Ladies get this, mostly, but it’s a new thing for guys. While women are, of necessity, more adept at coexisting with unrealistic romantic ideals, dudes are just getting used to it, and it’s confusing, especially if you try to take the fantasy literally (as we tend to do).
It’s been a while since I’ve pimped my other blog here. Go read me saying lots of insightful stuff about America:
People tell you who they are, but we ignore it because we want them to be who we want them to be.
Don Draper, “Mad Men,” Ep. 04.08, The Summer Man
I don’t know if that’s true or anything, but it’s gnomic and sounds considered and insightful, and those are the necessary qualities for putting a quote on Tumblr, right?
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1925)
And I think it’s telling that these days it actually makes me sad when I hear about a book I love being adapted for the big screen—television as done by HBO, Showtime, and the BBC is where it’s at in terms of drama nowadays.
Matt Yglesias, “The Man in the High Castle,” Think Progress, October 14, 2010
Ugh. This is just Anglophilia, nothing else. Look, the BBC has been responsible for some excellent programming, and even in recent years, it’s produced “The Office” and “Extras,” both of which are worthy of being spoken about as being among the zenith of contemporary television. But talking about the channel in the same breath as modern day HBO? That’s just ridiculous. The BBC isn’t coming with “The Wire” or “The Sopranos” or even “True Blood,” really; it’s not even on AMC’s level now that has “Mad Men.” Even in terms of more populist drama, the BBC hasn’t been able to match the cream of 21st century American television. (I’m talking “Gossip Girl,” “The O.C.,” “Gilmore Girls,” etc.) And where HBO shows are concerned at least, the Poms agree with me.
This shouldn’t be a surprise. America has a great advantage where culture industries are concerned. It has a massive population, a lot of money and the ability to wield economies of scale in a highly effective way. They’re an educated people with a rich history of combining the innovative with the popular. It’s no surprise that they’re responsible for the best television around.
