MAD MEN - "The medium is the message" 1.06

[OverlyCaucasianMale]

Huminahuminahuminahumina... what a goddess...

[fra2603]

@SamRaffield no dude she's fat

[deionc]

i really wish there were more comments about the actual conversation between the two actresses instead of Hendrick's body. What do you think about the content?

[boringlyawesum]

Wow! She must weigh 160lbs. No wonder white women seek out black men, they love big titties and most importantly BIG ASSES.

[BubblyBrainiac]

@mi6tynd Isn't it ironic that women are more willing to see past a man's outer appearance then men? A beautiful woman would give an unattractive man the time of day if they like their personality.

There is no perfection, but there is the idea that people like what is available. We adapt. As for Christina Hendricks being "fat" her measurements are 39-30-39. If you are a man and don't know what that means, it means she has a beautiful body and waist that is smaller then the national average.

[ajgolfer1]

McLuhan. 

[mi6tynd]

@SamRaffield Christina Hendricks is a fattie. Unattractive men love her because they think she is attainable.

Men who cannot attract hot, fit women rationalize that chubby women are "hotter" BECAUSE THAT'S ALL THEY CAN GET. And they also lash out at hot, fit, thin women and call them "anorexic" out of pure rage and jealousy.

Do you honestly think we can't see through that??

[CountessKitty18]

@mi6tynd Fool

[mi6tynd]

This show is pure drivel.

Pseudo-intellectuals think it's great.

But it's nothing but predictable, poorly-written tripe.

[ajgolfer1]

@mi6tynd Have you ever been happy before, or have you been a cynical asshole since birth?

[StealthyBug]

@mi6tynd Says the anonymous troll, pseudo-intellectually.

[jazavz]

McLuhan, not bad.

[TheBlackcat239]

Guys I have never seen an episode of mad men in my life, but I am going away this weekend to a hotel and Im going to have a lot of free time to watch episode after episode of something. Someone recommended this to me but Im also considering the big bang theory.. What do ye guys think?

PS: There is no point answering this question after 10 pm gmt because by that stage I will be in the downloading process. Thanks!

[finetubs]

this entire show is about lookin at xtine henrkcs tits n ass..thats it,take her outta there wud b liek taking 7 Of 9 off star trek voyager,nothin left 2 watch

[xxxssb]

Are any of the men appreciating this curvy figure even white? That's the question. I swear it's only black men who appreciate the female form when it's not a stick.

[amasuEnd]

Whites want to live in the 50´s again..so sad...NOT:D

[tucsonia]

@amasuEnd It's perfectly reasonable to want to live in the immediate post-WWII America: Zero unemployment, cohesive families and schools and communities, a feeling that technology would solve all of Mankind's problems. This is not just true of whites but of blacks as well; even though there was much more official discrimination then the black community was much more disciplined, cohesive and safe than it is now.

[fearlesssockpuppet]

Interesting that they're quoting the title of chapter one in Marshall McLuhan's 1964 novel, "Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man" in "Mad Men"!

[missclueless1]

@fearlesssockpuppet a NOVEL???

[fearlesssockpuppet]

@missclueless1 The edition I have is a book that's 318 pages long and can fit in your pants pocket, so yes, I'd say that's a novel. Sure, it doesn't have a real story with fully fleshed out characters...but I'd say it's *kind of* a novel. You know?

[handymandan100]

this clip doesn't make me want to ever watch this show...  looks catty and shallow, like many a soap opera of a bygone day.... the comment is the media. the media is the message.

[wandarah]

@handymandan100 then you will miss out on one of the greatest tv dramas written in the last 20 years

[handymandan100]

@handymandan100 ...meh! no great loss

[watersong111]

The term "The Medium is the Message" was coined by Marshall McCluan ( not correct spelling)....a Canadian media expert.....but I believe he came up with it AFTER the time period this show is set in......

