The sun shines bright in the old Kentucky home,
‘Tis summer, the darkies are gay;
The corn-top’s ripe and the meadow’s in the bloom,
While the birds make music all the day.*
Matt Weiner has been criticized often enough for not quite getting there about race. We have, on this site, discussed “Magical Negroes” in Mad Men, and the Sheila storyline ended up fizzling in an unsatisfying way.
So now that he’s decided to address it, it’s not just a scene or an incident, no, it’s Matt, so it’s a holistic embrace of everything privilege; the privilege of race, of gender, of age, of money, of social class, and of how all of those things intersect.
Surely the most privileged person on the show is Roger Sterling; even more so than YodaBert, because Roger was born with his silver spoon. Roger is so incredibly privileged that he can parade an embarrassingly young wife and make a lot of powerful people treat her politely, and do it, nauseatingly, in blackface to boot. Blackface! (And don’t even try to say “sign of the times;” privileged people still do this). Roger can make people swallow any kind of bad behavior, because he’s got the money, class privilege, and power.
The entire episode is a sorting hat of who has more power than whom. Some people go to parties wearing enormous summer hats, some people spend the weekend at the office. Don and Betty go to the party, old people, children, and black servants stay home. Carla has every reason to tell Gene he hasn’t accused her “yet;” she knows all about who’s at the bottom of the pecking order. Knowing she could lose her job over this is a moment-by-moment correspondence with Roger’s blackface; Gene may be a demented white man who doesn’t know what year it is, but he’s a white man, and her blackface doesn’t wash off.
Don and Connie reminisce about impoverished childhoods in the bar. Don used to piss in car trunks; isn’t that what this episode is about? Who’s at the bar, and who’s pissing in trunks?
Paul & Jeff went to Princeton, but Jeff has more power because Paul was there on scholarship; Paul is still angry about it, and still trying to compensate. Peggy went to secretarial school, but she has an office with a door, and a secretary. If you can close a door you can get high behind the door, and if you have to sit outside you can disapprove”from outside.
Who has money and who doesn’t? Medical residents don’t, and children don’t. Sally experiments with stealing a little social privilege, but there’s a cost involved. Don knows the cost. Joan doesn’t, but she’s learning. Surgical chiefs sit at the head of the table even in someone else’s home; Emily Post and being socially correct conveys a kind of power, but not enough to counteract the pecking order of hospital politics.
And finally, Don and Betty. We know that Matt loves the movie A Place in the Sun; he referenced it in S1 and S2; it’s the story of a hard-working underprivileged, handsome man (Montgomery Clift) who falls in love with a beautiful privileged debutante (Elizabeth Taylor), first seen as a vision in white. He visits Taylor at their summer place in Long Island. Clift also has an affair with a factory girl (Shelly Winters) whom he gets pregnant; we are left wondering if he drowned her, or if her death was really accidental.
All of this is echoed in the episode; the beautiful people, the wealthy Long Island location, Betty in white and pregnant, both women at once. And there’s Don in the Monty Clift role, realizing that he definitely, absolutely, does not want to be Roger. There’s Betty, his vision in white, and what Don wants, I think, is not to be the fool that Roger is, nor abuse his power, but to do right, at last, by his wife.
*My Old Kentucky Home, by Stephen Foster. The official Kentucky State Song, the lyrics were changed in 1986 when Representative Carl Hines, the only black member of the Kentucky General Assembly, objected to the singing of the word “darkies.”
143 Responses to “My Old Kentucky Privilege”
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Isn’t the baby due near the end of June? In which case May 4 would be 6 weeks premature.
How far gone was Betty when she discovered that she was pregnant during the Cuban Missile Crisis? And that would be between mid and late October 1962.
Roger in blackface is basically a continuation of Roger's "who cares" comment when Don asked "what do women want" back in the first season. He has no interest in really understanding people he doe not identify with, and he likes to keep those he does identify with in an exclusive set. He is first out of step with the bussiness.
Also Betty found out about her pregnancy about three weeks in, as that was the time between "pretending" with Don and his return from California.
I have an instant love for the Peggy/Olive relationship. Sometimes isn't it great to have people you feel like are family but with less emotional baggage. Olive was afraid for Peggy as she saw Peggy's behavior as a transgression, the type that would always be punished by the Hayes Code. (She might also think that Peggy will only be happy if she finds a nice guy to settle with, and is thinking that guys dont settle with girls who do that…)
@ Rosie #109
How far gone was Betty when she discovered that she was pregnant during the Cuban Missile Crisis? And that would be between mid and late October 1962.
