Insights

Neil Howe doesn’t think Mad Men follows generational archetypes very well.

And then a line like this one pops up (concerning a recent episode):

As for Marigold[...] : This story line suggested that each generation begets its own bad parents. Little Ellery, haunted by abandonment, will probably grow up to be a hovering helicopter dad, inhibiting his kids’ development by cutting their meat until they’re 13.

It happens that every so often someone makes an inference that sounds like they must have put down Generations or The Fourth Turning moments before. Not much to do about it, though, unless there’s independent confirmation that they have a particular interest in this method of analysis. 

One could email them, to check. Or acknowledge that some insights aren’t that impressive. Or consider that the books have been in print for a while, and maybe more people are paying attention. Usually, though, one is left to wonder.