Norman Lear passed away yesterday at the age of 101, it was announced in a statement on his social media.
“It is with profound sadness and love that we announce the passing of Norman Lear, our beloved husband, father, and grandfather. Norman passed away peacefully on December 5, 2023, surrounded by his family as we told stories and sang songs until the very end.
“Norman lived a life in awe of the world around him. He marveled at his cup of coffee every morning, the shape of the tree outside his window, and the sounds of beautiful music. But it was people—those he just met and those he knew for decades—who kept his mind and heart forever young.
“As we celebrate his legacy and reflect on the next chapter of life without him, we would like to thank everyone for all the love and support.”
And what a legacy he left behind. He changed television forever with All In the Family, Maude, The Jeffersons, Good Times, One Day at a Time, Diff’rent Strokes, The Facts of Life, and 227, to name a few.
Before Lear, television was innocent and didn’t reflect what was going on in society. But then came Archie Bunker, and television would never be the same.
I wish I could say we are a better society because of him. But people didn’t learn from what he was trying to teach us.
So I watch his show as though they are history books. I like to compare how far we have come in 50 years. And on some of the issues he addressed, we have progressed. But sadly, with so many of them, we have regressed.
In 1972, Maude was able to have an abortion because it was legal in New York, but it was not in the country. Fifty years later, we are almost in the same boat. Edith’s friend Beverly was a Drag Queen and wasn’t accepted because of it. It’s still a problem today. And let’s talk about racism. We are still a racist country. I could go on, but you get my point.
Norman Lear shined a light on problems in America, and we should’ve become better people because of it. Some of us did. And sadly, too many didn’t.
So I thank him for giving us laughter with a hard kick to the ass. I know his shows made me a better person because I didn’t want to grow up to be an Archie Bunker. And I am proud to say I am not.
