Mad Men, consumerism, and pollution

In the September 27, 2009 article "Mad Men: Don’t Cry for Me," Daniel E. Walsh comments on the popular TV series, Mad Men:

The AMC hit TV series, Mad Men, portrays the business and personal lives of advertising execs at the height of the Golden Age of American consumerism. The show is focused on the personalities and interactions of the ad execs and office staff. The great American consumer culture is the backdrop for the various story lines. Some of the personal habits of the era depicted are clearly seen today as unhealthy or outright wrong. Then those habits were in the full bloom of cultural normalcy.

In one scene, Don Draper, the main character, his wife, and children pull over the family sedan for a picnic on some roadside grassland. When they are done and preparing to leave, they simply shake the trash they've generated from the picnic blanket and leave it behind them on the ground.

The portrayal of an American family’s blatant disregard of the consequences of littering is shocking when viewed through today's environmentally-enlightened prism. There are those (perhaps Ayn Rand fans) who could say, in a purely scientific light, that the trash disposed of in that manner has no more effect on the overall environment than the debris we landfill today. While experts may debate those issues, a landscape devoid of drifting paper and rotting garbage is undeniably more livable.

There has been a definite improvement in the appearance of the general landscape from that era. The last time we looked, the Cuyahoga River wasn’t on fire. Small gestures on our parts, such as simply throwing trash into a designated receptacle, easily create a nicer experience for those who follow.

If an act that flagrant and careless was witnessed today, many of us, in addition to being shocked and appalled, would be moved to ask the offenders if perhaps they had left something behind by mistake—and not so nicely! The anti-littering campaign was largely funded by the Keep America Beautiful organization. While the motives of the creators of the Keep America Beautiful organization are subject to some skepticism, the effect of its ads as epitomized by the Crying Indian is undeniable.

The Crying Indian commercial and the cynicism of its creation would be a great knee-slapper of a victory for Don Draper and the boys (and Peggy) of the ad agency. If they had done that work, the cocktails would have been flowing.

However accomplished, roadsides and parkland are measurably cleaner than before and the habits of keeping them in that condition are firmly ingrained in the culture as a whole.

In other episodes, Mad Men features similar content as it portrays an America in the nascent stages of a cultural revolution that would soon address this and other perceived shortcomings: women’s place in the workplace, sexuality issues and, most of all, the dangers of cigarette smoking among them. The America of Mad Men was a place built for consumption without regard for consequence. At this they excelled, but the aftermath of their brand of madness became our set of problems. The health tab from those now ailing cigarette smokers is a defining example of one such residual problem.

While it’s doubtful that we would ever return to the profligate waste of the Mad Men era, there is reason to be concerned for the future. Simply picking up trash and keeping it out of sight is a good start. But the far-reaching outcome of the buildup of waste deserves to be examined through to its end. Even the Italian-American actor who played the Indian might force another tear at the impending costs of cleaning up the waste generated in this country in the last half of the century.

A quote from Iron Eyes Cody:

"Nearly all my life, it has been my policy to help those less fortunate than myself. My foremost endeavors have been with the help of the Great Spirit to dignify my People's image through humility and love of my country. It is my sincerest wish to reach the hearts of the people of the world by my Keep America Beautiful film of 'The Crying Indian' so they will be more aware of the dangers of pollution facing the world today. If I have done that, then I have done all I need to do!"

Well, “se non è vero, è ben trovato,” as the actor’s father may have uttered. So what if it’s not true? It was a great show! Mad Men everywhere can drink to that. Just - when you’re done, pick up your trash!

Cuyahoga River Fire of 1969

Ohio History Central, an online encyclopedia of Ohio history, explains that the Cuyahoga River fire in 1969 heightened awareness of how unregulated markets create socially undesirable outcomes, such as a polluted environment:

On June 22, 1969, an oil slick and debris in the Cuyahoga River caught fire in Cleveland, Ohio, drawing national attention to environmental problems in Ohio and elsewhere in the United States.

This Cuyahoga River fire lasted just thirty minutes, but it did approximately fifty thousand dollars in damage -- principally to some railroad bridges spanning the river. It is unclear what caused the fire, but most people believe sparks from a passing train ignited an oil slick in the Cuyahoga River. This was not the first time that the river had caught on fire. Fires occurred on the Cuyahoga River in 1868, 1883, 1887, 1912, 1922, 1936, 1941, 1948, and in 1952. The 1952 fire caused over 1.5 million dollars in damage.

On August 1, 1969, Time magazine reported on the fire and on the condition of the Cuyahoga River. The magazine stated:

Some River! Chocolate-brown, oily, bubbling with subsurface gases, it oozes rather than flows. "Anyone who falls into the Cuyahoga does not drown," Cleveland's citizens joke grimly. "He decays". . . The Federal Water Pollution Control Administration dryly notes: "The lower Cuyahoga has no visible signs of life, not even low forms such as leeches and sludge worms that usually thrive on wastes." It is also -- literally -- a fire hazard.

Because of this fire, Cleveland businesses became infamous for their pollution, a legacy of the city's booming manufacturing days during the late 1800s and the early 1900s, when limited government controls existed to protect the environment. Even following World War II, Cleveland businesses, especially steel mills, routinely polluted the river. Cleveland and its residents also became the butt of jokes across the United States, despite the fact that city officials had authorized 100 million dollars to improve the Cuyahoga River's water before the fire occurred. The fire also brought attention to other environmental problems across the country, helped spur the Environmental Movement, and helped lead to the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972.

The photo above is of the Cuyahoga River fire on Nov. 3, 1952. Courtesy of Cleveland Press Collection at Cleveland State University Library.

Source: "Cuyahoga River Fire", Ohio History Central, July 1, 2005, http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=1642

Markets are not Perfect!

As mentioned in an earlier post, markets are amazing. Yet, they are far from perfect. When markets are unregulated, they create many undesirable social outcomes, such as too much pollution, poverty, and market power, and too few public goods, such as national defense, police protection, education, and investment in technology. Evidence of this is the 1969 burning of the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio, which prompted the adoption of significant pollution control laws in the United States, such as the Clean Air Act and Water Quality Improvement Act of 1970. Prior to this intervention in the marketplace, businesses dumped so much pollution into the environment that a river literally caught on fire. To highlight this event, the Great Lakes Brewing Company named a featured ale "Burning River."

Cuyahoga River fire of 1969

The infamous Cuyahoga River fire of 1969 inspired the adoption of significant pollution control laws in the United States, including the Clean Air Act and the Water Quality Improvement Act of 1970. It also inspired a song by Randy Newman:

"Burn On, Big River" (excerpt)
from the Sail Away album by Randy Newman:

...There's an oil barge winding
Down the Cuyahoga River
Rolling into Cleveland to the lake

Cleveland city of light city of magic
Cleveland city of light you're calling me
Cleveland, even now I can remember
'Cause the Cuyahoga River
Goes smokin' through my dreams

Burn on, big river, burn on
Burn on, big river, burn on
Now the Lord can make you tumble
And the Lord can make you turn
And the Lord can make you overflow
But the Lord can't make you burn