Very insightful for me. What a bitter-sweet moment in the evolution of culture. It was controversial in its later days (or at least the controversy and associated feelings were being communicated more) but was the "backdoor so others could come in the front."
But in its later days...I can see how only ONE depiction (in this case, in the medium of television) of any race, could never be substantial enough to communicate broadly about what makes up THAT race.
I think these things still happen today when certain individuals or groups do not try to understand their world and its people; The Arabic world is often frowned upon by the west because of some peoples limited cultural vantage points , certain groups in the middle east dislike Americans, or even the leader (Im sorry I forgot his name and where he is from) that blamed white males for Americas plunge not too long ago.
Looking further than race....I think trying to understand another culture (let alone my own) through, even multiple mediums, is a daunting challenge for anyone. The artwork, physicality of the things we do, the laws we choose to draft up, etc...are but physical manifestations of our culture . . .and all of our cultures are remarkably similar. To tell the truth, we are all one culture...but with nuances that create a richness we all need to learn to savor.