We can go way back and sitcom history and look at All in the Family’s Archie Bunker for an example of a character who could be extremely racist and sexist yet be part of a productive dialogue.

The series was edgy, and funny, and really thoughtful.

Many white Americans first confronted ideas about racism through the lens of Archy’s rather abominable attitudes. But the showrunners were daring enough to make him sometimes likable. I think they were holding up a mirror to let the nation look in.

This is what art does. It’s kind of what it’s for sometimes.