The reality is that it's unreasonable to create a show like All in the Family and not expect some sort of pushback from your audience. While the series was well-loved for its ability to push the envelope, some critics argued that the bigotry expressed by Archie Bunker was too inappropriate for television.

Having lived as Archie Bunker for years on television, Carroll O'Connor seemed to have his own opinions on what an audience should and shouldn't hear.

While O'Connor was nothing like the character he played on television in terms of personal views and opinions, Archie and Carroll both had no issue speaking their mind.

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"What about the words kids hear when they leave home?" asked O'Connor, according to TV's First Family, written by Louis Solomon. "What about the words they see scrawled on walls? How can we insulate our children against that?"

O'Connor argued that the series utilized episodes as an opportunity to point out the flaws within prejudice, as well as the unintentional outcomes that such behavior can have.

"They see a racist in the character of Archie Bunker," said O'Connor. "They also see the burden Archie Bunker places upon himself and his like. They see racism as fruitless and profitless in our time."

Although Archie was often considered the protagonist of his own series, he was also a man running out of time, going extinct before his very own eyes.

"Archie's dilemma is coping with a world that is changing in front of him," said O'Connor. "He doesn't know what to do except lose his temper, mouth his poisons, and look elsewhere to fix the blame for his discomfort. The root of his problem is himself, and he doesn't know it."