisis with the Soviets real enough to affect people psychologically?
ReplyDeleteIn both On Both Sides of the Ocean and Mad Men there was a particular secretive element associated with American. While the visiting Russian man says that he liked one American he did not befriend many besides the fictional Patrick Stanley. Further, in Mad men there seemed to be surreptitious behavior by the Americans whether is in their business or personal lives. What does this suggest about American society during this time and how does it go against what Americans may have perceived at the time?
ReplyDeleteIn Nekrasov's essay, the narrator seems to be searching for something. He wants to prove to himself that Russians and Americans are similar, but why? What would this prove about the Cold War? Why is it important to him? Why does he feel the need to create the character of Patrick? What does it mean that he didn't exist, and what would it have meant had he actually met a Patrick type character?
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