Also called I Feel Bad for You · Don Draper Elevator · Mad Men Elevator Exchange
One person offers pity; the other says they have not thought about them at all. Label the two men to turn a supposed rivalry into a one-sided conversation.
The upper character cares about the comparison. The lower character refuses to treat it as a competition, which makes the first person’s attention look misplaced.
It can compare people, products, or habits. A shiny new purchase might look down on an old one that still works perfectly well.
Ben Feldman’s Michael Ginsberg confronts Jon Hamm’s Don Draper in the elevator in Dark Shadows, season five, episode nine of Mad Men. The episode aired on May 13, 2012. [1] [2]
Their dispute concerns an advertising pitch: Don has favored his own idea over Ginsberg’s. The meme isolates the exchange into a blunt dismissal, while the episode’s broader story shows Don trying to recover his creative standing and undermining a colleague. [1] [2]
The elevator exchange appears in the ninth episode of Mad Men’s fifth season. [1]
Know Your Meme documents an upload by Mari natin as an early online copy of the exchange. [2]
The state’s Twitter account posts a version for National New Jersey Day, one documented example of the format’s wider use. [2]
Put the person or thing seeking a comparison beside Ginsberg in the upper panel. Label the indifferent counterpart beside Don in the lower panel.
The dialogue is already printed on the image, so add names or short descriptions instead of repeating the lines. Leave both faces clear.
Original captions to try with this template.
The plain option is still doing its job and has no interest in the competition.
The latest release seeks attention from something its owner has no reason to replace.
One side is focused on status while the other is enjoying a different goal.
References for this template. Example captions are original.
Lists the episode, air date, cast, and Don’s struggle to regain his creative footing.
Identifies the elevator scene and documents its later use in captioned images.
