I think you are on the right track, sorta. But Archie Bunker was meant to be the punching bag/transition for the American populace to ease into the lesson of political incorrectness. Think of him as the lottery winner who White America can use as an extreme of racial bias. Ala the person stuck in the stockade you through tomatoes at. Archie was a racist dude and no one was safe from his bigotry. This was his purpose. He was society's voodoo doll. This was in the 70's, not too long after the repeal of Jim Crow laws. Race relations were a hot topic on a more palpable level then. White America loved him, not because he was a bigot, but because he represented something they didn't want to be. He was a connection for blacks and whites. An individual we can all agree was a bad example.

I think All in the Family was addressing race relations better than the apologetic entertainment we have today. We need to rip the bandaid off. We need to see that much of the populace are understanding and caring people willing to change for the better. Today the tropes from television seek to incite rather than to reveal. Much like the News channels, TV shows seeks to grab eyeballs than to provide an avenue of commonality.