[vzbyrne]

@watersong111 I noticed that too. Glad I'm not the only geek. It's surprising because they're so accurate elsewhere"

[sykesypeter]

lol... 'the medium is the message'. Joan takes away the 'hype' essentially on what seems to be a pretty big project for peggy. if someone avoids direct contact with another (as in this case) they don't want you to take the message to seriously or misinterpret it. there's a huge difference between a boss communicating through a private meeting (one would assume any extreme such as a promotion), formal letter, email or supervisor/manager - like joan (which in my opinion is the most professional).

[matty86]

(2/2)...appears that she actually is. The 60s were a time of radical social change and women coming up after Joan were already expecting and demanding social changes, even if in the most subtle of ways, like Margaret expecting to be valued for her work, not just her looks. The 60s are already moving past Joan, but she doesn't even know it. Margaret is the future. This is poignantly displayed also when Margaret realizes Joan is actually trying to "help" her.

[cegriffin]

@matty86 Very astute and all. But totally weird that you refer to Peggy as "Margaret."

[matty86]

Joan says "the medium is the message": She's imparting to Margaret that this is, in fact, not a big deal. Joan operates on a different wave length. In her world, men are something like savages, their dominance is a fact, in a way she is resigned to it and of course, uses her "bomb shell" curves to her advantage. She doesn't really expect to be treated like an equal but she expects to get what she wants. Margaret feels like she is being made a genuine offer based on her merit, and it... (1/2)

[SteveCarras]

Now I know a bit more about that hot Daphne from Get him to the greek [so who's this Scooby-Doo Daphne?:-)]

[MoGreensEye]

The ass of kings.

[nimblehands89]

0:58 DAYM!

[blackyblackblack505]

An attractive women with class. I wish there were more like her.

[Victorian9322]

What did she mean by the medium is the message?

[Hockeyjason]

@Victorian9322

The WAY in which humans communicate is more important (i.e. more of an effect on the receiver) then WHAT is communicated. Thus, she is more important then the message she is passing on.

[Karma313th]

@Hockeyjason

This is the closest I've seen anyone here get to the actual meaning of McLuhan's most celebrated theory later expanded in to "the medium is the massage" and "the medium is the mass age."

As I recall, , Weiner mentioned in an interview this was the anachronism he was most embarrassed by. McLuhan's theories on media didn't really begin circulating until the Gutenberg Galaxy in 62 and specifically Understanding Media in 64 (where the quote originated.)

[herodotus53]

Damn. I could watch Joan walk away forever.

[TheLogicalPositivist]

Like two puppies wrasslin' in a knapsack.

[RoyBoyRocket]

OK, I'll take your word for it but still i'll have to see her in a bikini before I am completely convinced.

[HymanKnajdl]

Isn't this an anachronism? The phrase "the medium is the message" was introduced by Marshall McLuhan in 1964.

[RoyBoyRocket]

she can massage my medium any day.

[Elfinesmom]

@HymanKnajdl Unless he steals it from Joan

[CarlyIsAGangster]

GOD.

Joan in that dress.

She is one beautiful woman.

[link19013]

can anyone say it in English people WTF those this mean ??????????

[RoyBoyRocket]

is halladay hot? Cant quite make out her body. Hv 2 c her in a bikini. Hvnt seen any other seasons only 1 and 2. Are 3+ any good?

[bwworld]

Great scene! She doesn't sound like a happy medium ;-)

BTW chewbacca1010 is correct about the difference between medium and message.

[WOMP2007]

if you read what i typed already, you realize i hit it on the head, i think its awesome i'm -4 cause i made a bunch of people who thought they understood shit, question themselves, and you know how much people fucking LO HUV doing that...

[WOMP2007]

the medium is the msg more or less means this: reading, using ur eye, right now, to read this, that is the visual space, the space where the eye verifies everything else, so whatever we comprehend we r doing via that one tactile sense, vision, (blind touch, deaf sound) the initial indicator of data, the one that confirms what is perceived, ok, we all still here. now here is the tricky part: each perceived thing, is in and of itself a container (the medium), each artifact. msg is like atoms ;)

[gilesderoet]

somebody's coffee kicked in.

