The cast of Mad Men
Last weekend, J and I, with the company of our friend B, started watching AMC’s show, Mad Men. Set in 1960, it is a show about the advertising executives dubbed “Mad Men” because they worked on Madison Avenue in Manhattan. It also chronicles the lives of women who work in the office and the wife of the top ad executive, Don Draper. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, smokes. One of the first episodes is actually called “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” and as you watch it, you feel like you should be smoking, too. Crazy!
I’m simultaneously intrigued and disturbed by the show- I find that it really is a fascinating exploration of a world and a time I know very little about, and yet I have a hard time swallowing the ever so prevalent misogyny. I’m not sure if I’ll keep watching it. I will say this, however: the show is a work of art. Really. And can I please visit the props room? Please? There are some great vintage pieces on the show. How fun would it be to browse flea markets and antique stores to find that perfect piece for the next episode? Dream job!
مدير mudir
:director, head, chief; manager
اعلن ‘alana
:to manifest, reveal, make known; to give notice; to advertise; to give evidence
اعلان i’lan
:publication; manifestation; announcement, notice; advertising; advertisement; poster; billboard
معلن mu’lin
:advertiser
كاتب السر katib al-sirr
:secretary (literally, the secret writer or the writer of the secret)
دخن dakin
:to be smoky, to taste or smell of smoke; to smoke
دخنة dakina
:cigarette
مدخن mudakkin
:smoker
الستينات as-sittinat
:the sixties
Posted by Sharon on January 15, 2009 at 3:12 pm
In my dialect class, “mudir” was one of the first words we learned and a couple of our friends wrote a song that goes like this:
“wan inta jorj al-mudir? kul al-yom wan jorj el mudir!”
And I haven’t been able to get it out of my head since.
Love from the crazy side of the world.