[The Antiyuppie]

“Knowing what a lefty he has always been, I clicked on the thread expecting him to say something really offensive. To my surprise, he didn’t.”

In the context of the 1970’s, I found him fairly even-handed. For example, on All in the Family, he made fun of The Meathead and liberal causes, also. Maude was the classic “limousine liberal” and this was pointed out repeatedly.

It is interesting to consider that All In The Family would NEVER EVEN MAKE IT TO A PILOT TODAY, because of its “disturbing and offensive content” in this PC world.

[bigdaddy45]

I agree. At the end of the day, Archie, the supposed conservative villain, was the hero. He always tried to do the right thing, and took care of his family, while Meathead, the supposed liberal antidote to Archie’s archaic way of thinking, ended up abandoning his family. All in the family was brilliant and groundbreaking.

[JennysCool]

It amuses me that they call themselves “progressive,” but everything the libs are chattering and protesting about today was dealt with on “All in the Family” 40 years ago.

[GJones2]

I think it's interesting that Norman Lear ended up humanizing the original target, the prototypical bigot Archie Bunker. It's hard to sustain a story in which the protagonist is entirely repulsive. Lear exaggerated Archie's opinions to make them appear absurd, but he wasn't the monster that most people would assume.

This reminds me of the novel Don Quixote. Cervantes set out to satirize him as a foolish imitator of the exploits of medieval knights, but ended up humanizing him (and the later writer Unamuno actually set him forth as a genuine hero). Don Quixote was wrong about many things, but people could identify with him in some respects. The same was true of Archie Bunker.

[Bernard Marx]

In the context of the 1970’s, I found him fairly even-handed. For example, on All in the Family, he made fun of The Meathead and liberal causes, also. Maude was the classic “limousine liberal” and this was pointed out repeatedly.

I don't think you watched the same series I did. The one I saw stereotyped conservatives as crude, ignorant, racist and intolerant. The "fun" he was making of Meathead's liberal causes simply reinforced the counter-culture's sense of condescending superiority when dealing with "regular Americans," as Archie called them. Archie became the Left's symbol of all they thought was wrong with America They were laughing at the ignorant buffon.

The series probably wouldn't make it to pilot today, as you say, because of the politically correct atmosphere Lear was diligent in helping to create. The damage Lear has done to the "real America" he claims to love is immeasurable. He's not just a Lefty -- he's a Marxist.