The 'Mad Men' Double-Standard: Why Do Fans Hate Betty but Love Don?
Few television characters have the ability to inspire such universal disdain as Mad Men's Betty Francis. From her questionable approach to parenting to her vindictive, childish attitude, it's no surprise Betty is the character fans most love to hate.
When it comes to her ex-husband, however, it seems fans just can't get enough.
Despite his chronic womanizing, rampant alcohol abuse, and social prejudices, viewers have no problem sweeping Don's imperfections under the rug. Of course he cheats on his wife. Everybody was cheating on his wife. Drinking to the point of oblivion on noon on a Monday? Sounds like a typical day at the office in 1960s America. And how about overt sexism, anti-Semitism and a general selfishness? Well, that's just how things were back then. It was a different era.
Why doesn't this excuse also apply to Betty? Like Don, she also embodies a postwar archetype—the quintessential white, upper-middle-class suburban housewife, who is polite and poised on the surface but carries looming anxiety and frustration underneath. Shouldn't viewers cut her some slack, too?
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From bohemian artists to suburban schoolteachers, Don Draper never let marriage get in the way of a good affair. Yet extra-marital relationships are not all fun and games. Don often feels guilty about cheating on Betty and leading his mistresses on....but not enough to prevent him from embarking in a new relationship when the old one has passed its expiration date.
Don is unfortunately no better in husband mode. Throughout their marriage, Don was often unnecessarily cold to Betty, preferring to jot down ideas in his notepad instead of engaging in conversation. Betty likely preferred his apathy to his absence; when he wasn't jetting to California without a word's notice, he was bolting into the bed of a new woman, leaving Betty alone for days—sometimes weeks—at a time.
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If Betty is the "mean" parent, then Don is the "fun" one who lets the kids stay up late, watch whatever they want on television, and order room service. While he is firm when they break the rules, his punishments are always fair—a sense of justice he prides himself on, given his own history of parental abuse. He is also known to use the Draper charm to explain the more complex issues of life, such as destiny vs. freewill and resisting the pressure to be a conformist.
Of course, Don only deals with the children at his own convenience—especially now that he is divorced. As the breadwinner, he is out of the house most of the time and also has various outlets—the office, the bar, or bed of his latest lover—he can retreat to whenever he's feeling suffocated. Betty, by contrast, is restricted to the home where she rarely gets a break from the children. Such constant exposure is bound to cause tension a more infrequent relationship, such as Don's, can avoid.
So, what's worse: having an overbearing, abusive mom, or a dad who's never around?
Verdict: Don...by a hair
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainmen ... /254924/2/ 
sempre foi assim, mesmo no Cinema temos tendência a ficar fãs dos vilões! N'«O Padrinho» então... 
