10 December—It’s no secret that the late centenarian Norman Lear’s first two television sitcoms were brilliantly Americanized (i.e., given social relevance) versions of highly delightful and successful English (as opposed to generalized British) sitcoms of the sixties and seventies. “All in the Family” was derived from “Till Death Us Do Part” and “Sanford and Son” was based on “Steptoe and Son.”

(Incidentally, even if you’re not interested, the traditional wedding vow, from the Book of Common Prayer, overseen by Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1533 to 1555, puts “us” before “do.” It’s derived from the mediaeval Sarum [Salisbury] rite’s “till death us depart.” So forget about “till death do us part.”)

Both of Lear’s sitcoms were considered innovative and somewhat uninhibited for the seventies and in all events boasted redeeming social importance. Some critics have opined that certain episodes of each sitcom might not be acceptable on network television today. For political correctness reasons, of course.

The English exemplar sitcoms were randier, raunchier, wilder, considerably less moralistic, and much funnier than their American derivatives. Not to take anything away from New Yawkers Archie and Edith Bunker and Gloria and the meathead, but East End Londoners Alf and Else Garnett in “Till Death” were a thoroughly disgusting couple with no redeeming qualities, with Else every bit as objectionable as Alf. And their daughter, Rita, and Mike, her socialist layabout Scouse git (Liverpudlian) husband weren’t much better.

“Steptoe and Son,” were white rag-and-bone men in London, dirty old bigoted father Albert and nice-guy son Harold. “Sanford and Son” were Negro (sorry, but it was acceptable at the time) junkmen in Watts (Los Angeles), dirty old bigoted father Fred and nice-guy son Lamont. (Flash! You don’t have to be white to be a bigot.)

So who cares? Well, on left-wing news this morning, listeners were warned that in a sound bite from “The Jeffersons,” one of Norman Lear’s derivative, socially instructive sitcoms, the never-to-be-uttered N-word would be bleeped out. And indeed it was. But we were allowed to hear white people referred to as “honkies.”

That was acceptable, of course, because “nigger” or “niggers” was uttered by a black character in the sitcom. But so was “honkies.” Kudos to Norman Lear and CBS for writing and airing “nigger” around 1980. But as a card-carrying honky, I demand equal time . . .