A monumental date in TV history took place last week. It was January 12, 1971 when CBS took a giant leap into the unknown by agreeing to air a program called "All in the Family". That was 45 years ago. The country was dealing with a war in Vietnam, civil unrest in many of our cities and people were generally unhappy.  They needed to laugh at something or somebody to remind them of what it was like to smile again. That something was "All in the Family" and that someone was Archie Bunker, played by Carroll O'Connor.

CBS took a chance in that this show would touch on some very controversial topics from race to politics but did so in a way that made people on both sides of an issue laugh.  A laugh that was needed. The country needed to laugh at itself and it did every Saturday night thanks to Archie, Edith (Archie's wife), Gloria (Archie & Edith's daughter) and Mike (their son-in-law).

As Americans then, we would enjoy the comments and antics of Archie but as American's now, there would be no way this show would ever air and that is unfortunate. It seems to me that we are now back to where we were before.  A country in need of a laugh.

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