Or was one of them more hateful than the other? I would say the were about the same. Both could not tolerate the opposite race and I guess the only thing that seperated these two was that Archie tried to hide his prejudice but George was not shy about the way he felt toward other races-LOL

Originally posted by Sitcom Analyzer
Or was one of them more hateful than the other? I would say the were about the same. Both could not tolerate the opposite race and I guess the only thing that seperated these two was that Archie tried to hide his prejudice but George was not shy about the way he felt toward other races-LOL

Actually, George Jefferson was the one who tried to keep his prejudices quiet, but, more often than not, he'd put his foot in his mouth.(witness the episode where George makes a disparaging comment about his interacial neighbors the Willises...to a Black client who has a White wife!!)

Yes, Archie Bunker and George Jefferson were bigots, about that there is no doubt. The difference, of course, is how they got that way, and how they eventually turned out.

Archie was a blue-collar worker who grew up during the Great Depression of the 1930s, a time that was hard for Americans of all stripes, but particularly to the White working poor, who just got poorer during this period. Archie had to quit school and go to work, and then he went off to fight in WW2 (the BIG one!), so he never had a chance to go to high school or even college, so his social skills were more or less absorbed from his enviroment, one not very tolerant to the difference of diversity. So, of course, he's going to believe those stereotypes about peoples of different races, religions, and countries other than his own.

George Jefferson grew up, probably during this same time period, under an oppressive period of social aparthied that existed legally and socially in this country during the first half of the last century, so his dealings with people are going to be colored(no pun intended) by the racial climate of the times. This left him extremely distrustful of White America in general. Being also a man of short stature physically, he felt compelled to compensate for his height by literaly puffing himself up. If he knocked over a few Caucasians along the way, so much the better, in his mind.

Indeed, things for both men would have remained the same, if their paths hadn't literaly crossed when they became next-door neighbors. It didn't help that George Jefferson was a successful businessman, while Archie Bunker was barely just getting by in a dead-end job. This confrontational scenario was compounded by the families of both men growing to genuinely care for each other.

It can be argued that the racism practiced by both men was a survival mechanism, but, ultimately it proved to be destructive, not only to Archie and George, but their families as well (witness Gloria's open rebellion of Archie's values by marrying Mike Stivic; Lionel's rebellion is typified by his refusal to go into the family business, and total rejection of George's monied lifestyle.)

But, to answer the question, both men were about the same...united in their pig-headedness!!

First of all I don't consider Archie Bunker a "hateful" person. Archie is a victim of his own ignorance of other peoples and cultures. He's afraid of anything he is not familiar with. The show's initial disclaimer said it was a "parody" and that's how I see it. George and Archie were one and the same, only two different races. I applaud W.J.'s very brilliant and insightful post on this thread. :wave:

Originally posted by W.J. Griffin
Actually, George Jefferson was the one who tried to keep his prejudices quiet, but, more often than not, he'd put his foot in his mouth.(witness the episode where George makes a disparaging comment about his interacial neighbors the Willises...to a Black client who has a White wife!!)

Yes, Archie Bunker and George Jefferson were bigots, about that there is no doubt. The difference, of course, is how they got that way, and how they eventually turned out.

Archie was a blue-collar worker who grew up during the Great Depression of the 1930s, a time that was hard for Americans of all stripes, but particularly to the White working poor, who just got poorer during this period. Archie had to quit school and go to work, and then he went off to fight in WW2 (the BIG one!), so he never had a chance to go to high school or even college, so his social skills were more or less absorbed from his enviroment, one not very tolerant to the difference of diversity. So, of course, he's going to believe those stereotypes about peoples of different races, religions, and countries other than his own.

George Jefferson grew up, probably during this same time period, under an oppressive period of social aparthied that existed legally and socially in this country during the first half of the last century, so his dealings with people are going to be colored(no pun intended) by the racial climate of the times. This left him extremely distrustful of White America in general. Being also a man of short stature physically, he felt compelled to compensate for his height by literaly puffing himself up. If he knocked over a few Caucasians along the way, so much the better, in his mind.

Indeed, things for both men would have remained the same, if their paths hadn't literaly crossed when they became next-door neighbors. It didn't help that George Jefferson was a successful businessman, while Archie Bunker was barely just getting by in a dead-end job. This confrontational scenario was compounded by the families of both men growing to genuinely care for each other.

It can be argued that the racism practiced by both men was a survival mechanism, but, ultimately it proved to be destructive, not only to Archie and George, but their families as well (witness Gloria's open rebellion of Archie's values by marrying Mike Stivic; Lionel's rebellion is typified by his refusal to go into the family business, and total rejection of George's monied lifestyle.)

But, to answer the question, both men were about the same...united in their pig-headedness!!



What do you think made Archie say this about George Jefferson?


"What a prejudice man"

Isn't that a funny statement coming from Archie?-LOL


Archie made that statement after george said his luck moved him next door to Archie.

Good insights folks.

Archie and George were more similar than either cared to admit, which was one of the funniest things about thier relationship.