The return of Archie Bunker

[Ubiquitous]

(CNN) — Since the 2016 presidential election, images, memes and stories
involving the infamous television character Archie Bunker, the notoriously
blunt, occasionally racist patriarch of Norman Lear's iconic 1970s show "All
in the Family," have been circulating on the internet and across social
media.

For many, his reappearance indicates a sad state of affairs when it comes to
American politics. To them, Bunker famously embodied the same brand of
resentment, anger and misunderstanding that seems to saturate the populace at
the expense of rational, sustained dialogue. To others, Archie's image
functions as a rallying cry of sorts, one that gave frustrated working-class
whites a symbol to identify with and support during the 1970s. The seventies
were a difficult time economically for the nation -- Archie included. His
foreman jobs were drying up while others seemed to be stepping ahead of him
in the proverbial line.

But while Bunker, portrayed by Carroll O'Connor, has become a more familiar
sight on Facebook these past few years, the initial conservative reaction to
and appropriation of Bunker on behalf of a "silent majority" remains largely
forgotten in the annals of television history. "Archie for President" bumper
stickers, T-Shirts, and buttons were made following the show's premiere on
behalf of a fictional character who spoke to the anxieties of countless
working- and middle-class families across the country -- anxieties more
recently embodied in the figure of a real-life President, Donald J. Trump.

"All in the Family" both confronted and contributed to our polarized moment
by placing a bigot in front of America in the name of satire. Many laughed at
Archie, the show's larger didactic aspiration. But many also laughed with
him. This historical tension demands greater attention in our own moment,
especially when we see its echoes playing out in contemporary politics.

These resonances between then and now are apparently evident to the show's
creator as well. On a recent episode of his late night television show, host
Jimmy Kimmel announced that he and "All in the Family" creator Norman Lear
would be working together in producing a live television special that would
reimagine episodes of both "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," the
latter being one of Lear's more successful spin-offs (All in the Family had a
total of five). A star-studded lineup awaits the show's viewers including
Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, and Wanda Sykes.

For the special's producers, including Lear, the production is less about the
show itself, and more about the fact that socially relevant programming can
still be made today -- even on network television. "They have said over and
over again that these two shows were meant for the '70s and would not work
today," Lear observed. "We disagree with them and are here to prove, with two
great casts depicting "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," the
timelessness of human nature."

As of late, such programming has largely migrated to premium channels and
streaming services, but back when "All in the Family" reigned supreme,
sitcoms including the likes of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "M*A*S*H" made
contemporaneous events part of their weekly plots. As such, both the women's
movement and anti-Vietnam movement received free publicity packaged as
political critique in prime time.

In short, the two shows' reappearance on network television speaks to the
value that Lear himself finds in situational comedy, and the various
contributions he's made to American television history. In fact, he takes
great pride in his ability to speak to, and program in, the drama that is the
human condition. For literary critic Geoffrey Wolfe, "It was just this power
to shift from tears to laughter, and mean it, that tapped into that huge,
unprecedented audience." In essence, if you weren't crying or laughing, than
you weren't truly living.

Unlike those who identified with Bunker, Lear and company have brought the
show back, Bunker and all (played by actor Woody Harrelson), to remind us
that television does not simply have to be a series of flashing colors and
complex circuitry. Television can also have a didactic purpose -- one that
seeks to educate as much as it wants to entertain. For Lear, it has always
been the duty of television to not only make people laugh, but also to report
on the times in which it finds itself. The question for us to consider
collectively is whether we are ready to acknowledge the complex racial legacy
of "All in the Family," and the role that such a legacy continues to play in
our contemporary politics.

In other words, Archie's reappearance in public life is noteworthy because it
is troubling. Lear did not place a bigot in front of American audiences
because he agreed with Archie's claims; he did so because Archie's views were
not meant to endure in the public eye. In fact, many at the time, including
actor Carroll O'Connor, thought they were ultimately destined for the dustbin
of history. "The lesson is -- if you think this way, change," O'Connor
admitted in an interview in Ebony Magazine. "That's the lesson. But we don't
come out and say so, because that is a very bad way to teach." By bringing
attention to bigotry, Lear hoped to combat its nefarious character in an age
of culture war, but the results of his intentions have been less than clear.

While the show may have helped confront disagreement and polarization at the
time, and it most certainly did, it also contributed to them at the same time
by relying on satire to deliver a message of understanding and racial
tolerance. As a powerful tool of social commentary, satire only works if its
audiences understand it as such. Otherwise, satire can often cultivate the
very thing it seeks to examine critically, such as bigotry and racism.

It will be quite revealing to see how Archie is portrayed in this live
iteration of the show in 2019. Will Archie be as coarse and honest as he once
was? Which episodes will be chosen? What will be their respective plots? Will
we come to see Archie in a different light? And will contemporary standards
and practices allow such programming and content to grace their airwaves in
the age of the alt-right? I sure hope so, because if so, we could finally
have a conversation about what continues to divide us, and why, in an age of
intensified division and polarization. The networks once did -- we'll see if
they're willing to do so once more.

--
Democrats (2016): We must believe the results of the Mueller investigation!
Democrats (2019): We don't believe the results of the Mueller investigation!