Girls, Mad Men, Game of Thrones: Inviting Us into the Angst of our Culture Wars

From Theresa Latini

Over the past couple of months, I’ve been following debates in the media about what has been called a “war against women” or a “campaign against women.” When I feel like I can no longer bear watching news reports and analysis on this topic, I find myself turning the channel and immersing myself in a new slate of sitcoms and dramas. Interestingly, the shows that I’m watching these days don’t let me off the hook. They don’t allow me to escape the disappointment, frustration, angst, and anxiety in our culture. Instead, they invite me into the heart of that experience.

Girls, Mad Men, and Game of Thrones vividly illustrate conflicts about gender and sexuality on both cultural and personal levels.  The female characters in these programs bear the cultural realities of sexism in their own bodies and souls. Those of us viewers who connect empathetically with them may participate in a parallel process—a journey into our own angst. In this journey, we may become painfully aware of our own internalized sexism. We may wrestle with our own inner conflicts as we try out life-giving new ways of relating to others.

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