Time's Top 10 Things We Miss About the Mad Men Era

[Tango Yankee]

Time's Top 10 Things We Miss About the Mad Men Era can be found here.

I enjoyed it, thought others might as well. As for the first one, I've been saying for years that the romance is gone from air travel.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[MisterCairo]

"Walk down the street these days, and what do you see? Guys in mesh basketball shorts, dudes in flip-flops and bros in untucked shirts. In other words, men that don't give a damn about how they look."


All part of the trend that has eliminated adulthood and created a permanent childhood-adolescence. What can you expect from a society where 30 year olds still go to school and live with mummy and daddy?

 

[Paisley]

I'd take cheap air travel over attractive stewardesses.

 

[Tiller]

I enjoyed it, thought others might as well. As for the first one, I've been saying for years that the romance is gone from air travel.

You can't even get a bag of peanuts anymore saddly.

"Walk down the street these days, and what do you see? Guys in mesh basketball shorts, dudes in flip-flops and bros in untucked shirts. In other words, men that don't give a damn about how they look."

Thankfuly we here at the Fedora Lounge, and other vintage lovers are fightign the good fight against this sad state of affairs.

 

[Tango Yankee]

I'd take cheap air travel over attractive stewardesses.

It's the being treated like a herd of cattle and being given about as much room to move as cattle in a trailer that bothers me. That, and having to take off my shoes. Oh, and finding out that the zone system is no longer based on where you're sitting in the plane but a variety of things such as whether or not you're a member of the frequent flyer program, how much you paid for your seat, and other variables. Having to pay extra to actually bring a suitcase with clothes for your trip, which actually makes it more important to be one of the first ones on the plane so you can have someplace to put your carry-on or coat, since the overhead bins quickly fill up with small suitcases that should have been checked. Or if you want to eat during a cross-country flight.

These days for the average person flying is something to be endured, not something to enjoy. That's what I meant about the romance being gone from air travel.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[LizzieMaine]

It's not just air travel, it's all travel -- you're not a guest, you're cargo. In these days when everything revolves around building personal self-esteem, I don't understand why people put up with being treated like baggage.

 

[bunnyb.gal]

It's not just air travel, it's all travel -- you're not a guest, you're cargo. In these days when everything revolves around building personal self-esteem, I don't understand why people put up with being treated like baggage.

I'll never forget the show where I saw the "People Pushers" in Japan whose job it is to cram the human cattle into the train...I try to think of that when I get fed up during rush hour on the Tube...

I'm not really a car aficionado, hence being stuck with abovementioned public transport, but mmmm, cars with fins. Hot. Only topped by running boards, in my mind. They all do look alike these days. Except for the Hummer. Which is hideous.

 

[Paisley]

Hmmm. I've taken two trips by air in the past year, coach class, and haven't experienced any feeling of being treated like livestock. People at the airport were helpful when I needed directions and when I needed to mail a pocket knife back to my house. The people at Southwest bundled up my luggage carrier for me to check it. The flight attendants were pleasant enough. (BTW, their main purpose is to assist passengers during emergencies.) As for buying tickets, I did some online searches, booked the best deal, and checked in electronically--no sweat.

I ride the bus to work every day, almost invariably without incident. The drivers do their best to help people who get on without a clue as to how to get where they're going. The rare troublemakers are ejected.

The alternative for me is driving. Flying and taking the bus, IMO, are an order of magnitude better than creeping along in traffic and looking for a parking space half a mile from my office, or spending days driving from Denver to pretty much anywhere.

 

[Edward]

Except for the Hummer. Which is hideous.

..and doesn't even have any decent performance to justify its abomniable aesthetics, or, for that matter, it being a real 'gas-guzzler'. The very zenith of the Chelsea Tractor phenomenon.

 

[Son_of_Atropos]

All of these posts are spot on.

