Reflections on Norman Lear
The first time I met Norman Lear many years ago, I knew immediately I had found a kindred spirit, 50-something-year age difference and all. 听
What emerged from a scheduled half-hour meeting in his office was a three-hour passionate conversation about young people and civic engagement, the power of media and storytelling to change hearts and minds, and probably some embarrassing know-it-all tidbits from the na茂ve, enthusiastic bravado of my 20-something self. The next day, he called to ask me to come to work for him, effective immediately. And thus began my journey learning from鈥攁nd having adventures with鈥攖he greatest master teacher I never expected to have.
In 1999, when President Bill Clinton bestowed upon Norman the nation鈥檚 highest cultural honor, the National Medal of the Arts, he summarized Norman鈥檚 impact in a beautifully accurate and succinct way: 鈥淣orman Lear has held up a mirror to 麻豆传媒 society and changed the way we look at it.鈥 When I watch his TV shows from the 1970s and '80s today, I am routinely stunned by their contemporary relevance. Through his work鈥All in the Family, The Jeffersons,听and so many other programs and films鈥擜merica stared its worst, ugliest truths dead in the face: inequality, homophobia, racism, sexism, and a host of other 鈥搃sms.
But his imprint is also found in quieter, smaller moments鈥攊n his empowering of others who share a commitment to social justice and the power of storytelling to pave the path. These are moments that don鈥檛 come with awards or public recognition, but they reveal so much more about why and how his legacy continues. His authenticity, generosity of spirit, and quiet mentorship of so many people are qualities and achievements as worth emulating as his award-winning stories.
Many years ago, when I mentioned my fascination with Studs Terkels鈥 masterpiece 1974 book听Working, Norman called Studs on the spot and put us on speaker phone together to share ideas. When I spent the better part of a year making a documentary about manufacturing job losses in the heartland of the country, Norman called me regularly while I was out on the road, always wanting to learn more about the lives of the people who were most affected. When I produced a small documentary TV show about a chemical plant poisoning a community of people, he quietly funded an expanded investigation to create something bigger. There are so many stories like these for me, and for the many other people in his life. This is the Norman Lear I knew and loved鈥攁 man who was so authentically himself that it鈥檚 impossible to separate his entertainment storytelling and cultural legacy from his personhood.
In his own groundbreaking TV work, he says he wasn鈥檛 trying to change the world, or to advocate for a specific social issue, or to intentionally听do听anything other than to reflect society as it really was鈥攁nd to entertain, most importantly. That may be true, but to understand Norman as a person is to appreciate his sincere, earnest sense of humanity and his underlying commitment to shape a world in which we should all want to exist鈥攁 world that鈥檚 just and equal and diverse and colorful. And in this lens, we understand him as a producer and a storyteller, because his entertainment reflects every bit of who he was.
Norman鈥檚 kind of changemakers want and听need听to create, share, and produce untold stories so much that they will fight against prevailing forces that believe鈥攊n every generation鈥攖hat some stories, and some people, are too 鈥渞isky鈥 or that the marketplace won鈥檛 tolerate them. Norman鈥檚 commitment fueled his fight against TV network executives from 40 and 50 years ago who didn鈥檛 want to discuss reproductive rights or LGBTQ+ people or racism鈥攁nd to successfully win battles with Hollywood decision-makers who didn鈥檛 possess his vision or his heart. He infused stories and portrayals of people with a kind of approachable lightness and flawed humanity to help America talk and ask questions, and start to chip away at walls of intolerance.
Connecting people through a shared cultural experience, using those moments to shine a light on the lives and voices and perspectives that aren鈥檛 always reflected, sparking conversations: Norman Lear created the mold, but he didn鈥檛 break it behind him. Graciously, generously, and with sparkling moments of levity, he gifted it to us to continue the journey.
Borum is executive director of the Center for Media and听Social Impact and provost associate professor at the School of Communication; cofounder of the Yes, And . . . Laughter Lab; and author of听The Revolution Will Be Hilarious: Comedy for Social Change and Civic Power.