George Jefferson just passed away. Actually, it was the actor Sherman Hemsley, but he is best known as the main character on the '70s TV show The Jeffersons, and to anyone who was around in the '70s, he was George Jefferson, antagonist of Archie Bunker.
Like Nadia Comaneci, Bruce Jenner, and Dorothy Hamil, George belonged to a time, helped us to mark an era. I’m guessing that just about everybody reading this recognizes these names.
You had only three networks in those days so when the Olympics came on, you watched. Visiting your grandparents? You watched the Olympics. Hanging out at your friend's house? You watched the Olympics. I'm not sure what made it so compelling, but the fact that it was communal—everyone watched—made it something you didn’t want to miss.
Was it “must watch TV” because we only allowed amateur athletes in those days, so we weren’t sure how well we would do? The U.S. only finished third at the ’76 Summer Olympics, behind the USSR and East Germany, countries that don’t even exist today. Does China qualify today as our archenemy? Just doesn’t feel the same as the “evil empire” of communism.
Who will represent today's cultural touchstones--Snooki? Michael Phelps? Somebody will capture what remains of our collective attention at these Games, but I’m doubtful it will be a name that will still resonate after 36 years. It's just that not many things seem relevant, collectively, anymore. Let’s hope that these Olympics can still matter.
*a version of this piece is to appear in the 7/29/12 edition of The Canton Repository--
Like Nadia Comaneci, Bruce Jenner, and Dorothy Hamil, George belonged to a time, helped us to mark an era. I’m guessing that just about everybody reading this recognizes these names.
You had only three networks in those days so when the Olympics came on, you watched. Visiting your grandparents? You watched the Olympics. Hanging out at your friend's house? You watched the Olympics. I'm not sure what made it so compelling, but the fact that it was communal—everyone watched—made it something you didn’t want to miss.
Was it “must watch TV” because we only allowed amateur athletes in those days, so we weren’t sure how well we would do? The U.S. only finished third at the ’76 Summer Olympics, behind the USSR and East Germany, countries that don’t even exist today. Does China qualify today as our archenemy? Just doesn’t feel the same as the “evil empire” of communism.
Who will represent today's cultural touchstones--Snooki? Michael Phelps? Somebody will capture what remains of our collective attention at these Games, but I’m doubtful it will be a name that will still resonate after 36 years. It's just that not many things seem relevant, collectively, anymore. Let’s hope that these Olympics can still matter.
*a version of this piece is to appear in the 7/29/12 edition of The Canton Repository--
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