A half-century after its bracing debut, sitcom âAll in the Familyâ speaks to todayâs conflicts
The issues and lessons of âAll in the Familyâ still resonate
By David M. Shribman Globe Correspondent,Updated January 9, 2021, 3:54 p.m.
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Actor Carroll O Connor as Archie Bunker in All in the Family. AP
One of them spewed ethnic slurs. Another was flighty and yet grounded. A third loved to dance, and danced around her parentsâ bickering. And the last of them
was a rebel without a pause.
They were Archie, Edith, Gloria, and Meathead. Actually the fourth oneâs name was Mike but few today remember that. Even now, a half-century later, they need no introduction, nor
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Nostalgia has become increasingly common in our current climate of accelerated, unexpected change. More and more Americans are turning back with longing to what feels like simpler, sweeter times. You need look no further than the voluminous postings on Throwback Thursday and Flashback Friday on Twitter. Boomers and Gen Xers alike seem particularly fascinated by the 1980s, recalling their youth or early adulthood in the years before the life-altering arrival of personal computers and the internet. They collect cassette tapes, vinyl LPs, Polaroid cameras, manual typewriters, even decades-old video games which they play on primitive consoles.
Is it a mistake to get too mired in the past? Some psychologists warn that too much devotion to the so-called good old days is an escape from reality; it can indicate loneliness or that a person is having a difficult time coping in the present. Writing about what she calls the “nostalgia trap” in
if you can imagine that, and refuses to raise their wages. people who look at people who have been looking for jobs, can t get them, and say, well, after all, we don t want to encourage them to stay on the dolls like most people want to do that. so we really have to push back against this. we have to understand and we have to teach our kids and our community and tell our political leaders that we want a society where everybody has a fair chance. stephanie coontz, professor of family studies, thank you so much for coming on. my pleasure, thank you. maria shriver will be on andrea mitchell reports today with more on the report and why women in poverty lead shorter lives on average. today s tweet of the day comes from think progress, which tweeted out a link to an article saying, fact, 2.3 million children live with unemployed parents who were just cut off from benefits. it s hip-hop. for cross-country, classical. and for jumps, i need something.special.