According to the calculations of one or both of Our Genial Hostesses, the baby could only have been conceived during Don and Betty's trip to Philadelphia (Episode 10, Season 2, "The Inheritance"), which was determined to have happened approximately September 20, 1962. Betty is told she's pregnant on October 22, 1962 (Episode 13, "Meditations in an Emergency"). That means she's due in late June, 1963.
I haven't seen it posted here yet, the "Connie" that Don met at the bar was Conrad Hilton.
It’s been mentioned in the open thread, Melissa, and has already been added to the S3 Cultural References page.
Well, I hate to argue with the creator of one of my favorite websites, but since I have two points to make…
1. In the context of 19th- and early 20th-century America, calling something "mainstream" is of course "White mainstream." there wsn't any other kind of "mainstream."
2. At least according to wikipedia (grain of salt, I know), minstrelsy in blackface by black performers actually could have black audiences:
These black performers became stars within the broad African-American community, but were largely ignored or condemned by the black bourgeoisie. James Monroe Trotter—a middle class African American who had contempt for their "disgusting caricaturing" but admired their "highly musical culture"—wrote in 1882 that "few… who condemned black minstrels for giving 'aid and comfort to the enemy'" had ever seen them perform.[60] Unlike white audiences, black audiences presumably always recognized blackface performance as caricature, and took pleasure in seeing their own culture observed and reflected, much as they would half a century later in the performances of Moms Mabley.[61]
Please know I'm not defending anything about minstrelsy. I'm curious about it as an academic topic; it's one of many ugly truths about American culture.
I WORKED WITH AN OLDER LADY IN THE 1980'S AND AT FIRST SHE REALLY DISLIKED ME BECAUSE I WAS HIRED AT A HIGHER SALARY. SHE SOON FOUND OUT THAT I WAS A GOOD FRIEND TO HER. THE COMPANY USED TO GIVE HER A 5CENT PER HOUR RAISE. HOW DO WE KNOW THAT CONNIE WAS CONRAD HILTON?
Frosty, if you don't learn to use your shift key, I will delete your comments.
Oh, thanks for pointing that out, Deborah. This is my first season visiting your site and I didn't realize there were three (or more?) threads for every episode. I thought the "open thread" looked like a "live blog" and didn't realize discussion continued at the end, because I never looked that far down. Now I'll know to look there, and the Cultural References page will be my favorite. That helps a lot! I'll figure it out eventually!
WERE MINSTRELS MEAN SPIRITED? I THOUGHT THEY WERE JUST SILLY ENTERTAINMENT AND ACTUALLY ENJOYED THEM BEFORE I FOUND OUT THAT PEOPLE WERE HURT BY THEM.
Great review and comments. I’m late to the party – just watched My Old Kentucky Home on the second run.
MM continues to shock. I was floored by the blackface scene more than anything I can remember on MM. I’ve seen it in old B&W movies and such but this really hit me viscerally. I think because it was so up close and the disturbing but genuine reaction of amusement of the audience (save Don).
My wife and I like to talk about the episodes and she usually has the better observations. She picked up right away on five performances. Roger, Kinsey, Pete and Trudy, Joan and the “performance†of Gene and Sally. In a Midsummer Night’s Dream Bottom is the fool wearing an ass’s head and Roger (who usually pays Puck) fills the fool’s role in Kentucky Home.
We do indeed have a series of performances and it got me thinking as to why each is performing. Some want to perform – Roger as well Pete and Trudy want to perform though only Roger ends up the fool. Others find it helpful to perform – in the name of smoothing over a problem. This would be Kinsey as well as the Gene-Sally “performance†(which to me was definitely a performance.)
The only one compelled to perform is Joan. Joan has been compelled to perform before and from the look in her eyes she has about had enough – I certainly hope so. Did others catch how the woman in gold not only takes Joan’s side but seems to have more information about nasty Greg?
And what about Betty too knows that “it’s something you can turn on and off.†Betty can perform too and seems to be well aware of that – regardless of her condition!
In MM time we are not at midsummer yet but the “grass†and the night air seem to be bringing out some inspiration! For now Don is the one acting with reason.
Finally I loved Connie(?) he’s “old fashioned” and I hope he makes a return.
Some people commented WAY earlier on, about the fact that Betty didn’t wear a hat. As soon as I realized they were going to a KY Derby party, (as a Kentuckian) I was shocked Betty didn’t wear a hat. She always seems so put-together and accessorized. It didn’t seem to strike her at all that she didn’t have on a hat. I’ll admit she did look great & mod with her hair & makeup and I can’t imagine any hat looking good with her outfit.
