MIM uses the Amerikan "All in the Family" TV show that started in the 1970s as a classic example of how artists fail to understand the audience. It is typical of a gap between leaders and led, in this case, between cultural leaders and their audiences. Too often cultural workers tend toward subtle irony without thinking about the wider impact of their approach.

Neil Vidmar and Milton Rokeach (1974) conducted a study to determine how the program was being perceived by viewers. They conducted surveys of a sample of U.S. adolescents and a sample of Canadian adults. Contrary to the opinion of Lear, neither sample indicated that Archie was the one seen as being made fun of. U.S. adolescents were most likely to pick Mike as the one most often being made fun of, and Canadian adults were most likely to pick Edith as the one most often being made fun of. In another question, respondents were asked whether Archie typically wins or loses at the end of the program. People low in prejudice were most likely to say Archie loses, but people high in prejudice were most likely to say Archie wins. The Vidmar and Rokeach study shows the operation of selective perception in viewing "All in the Family." Viewers high in prejudice and viewers low in prejudice were likely to perceive the program in line with their existing attitudes.

Producer Norman Lear later changed his opinion about the effects of "All in the Family." "To think about what the show might accomplish is to defeat the creative process," Lear has said. "I seriously question what a half-hour situation comedy can accomplish when the entire Judeo-Christian ethic has accomplished so little in the same area." (1)

So the point for Lear is that no one in thousands of years succeeded in eliminating prejudice and it will be with us forever. This is "lowering the bar," excuse-making by artists and directors.

The difference between the countless Liberals and intellectuals criticizing Mao for saying all art is political and us Maoists is that we Maoists base our opinion on the overall data regarding an audience. In this regard, the political activist working on a petition and talking to thousands of people while carefully listening to those people is in a very similar situation.

Contrary to the Liberal blame-the-victim line or the equivalent line of "think for yourself," we do not let artists off the hook by saying that "All in the Family" audience-members should figure out for themselves that Archie Bunker is the main object of satire. It is part of the ineptitude of the artist/director if s/he is really unable to perceive the impact of his/her work on the audience. In 1999, a survey indicated continuing interest in more Archie Bunker TV shows by 64% of people interviewed.(2)

It is not efficient at all to blame the audience. We have also criticized a defender of early albums by Ani DiFranco along these lines. In actuality, "All in the Family" is far worse than the error by Ani DiFranco in earlier albums, because "All in the Family" came out on television before cable. It was a time when monopoly capitalist television had an unquestioned and unquestioning audience and "All in the Family" cultural workers should have known that, while at least Ani DiFranco and similar artists can say that nothing says that her sales will reach anyone but like-minded people.

If an artist has a main impact that is as intended and there are some audience members that "do not get it," then we Maoists will still credit the artist. We Maoists know from studying the people carefully that there are many situations in which stark contrasts in "socialist realism" are in fact necessary, despite effete intellectual sneering to the contrary.

Liberal intellectuals and artists should spend less time criticizing the socialist realists and more time coming up with progressive art that actually impacts the audience in the desired and predictable way. Whatever they can come up with that actually works enriches the culture. If they cannot do it in practice, we suggest taping the lips on socialist realism.

Source:
1. http://www.ciadvertising.org/studies/course/syllabi_grad/theory_readings/sev4c.pdf
2. http://www.allinthefamilysit.com/press_rel19991023.shtml