Oh FFS, if you were young then you also remember All in the Family and The Jeffersons, shows that were in-your-face anti-racist. Prime time was hardly in a mood for racist bullshit.
What if I said the show was racist because it showed white, country people as wide-eyed, stupid hicks? How ridiculous does that sound?
A good point. “All in the Family” was based on a British show called “Till Death Us Do Part”. That show featured a main character called Alf Garnett who was very racist and sexist. He was intended to mock the reactionary working class conservatives of the time but people dismissed the show as being in favour of the things that the character came out with because they couldn’t understand the satire.
He’s called Archie Bunker in the States and a lot of older Americans (Boomers and Xers mostly) love him because he shares their views. They don’t get that that’s a bad thing and he’s shown to be wrong and backward on the show.
I may be giving too much but I think some writers tried to steer public opinion lessen hatred using characters like Archie as a tool. If you pay attention over the course of the series while he never becomes good a lot of the hate lessened and he’ll admit people or things he hated were ok.
I.e. the racists become emotionally attached to him, so when Archie “learns” they will. (In theory)
What if I said the show was racist because it showed white, country people as wide-eyed, stupid hicks? How ridiculous does that sound?
Pretty ridiculous, considering you’d be comparing making classist jokes with the glorification of a nation founded to maintain the enslavement of black people.
In the 70s in the south people knew what that flag meant, just like they know what it means now.
Oh FFS, if you were young then you also remember All in the Family and The Jeffersons, shows that were in-your-face anti-racist. Prime time was hardly in a mood for racist bullshit.
What if I said the show was racist because it showed white, country people as wide-eyed, stupid hicks? How ridiculous does that sound?
A good point. “All in the Family” was based on a British show called “Till Death Us Do Part”. That show featured a main character called Alf Garnett who was very racist and sexist. He was intended to mock the reactionary working class conservatives of the time but people dismissed the show as being in favour of the things that the character came out with because they couldn’t understand the satire.
He’s called Archie Bunker in the States and a lot of older Americans (Boomers and Xers mostly) love him because he shares their views. They don’t get that that’s a bad thing and he’s shown to be wrong and backward on the show.
The same type of people that thought The Colbert Show was serious.
I may be giving too much but I think some writers tried to steer public opinion lessen hatred using characters like Archie as a tool. If you pay attention over the course of the series while he never becomes good a lot of the hate lessened and he’ll admit people or things he hated were ok.
I.e. the racists become emotionally attached to him, so when Archie “learns” they will. (In theory)
I do think that was the intent. All in the Family was progressive show for the time.
‘redneck dumbass’ isn’t a race, though.
Pretty ridiculous, considering you’d be comparing making classist jokes with the glorification of a nation founded to maintain the enslavement of black people.
In the 70s in the south people knew what that flag meant, just like they know what it means now.
Except that they are now seen as affirmation of the racism nowadays. They miss the point entirely.
As opposed to the white country heroes of the show who were always the most clever, compassionate, capable, ethical? I’d say that’s a bad take