What are some slang terms used among police officers?
The most derogatory terms for the bad guys and citizens who are just pains in the rectum:A.H. = Adam Henry (A-dam H-enry) If you don’t get it…..sometimes you will hear it as “Jack Hole”…..now what starts with an “A” that ends with HOLE ?RICHARD CRANIUM= What starts with a “D” and is a nickname for Richard ? What is the non-medical layman’s term for the Cranium ? Do these clues HEAD you in the right direction ?
How realistic is Mad Men's portrayal of late 1950s/1960s America?
Not very. While an entertaining program, Mad Men suffers from what most period pieces do: the writers are attempting to recreate a time period in which they didn't live and which they are viewing through the prism of their era's perceptions.Some examples:Men of the late 1950s & early 1960s didn’t regard most women as being their equals. - While a few may have, most would have considered even thinking in that manner to be either a sign of someone being a weak man or someone being a radical. Neither of those would be seen as being "acceptable" behaviors.White males of 1950s & 1960s didn’t see minorities (or for that matter, even other White, but ethnic males) as being their equals. - While the Civil Rights was approaching its zenith, most White males simply didn't believe Blacks, Latinos or even ethnic White males were their intellectual, social or moral equals. This mindset was acceptable at the time.Homosexuality was seen as an “abomination" by even intellectuals of the era and, outside of very tight circles, was the source of exceptional social stigma. - It was also illegal and gays were routinely harassed and arrested without those actions garnering significant levels of complaint from the society as a whole. Gay "jokes" were prevalent and were frequently told.Communism was seen as being not only “wrong” but also morally reprehensible. - Although allowed under the US Constitution, admitting that one was a "communist" or espousing socialist or even overly liberal views could easily lead to being fired, ostracized or even attacked if the wrong person overheard your expression of your opinion.Many of the minor cultural touchstones of the era are missed by the writers - Again, since Mad Men’s writers did not live in the era about they are writing, many of the minor fads, foibles and car zeds of the era are missed. Poodle skirts, saddle shoes, “hunkering” (sitting in particular style, etc among other things are ignored or glossed over in the series. While the show is a history lesson, it should be able to make itself appear that it was/is set in the time when it’s supposed to be happening.Mad Men is a good series which like most series about another era make it appear as if people during that time think, feel and believe the same things that we do today.