All right, then. Let's get it on--it's time to do the Apocalypso, the Apocalypse-bop... There's something disturbing happening in the world today--something insidious, subtle, and contagious. An intellectual virus, if you will--a disease far worse than West Nile, Ebola, AIDS, and Mad Cow in its psychological devastation. Carol O'Connor died this month. And in honor of his passing, TVLand pre-empted its regular broadcast to show a forty-eight hour marathon of All In the Family and Archie Bunker's Place. Camped out in bed for the weekend, and reliving those glorious moments of 1970s television, I was struck with an uneasy sense of things gone horribly awry. As O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, Rob Reiner, and Sally Struthers took to the stage (All In the Family has always seemed to be more theatre than sitcom, and indeed was filme before a live audience), it hit me that these characters of a thirty-year-old sitcom were saying things that would be unacceptible on today's TV--unheard of by today's standards. Over those forty-eight hours, I watched as Archie espoused a seemingly endless monologue of racial slurs, bigotry, prejudiced, historical revisionalism, and all-around polital incorrectness with such heartfelt openness and honesty that you could not help but love him for it. Could not help but love him for all of his flaws and shortcomings--love him as a person. There is nothing like that on TV (or much of fiction) today. Watching the lovable bigot wage a one-man war against the liberal-hippie ideals of the allied forces of the Meathead, the Dingbat, and his daughter, I couldn't help but realize that entertainment today has lost much, if not all, of its humanity. You just can't say those sort of things on TV today. Violence, gore, and sex have replaced racial, ethical, and social issues. Not to say that there is anything wrong with violence, gore, and sex (they certainly hold a deserved place in entertainment!), but they have instilled in us a FALSE sense that entertainment is still cutting edge, that there are no boundaries, and that free speech and expression are still valued ideals. Unfortunately this is not the case. I think of computer games that I enjoy--Fallout being my all-time favorite. For those of you who never played it, Fallout (and its sequel) was an rpg--a role playing game--in which you created a character, chose his skills, likes and dislikes, and set out to explore a barren, post-apocalyptic wasteland. Along the way you met with hundreds of people, talked to them, befriended them, fought them, you engaged in quests, and became part of a story. They don't make games like this anymore. Games now are all glorified combat scenarios--even the third in the Fallout series, Fallout Tactics--is a combat simulation with no story or rpg elements. Even the recent slew of Star Trek games to come out have, unbelievable, been heavy on fighting and short on story. Not to belabor he point, but I have noticed this same, disturbing trend in fiction and the media, as well. There are things that you just can't say--topics which you just can't touch. Archie Bunker taught me one of the greatest lessons of my life as a writer, as an artist, and as a person. And that is, that bad things will not go away by not talking about them. It was Samuel Hopkins who said that, "I have never encountered an issue so dangerous that it couldn't be talked about," but it might just as well have been Carol O'Connor. And for once, I think, Archie, Edith, Mike, and Gloria would all agree. I for one, would prefer to live in a world darkened by slander, obscenity, and frank language and discussion, than a world stifled by censorship of sensitive issues. If evil is to exist in the world (and guess what folks? It is, and it looks like it's here to stay), I would rather look it dead on in the face, that pretend that it's not there--I would rather deal with it, live with it and swim in it, than close my eyes to it and shield my children from it while it festers and grows... THAT is what free speech is all about. After all, it was Archie who explained to the Meathead that, "I believe in seeing two sides to an issue so as I can show the other guy where he is wrong." Rest easy, gentle scavengers--there is no place for censorship in Apocalypse Fiction Magazine. We will never let the ignorant, offended masses dictate what we can say or cannot say. We vow to lie down in front of the bulldozer of censorship and complacency should it ever rear it's ugly yellow head near these pages. "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but you are one dumb Polak." Archie's motto is as prevalent today as it has ever been. Moreso. The death of Archie Bunker is just another sign of these insidious times--these End Times. As God said (according to Archie Bunker) when he discovered Adam and Eve eating of the forbidden fruit, "Get your clothes on and get the Hell out of here!" Indeed. We could use a man like Archie Bunker again. I remember when controversial issues and racy dialog were the cutting edge of television, fiction and art. Those were the days... --Editor, Scott C. Carr "In a court of law, nothing beats a station wagon filled with nuns." "Faith is when you believe in something no one in his right mind would believe in."

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