 

[plain old dave]

I fly regularly on orders with the US Navy Reserve, and there's a lot to be said for CERTAIN airlines not IMHO being appreciative of passengers; some view passengers as an inconvient commodity to be processed as rapidly as possible, while others are more passenger-friendly. One commonality, though: I can't remember the last time I flew out of Knoxville, TN on anything larger than a Canadair Reigonal Jet on any airline.

 

[4spurs]

air to there

It ain't just the seats, its the hub system. Seems to me that you can't get from here to there w/o going through somewhere you don't want or need to be.

But back to the list, . . . a lot was recycled back in the 50's & 60's; cars were mechanically simpler, newspapers weren't all owned by Rupert, and many cities had papers coming out in the morning and a seperate edition in the afternoon; a lot of food was what it appeared to be; we knew who our enemies were and what the rules of engagement were, TV depended on your aerial and not on paying your cable; and just generally it seems that there were fewer ways of getting knocked off whereas nowdays you never know if the guy sitting next to you will explode or if the can of genetically altered corn you ate last night will give you cancer next year . . . I can remember when swimming in the Gulf of Mexico was as natural as taking a bath; nowdays the very thought makes me wonder if I will see hazmat bathing suits on Biloxi's beaches next summer . . . back in the 50's we weren't drilling offshore . . . and we still had viable railroads in the U.S. that could get you from downtown to downtown w/o making you pay extra for your suitcase.

 

[davestlouis]

On the subject of public transit, I haven't been on a plane since 1999 or so, haven't been on a city bus since I was 15, which would have been 1982 give or take, and I've never set foot on a train or subway of any sort. I live in an outlying suburb, 40 miles from downtown, 20 miles from the closest bus stop or MetroLink light rail station. I drive an 85 mile round trip commute, 6, sometimes 7 days a week...

Sometimes I wish I lived closer to civilization, but chances are, unless gas becomes $10/gallon, I'll never move.

 

[Mr Vim]

What really bothers me is Alaska Airlines... they have a chokehold on Alaska.
Its close to 500 dollars to fly from Juneau to Seattle... while the same distance flying anywhere else is cheaper. And because they are the only airline here, they can charge whatever they want.

Plus Juneau has no roads into it, so flying or taking the ferry are my only options for travel, and while the ferry is only 300 something dollars, that inlcudes no room, no food, and there are no community showers, so its basically a stink tank. If you want a room its double the cost for a 4 day trip.

 

[phinz]

I can't remember the last time I flew out of Knoxville, TN on anything larger than a Canadair Reigonal Jet on any airline.

I fly out of Knoxville regularly on an MD-88 on Allegiant, and flew on a 767 the last time I flew on Delta.

Allegiant is much better than Delta for not being treated like cattle.

 

[The Good]

Interesting article, and thanks for sharing. While I tend to agree with it, I'm too young to relate to it. It sounds good, but I wasn't there to experience it.

 

[LordBest]

I heartily agree with No. 2, everyone here on campus looks like a twelve year old boy. Except the boys, who look like twelve year old girls. Dashed confusing and entirely unattractive.

 

[phinz]

I heartily agree with No. 2, everyone here on campus looks like a twelve year old boy.

Agreed on this end of the world too. Every time I watch a vintage movie or read a vintage magazine I say the same thing. A woman should look like a woman and a man like a man. Curves on a woman are dead sexy.

I do question #4. Men drank lagers? I think they mean women drank light lagers and men stuck to ales and darker beers.

 

[dhermann1]

I do question #4. Men drank lagers? I think they mean women drank light lagers and men stuck to ales and darker beers.

Nah. Men drank plain old lager beer. First glass of beer I ever drank (legally) cost me 15 cents. 8 ounce glass of lager beer.
But ale was more popular in general, and there were more brands.

 

[vintage68]

Interesting article, and thanks for sharing. While I tend to agree with it, I'm too young to relate to it. It sounds good, but I wasn't there to experience it.

Odd to think people are growing up these days without ever knowing that people caring about their appearance was the rule, not the exception.