[gitfidil76]

STFU. thank you.

[WOMP2007]

thanks for reading it you sac of vinegar

[DoctorTachyon]

Medium is the message means that there is a message in the medium itself. ie: A commercial is a medium. The message is product to sell. When your show stops and a commercial starts it MUST sell a product. If it does not you wonder "what kind of commercial was that?" The medium is a the message...

[DoctorTachyon]

True television is a medium, like this computer is too. But a commercial is also medium. A television show is a medium. A music video is a medium. There is a message in all those things just in being what they are. But how could the viewer be the message? That makes no sense. The viewer gets the message. If I send you mail it could be a post card, envelope or box. In that medium of mail is another medium, did I write or type. Each with a message. The receiver of the mail cannot be the message.

[chewbacca1010]

A commercial isn't a medium. A commercial is a form of visual creation generally shared via a medium. The term "medium" usually refers to hardware, like an actual physical television set.

Forms are a part of what shapes the message, alongside the medium itself. Both work together to create a message to be received by the end user or audience.

But a commercial is not a medium. It is a form (similar to genre) that shapes information. That info is further shaped by the medium itself.

[onetwothreebri]

i wish i had a body like joans

[OmgitsNeens]

The method of communication someone uses to send you a message says a lot about their intentions towards you.

It's not that difficult to interpret.

[chewbacca1010]

It not just says a lot, it has an (arguably) direct role in shaping the message.

The statement "the medium is the message" was (I believe) an overstatement by McLuhan, since no one was really thinking in those terms at the time he was a scholar.

He would have to be silly to think content had no impact at all, but all "the medium is the message" means is that the medium used has a direct impact on how content is shaped and received. Before that, all anyone cared about was content.

[DoctorTachyon]

I don't see it the same way. I take it to mean what i said... "the medium is the message" obviously has different meanings to different people I have found my interpretation helpful in my work.

[fuckooo]

I think Baudrillard in appropriating McLuhan managed to put said American 'scholar' to bed.

[wallblues]

0:57 to 1:00 : Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom...

[federman]

McLuhan first published the iconic aphorism in the 1964, Understanding Media. But he actually coined the phrase in either 1957 or 1959 (there are two conflicting accounts). So it's not impossible that Joan heard it, although McLuhan did not come to the attention of Madison Avenue until 1965 at the earliest. For an explanation of what the phrase actually means (from someone who knows) do a Google search on "meaning medium message" (without quotes) and take the first link: What is the Meaning...

[sum1wun]

Joan's hips don't lie...those are some dangerous curves!

[jkkungu]

the medium is the message i still dont get it...explain in plain english i dint go to high school..i was homeschool till i graduated from Harvard online education schemes so i have no clue what that means.

[ljiume]

"The medium is the message" comes from the title of

Marshall McLuhan's book.

In the book he shows the theory that the medium makes the message, whatever the message is. It is a very well-known social communication theory among people involved in communication and advertising work.

[jonwiley]

You beat me to explaining that line. Believe me, I was sick of hearing it during my days as a communications major. It illustrates Joan is probably very well educated but accepts her lower place in the corporate pecking order.

[Tones4me]

I think Joan said that to put her in her place. In other words, if you were really important they would have called you into a meeting instead of sending me to tell you. Joan is the queen bee and intends to stay there. But I don't see her a being mean, just maintaining her place.

[Grasslander]

@Tones4me What she means is: good work Peggy, but now that you are moving up a bit they want you to dress better, like I do.

[Tones4me1]

@Grasslander Women are never that direct or supportive. Joan has hit the glass ceiling, she is good at what she does and is stuck there. By saying "you did a good job but you still aren't invited to the meeting" is meant to remind Peggy that she still has less power than Joan. Neither of them have broken through the glass ceiling into "man's world" yet.

[TrixieBelaire]

@Tones4me - by being mean.

