bea arthur

And Then There’s Maude…

Sad news learning that actress Bea Arthur died today at age 86 from cancer. Those of us of a certain age remember the ground-breaking TV show Maude, in which she played a modern feminist ruling the roost and eliminating one after another male chauvinist pig. Maude was also the first show to tackle some very tough social issues never discussed on TV, including when she decided to have an abortion. Others remember the sweet show Golden Girls which she starred in. That was also ground-breaking in that it proved for the first time that senior citizens can be the stars of a successful TV show without losing key demographics for advertisers. Our family still enjoys the reruns. Some older than me remember her starring in great Broadway shows like Mame and Fiddler on the Roof (she is a Tony award winner). Maude spun off of the even more iconic All in the Family in which Maude originally played Edith Bunker’s cousin. They constantly battled as Archie showed his racist ignorance and Maude always exasperated and frustrated.

What does this have to do with President Obama, the legal industry, scammers and Wall Street? A little. These shows helped shine a bright light on bigotry and sexism and helped pave the way for change in America that made possible, for example, the election of our first African American President. And it was one of the small things that helped in our legal industry broaden its horizons in its hiring practices. Is Archie Bunker the throwback warehouse foreman partially responsible for some of the loss of power of our labor unions in the last few decades? Not clear. But with the American economy still mostly in the toilet, seems like everything is on the table these days. Thanks for helping shake things up Bea. Rest in peace.