Um, yeah. Thats what I was gonna say too.
I viewed his character as an archetype (haha!) of the everyman. Grumpy at times, Works hard, just wants to be the king of his castle but the world and all of its problems insists on encroaching.
When I was very young, my next door neighbor was like him almost to a T.
I do side with the boomers that QR codes instead of real menus is stupid.
Good Times was a 70s show that featured a struggling black family that lived in the projects. The father, played by John Amos, was no fool. Then you had shows like Little House on the Prairie or The Waltons which also had strong fathers. Even a show like Different Strokes had a strong father. Then in the 80s you had The Cosby Show. I would argue the father as buffoon was started with Married with Children and The Simpsons. But what really emasculated the father and boys was Disney.
I would say that Mary Tyler Moore fits that description.
Yeah.
Like, “How do you present yourself and make an impression?”.
I welcome people by treating them as a guest, and giving them a nice thoughtful (maybe even ornate) selection of choices.
Let them figure it out themselves. We want you to stuff the bill with expensive drinks and your face with cheap food. 
.
I like menus too.
I never watched either of these shows, but I recall the social debate of Murphy Brown.
As a result of the Vietnam War the confidence is male leadership was being questioned. All In The Family started questioning male leadership of the family unit. It only follows that many would question the necessity of the father in a family, not to mention that the government had begun to financially help poor single mothers.
But before Murphy Brown, the society as a whole considered single parenting as a stigma. When Murphy Brown decided to be a single parent she was challenging the social norm of the day. Murphy opened conversation to accept single parenting as a reasonable option for all women.
I don’t recall any mention of The Mary Tyler Moore Show in that regards, but if she was the first to decide to be a single parent, then I agree. It’s just that Murphy Brown seemed to be getting all the media attention.
Yeah. My parents separated in 1978 and it was very unusual, and made even moreso by my father having sole custody of us (4 boys, 1 girl).
I remember it being portrayed on TV around that time as a shocking moment, like it was The Big D Word! (No, not that one. That came later.)
And that women who were divorced were fashionably fierce, independent and smart but also somehow flawed.
At least thats the impression it left on my 6 year old mind.
She was a single woman in her 30s who challenged the idea that having kids at all should be the norm for women.
I think it questioned what would fill the void more.
But did she raise any children on the show?
Single parent was my pivot point.
As I understand it, The Mary Tyler Moore Show is one of the significant shows opening up discussion that women could work well at all levels in the workplace. It wasn’t a pivotal show, but a continuation of a movement to place both sexes on a level playing field. One was no better than the other. (Still two parenting was much preferred.)
The distinction that I see is that first you must convince the public that there is a void of male leadership in the family.
There have been single mothers and fathers in real life forever. Murphy Brown didn’t create some new trend. Even on TV you had single fathers on Bonanza, The Rifleman and My Three Sons. Wasn’t Andy Griffith a single dad? Sure Murphy Brown chose single motherhood but again, was she throwing something new out there for women to emulate or was she doing something that women in the real world were already doing? I believe Murphy Brown having a child wasn’t some progressive statement on the part of the show but simply a plot element designed to breathe new life into a show from a creative standpoint as well as it being a stunt to get people talking. Plenty of shows eventually introduce a baby into the mix once they run out of ideas. Single motherhood had already been trending upwards prior to Murphy Brown so the show, rather than being an influence on a societal trend, was a reflection of it.
Something to consider is that Republicans made a big deal out her choosing to raise a child without a father but what were her options? Abortion? Now that would have been a real controversial issue for tv. Murphy Brown having a baby was simply introducing a comedy trope.
You really need to get some more awareness to subjects introduced to television.
Maud was the first prime time show to have an abortion of a main character. That happened in 1972. Do you have any idea the significance of that? Roe v Wade was passed in 1973.
How about taking a little time to look stuff up before resting your argument on what amounts to nothing?
I was not talking about people who found themselves in a situation that left them as single parents. Murphy Brown made the decision to be a single parent AND that decision was the focal point of many episodes. It was intended to cause a shift in social norms.
I’m not that old. Also, you just argued against your point.
She also found herself in that position. She didn’t choose single motherhood as much as she chose to keep her baby. It’s not as if she got a sperm donor.
It reflected an ongoing trend that began 20 years or more prior. It’s also something that is disproportionately represented among black women who I doubt were Murphy Brown’s target audience. Most women still want to have a husband to go with the kids.
Now the conversation has turned to fantasy.
Are you a pro rasslin’ fan?
Murphy Brown found herself being pregnant? You do know this is fiction, don’t you. The writers placed Murphy Brown in the position of being pregnant.
The question is why did the writers want Murphy Brown to be a single parent? Now is your opportunity to call me a conspiracy fanatic.
Like most all entertainers, and those who write, produce, and direct for entertainment shows, they want to contribute to shaping society and get the credit for doing so… They want to be part of a significant show: a show that made a difference.
IMO, the writers wanted to push against the social norm that stigmatized single parenting. I would say they did a nice job of it.
The trouble is that though the trend had begun, it was proceeding much slower than they would have liked. At least where I lived, very much slower.
Probably not, but if you can move the social norm of middle America, everyone else will also reap the benefits (or shortcomings.)
I’d hate to try to assign a percentage to the “most women.” I’ll bet it has dropped a lot since 1960.
What is your age? From what you have said above, I would guess that you must be under 40 years old.
Can we blame the show “Green Acres” for permanently shutting the door on an agrarian society and ushering in an urban paradigm that ultimately led to the Boomer generation handing down broken ideals per pre-1900 mores?
Nah. The Silent Generation were the traditionalists that gave rise to the boomers who were rebelling against the June & Ward Cleavers of the world.
I’ve actually heard exactly that… cringe
It’s known as the New Baby Comedy Trope.
They? Some comedy writers wanted more single mothers?
Okay. I throw in the towel.
You win. I am just some dumb old man and you possess all the wisdom in the world.
No reply is necessary, but if I were a betting man, I’d bet you can’t resist.
I think you got him. A serial contrarian can’t help but to counter, but when the counter proves you right… lol