5. The American Dream
With a recently crippled economy, soaring house prices, lack of lending, lack of jobs and inflation, times have not been so easy lately. The dream of owning your own house is a distant one for many, or a long-term one for others, taking years of saving and careful planning. And peoples' social roles have changed, their views on family are different and they want different things from life, some wanting to change the entire world, others solely wanting a new phone when it comes out. Times weren't always like this, and in the 1960s you could have the American Dream. A man could have his own house, his car, a front lawn and the all American family waiting for him within. Where a hard day's work was well rewarded, and a job in the city supported a wholesome life in the suburbs, or bought you a fancy place uptown as you rode the wave of success. Both creative genius Don Draper and hungry upstart Peggy Olson have this; Draper, initially, embodies the American dream with his seemingly flawless life built around his career, with his ex-model wife Betty waiting for him in his spacious home with his growing family. Later he moves to a stylish apartment with his new wife Megan, where his daughter visits to be part of the hip Manhattan lifestyle she longs for. Peggy excels from her position as a secretary to become a creative force rivalling Draper, building through hard work and a hunger to succeed, and then rewarded with the ability to buy her own expensive New York apartment. Mad Men shows us that in the 1960s this was within our grasp, that we could have our own pad in New York and aspire to success and reap the rewards. I know few people now that wouldn't love to be able to buy an apartment in New York City.