Jean Stapleton, Rob Reiner, Carroll OâConnor, and Sally Struthers in âAll in the Family.â Photo: CBS/Pinterest Archie Bunker was a bigot. Whether bemoaning the Black family who lived next door or refusing to accept his friend is gay or his casual misogyny or his frequent attempts at â to borrow a phrase from the modern right â âown the libs,â he was a deeply flawed and prejudiced man. Yet, half a century since he first appeared on our screens, singing an off-key ode to Herbert Hoover and life before the New Deal, he remains a crucial and iconic pop culture figure.