[Tones4me1]

@TrixieBelaire Don't misunderstand me, Joan is mean by controlling everything to preserve her place but she is written in here as a mirror for the world to see. I have worked under people like Joan my whole life. They are in every office and usually they are untouchable because they have power & know how to use it.

[TrixieBelaire]

@Tones4me1 - same here - always one in the office and yes, untouchable. And they love to make everyone look bad to make themselves look good. Horrible people.

[Tones4me1]

@TrixieBelaire I KNOW!! What is up with that? The world is a crazy place. Good vs Evil, the same old story. And nice people either get trampled or they become the very thing they hate just to keep up. And the scene where Joan's boyfriend rapes her in the office just went to show what women put up with from men. She got up, dusted herself off and acted like it was all ok. How typical.

[TrixieBelaire]

@Tones4me1 - I've only watched the show once (the Christmas party) which brought me to you tube to try to piece stuff together. So Joan's boyfriend raped her in the office? Boy this show really crosses a lot of lines.

[Tones4me1]

@TrixieBelaire You can rent the DVD's and start from day one. This is one of the best written stories ever. It is perfect in every detail regarding the times, late 50's early 60's. Watch the extras on the dvd, they are as interesting as the show. And you've just got to love Jon Hamm

[TrixieBelaire]

@Tones4me1 - Thanks for the info but honestly, after watching a few YouTube clips, I have no more interest in the show. It's like watching Roots or something. It just makes me so angry at the attitudes people had then. I can't watch abuse in any form even in the guise of entertainment. I am not their target audience.

[Victor1970s]

The Medium Is The Message? I have no idea what that means, but, the message I'm getting from the sultry Christina Hendricks walking in that red dress, is "go ahead and stare".

[ccfc73]

Joan is the original Mean Girl.

[PersephoneSwimming]

i used to think that too but the more i watched the show i began to see her as not mean but rather extremely officious. when you look closely at how she treats people you have to see that she is not "vicious" per se as the archetypal bully is. she just has such a strong personality and she's so devoted to being a rock in that office. i think it's reductionist calling her a mean girl. did you watch all of seasons 1&2?

[ccfc73]

I posted that before the scene with Dr. Greg in Don's office.

Anyway, I don't think it's about "being a rock in that office." I just think you don't cross her, as evidenced when she tells Kinsky in front of everyone that he has to hand back his plane ticket to LA.

She delights in calling the shots. That's why the scene with Dr. Greg was in there.

[yes4albert]

kaboom, bam, boom, pow...walk it out, Joan. Good God, this is such a treat to see on tv.

[midwestmacrame]

The way she walks in that red dress....WOW.

[sophiejo]

I loved this scene. I remember when she said that line "the medium is the message"...all i kept thinking was WOW...who wrote that. It was pretty awsome. I love Joanie.

[hypnotstcollector]

Marshal McCluhan wrote the book c.1966

[Daysiebell]

Which is odd, as this series is supposed to be placed in 1960... It was the only flaw I could detect.

[SmileCloudlessly]

Yeah, I thought the phrase was coined in 1964 in "Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man"?

[LAchickee]

I LOVE seeing a curvy, awesome chick on TV!  ROCK!

[Victor1970s]

Joan in that red dress knocks my socks off!

[garyowen4ever]

joannie is thee goddess and master of the poisoned needle put down.

[iKitAnderson]

Check out Century of The Self. It's a documentary by Adam Curtis for the BBC and talks about the birth of advertising culture. Provides excellent historical context for this show.

[BadLactose]

Joan is such a prophet! Marshall McLuhan would be proud!

[dbell962]

Marshall McLuhan-- that reminds me of a Woody Allen film reference!

[neoalan00]

Oh yeah? Well, I happen to have Mr. McLuhan right here!

Marshall McLuhan: I heard what you were saying. You know nothing of my work.

[marilefay]

so glad they've renewed it!

[EmpressofthisWorld]

I love this series.