Maybe she was just so excited and looking forward to getting to actually GO somewhere where she could look beautiful, and receive compliments. She didn’t want compliments on her hat. She wanted compliments on her beauty. I would imagine, being nearly 9 months pregnant, and a housewife, she’s not attending too many social functions where she can go all out with her appearance.
I think that Betty did the Grace Kelly simplicity thing, because all the frills would have made her feel like a house. I also suspect there was some sort of Madonna thing at work — the wholesome glow of motherhood, etc.
While Betty looked stunning, there was something about that dress that matched the belly in proclaiming her out of circulation. Which makes the guy’s clearly erotic interest in her all the more interesting.
It”s interesting the contrast between Don’s “Maypole” fantasy – the natural loose flowing hair (so Midsummer’s Night Dream like!) of the lovely brunette, and Betty’s increasingly severe hairstyles. Could she pull and lacquer those tresses any tighter to her head? The white dress was so lovely and virginal, but the hair was expressive of her increasingly brittle, controlled and repressed personality.
Yes, it definitely reflected the style of the mid sixties, but there were lots of hair styles in that time period, and Betty has chosen the most severe.
You know how I know that Don loves Betty? Because a man’s man like Don won’t carry a pink purse for just any woman . . . only for the woman he loves.
Could she pull and lacquer those tresses any tighter to her head? The white dress was so lovely and virginal, but the hair was expressive of her increasingly brittle, controlled and repressed personality.
But these tight hairstyles have only been recent. Betty didn’t always wear her hair in that manner. Could it be that she’s feeling increasingly brittle and repressed since the pregnancy? I’ve noticed that ever since the pregnancy, she has regressed to her former self.
I think she had made a mistake in deciding to keep the baby and take Don back.
Whoops. Sorry for confusing your name with your sister’s, Deborah. You are both so wonderful and intelligent it is easy to mix you up!
@Robin D. (#128): A black-face number was done by Bing Crosby in Holiday Inn, for the "Lincoln's Birthday" holiday.
They didn't black up for the minstrel show number in "White Christmas," but if it had been made a decade earlier, I wonder if they might have.
The Black & White Minstrel Show ran on British television until 1978.
Conrad Nicholson Hilton was born in San Antonio, New Mexico. Probably the only wealthy “Connie” from that town at that time, I’m thinking.
I love that the show can address such complex social issues from so many angles. Gender, race, social class, wealth, and various combinations thereof are still a minefield of privilege today. Seeing them in such a blatant manner has sparked such great discussions here.
@Brenda (#57 & 68): I don’t recall there being blackface in White Christmas. There’s definitely some mime makeup (sort of a photo negative of blackface) in the ‘Choreography’ number, which might be what you’re thinking of. And there are tambourines in the ‘Mandy’ number. I haven’t seen that movie in a few years, so I can’t recall whether the performances in that section were intended to evoke a minstrel show or not.
@Donny Brook (#107): “…”I’m going to get to do everything you want for me†thing was cringe-worthy, because that is so not what Olive meant. Olive just doesn’t want her boss to get in trouble because it would reflect badly on her (Olive). (I think Peggy was projecting her own mom at that point.)”
That was my thought too. But we have to remember that in that scene our Peggy is “so high right now”. And here’s yet another older woman she perceives as trying to squish her into their antiquated mold of what a woman is supposed to be and do (and not do). Just like Joan and her mother and her sister. The dialogue itself may be didactic and clunky, but I think Peggy truly is having something of a moment of clarity.
I have to say I'm really surprised by the total support of Carla's behavior by all the commenters. I usually love her character (she got a tear out of me with that "things are right where you left them" line), but in this episode I thought she was really contemptuous of and impatient with Gene, which made me sad. People with dementia are hard to live with; they are like small children, and it's hard to be patient with an adult you think should know better. But it still bummed me out to see her indeed treating him impatiently and yes, like a kid. I also put the "Do you know Viola?" down to him being confused, not meaning to insult her, and again, her reply was snappish and impatient.
Jane seems very sad. I imagine she's quite lonely. But there are other young trophy wives out there, perhaps she will find them.
Joan's song charmed the heck out of me. Oh my. The way she stands is so confident and graceful, her neck is just like a swan's.
I agree that Olive isn't afraid for Peggy, she's afraid for herself. That line is interesting: "I'll drink what you leave behind." Is that what she's planning to do? Hitch her wagon to Peggy's star and hoover up her crumbs? Peggy is so mightily awesome; last week getting laid with no shame and this week getting happily high. Love that the show didn't overplay the pot scenes; I felt the Midge pot scene was a little overdone, and this time they did it perfectly. Peggy really used it to unlock her creativity, well done, Peggy!
@Joyce (#131): "I have to say I’m really surprised by the total support of Carla’s behavior by all the commenters."
As someone who has dealt with three grandparents suffering from dementia, I can sympathize with Carla's treatment of Gene, especially since "those things" just weren't spoken of back then. It is very frustrating to see the people who we expect to be the wise elders of the clan become confused and child-like (and often even childish). And as if that weren't bad enough, she knows that his deteriorating mind could jeopardize her job. Is her behavior right? Well, no, not really. But it's perfectly understandable.
Carla doesn't have our third-person, twenty-first-century perspective. She has to react with what she knows and feels. In keeping with the thread of privilege, she has very little. She's a black female servant. Sure, she has a history with the family, but she's not actually a part of it. If it comes down to a confrontation between her and Gene, she cannot win (except maybe with the children, but it's Betty's decision, not theirs).
I like the fact that Carla is snappish. It makes her feel real. She's frustrated and a little scared and she lashes out. Who wouldn't in that situation? The beauty of all the characters in Mad Men is that they are so flawed.
Like Robin, I totally understand Carla's snappishness while not necessarily applauding it. She's had a third "child" thrust upon her with no warning (and a fourth on the way), and I doubt she's getting a commensurate pay raise for her troubles. And this extra responsibility is one who can, and does, give her a lot more grief than Bobby and Sally.
Personally, I don't think Gene meant "Do you know Viola?" as "All black people know each other," although it was 100% reasonable for Carla to assume he did. I think he got confused and thought he was back home with Viola, and if it wasn't Viola, well, then, it must be some friend of hers filling in for the day.
Carla getting snappish starts to break the magical negro wall. It humanizes her. I like.
Robin and Melissa, I totally get what you're saying and indeed, I'd thought about the fact that no one ASKED Carla if it was OK if Gene moved in. It could have happened offscreen but knowing Betty and Don, I doubt it. And yes, adults with dementia are difficult…but I felt that Carla was pre-emptorily cranky with him, which doesn't help him or her! But yes, agree, the flawed-ness of MM characters is what makes me so fascinating, they lie, they're ugly to each other, etc. etc. Maybe this is a sign that Carla will be more of a front-and-center character; Betty is pregnant, it seems fairly obvious that the Draper's home life will continue to be spotlighted, maybe Carla will grow in importance. I'd love to see Betty take more ownership of her mother role and maybe there's conflict between Carla and Betty, as there often is between parents and professional child-caretakers. I think Carla is a very interesting character and would absolutely love if the camera followed her home. She looks to be in her late 30s, early 40s…does she have children at home herself?
I thought it was a sign that Carla really is fairly well integrated into the family (so to speak). She spoke to Gene like a family member not a servant, even though of course she also feared taking the blame for the theft. I thought the dinner table scene showed that it was Carla who ran the household, at least when Betty wasn't around, and she wasn't going to let Gene act out.
I'm definitely no fan of the magical negro. This show brings up so many issues, there are so many shades of gray. Oh show! I love you.
Yes show, you are great. DIVINE!
Anyway, I'm wondering what will become of Peggy's stoned inspirations about bacardi.
Is she going to invent "Bacardi Feeeeeeling"?
I guess not, but I'm sure she's gonna nail it and satisfy the client and again climb a little higher in the SC hierarchy.
(Well of course I'm not sure but I sure hope so)
And what do you guys think of the idea of Peggy and Joan someday (not this season obviously) working together?
I thought about that a lot and i think it would a) be very cool and interesting and b) not completely impossible considering the mutual respect between Peggy and Joan…
Oh I don't know!
(Ps: sorry, bad english)
With the exception of the clothesline hammock, the ideas they were coming up with sober were a lot better than the ones they came up with under the influence!
Did anyone happen to notice that the end credits mentioned a Mental Health Counselor? I think that Matt knew the blackface scene would be very stressful for the actors, writers and support crew.
The Brits paid for counseling for the secretarial pool after Burt Whatshisname was fired and flipped out.
[...] Basket of Kisses | My Old Kentucky Privilege The entire episode is a sorting hat of who has more power than whom. Some people go to parties wearing enormous summer hats, some people spend the weekend at the office. Don and Betty go to the party, old people, children, and black servants stay home. Carla has every reason to tell Gene he hasn’t accused her “yet;†she knows all about who’s at the bottom of the pecking order. Knowing she could lose her job over this is a moment-by-moment correspondence with Roger’s blackface; Gene may be a demented white man who doesn’t know what year it is, but he’s a white man, and her blackface doesn’t wash off. (tags: class race madmen) [...]
thanks for this perfect discussion & description of existing interrogation. You've turned it out better than any talks I've seen. Also thanks for citing my text on it. Your's takes it way higher.