[...] that can be said about the show, from its new characters (Aqualad, to add welcome diversity) to its comic forebears and place in continuity (connections to Teen Titans and the previous Young Justice comic) to its [...]

You’re all contradictory. When a boy does something that looks violent you say it’s too violent. But let a chick do the same thing and you say she’s empowered. There are so many other things to fight for. Instead you’re wasting time complaining about how much play time fictional characters are getting on a show that-lets face it, mostly boys watch.

If I can’t share a public restroom with another woman, why can’t I enjoy other simple things without your constant complaining? Like watching a show that doesn’t have another 90 lb chick punching men in the face. Or seeing a hero who resues the Damsels in distress. And yes most are you are still just damsels in distress. I wish I had a dime for every time i pulled over to help a lady get her car started, or fought for a girls honor-who probably didn’t even deserve it. That was considered admirable once.

I could argue facts all day. But because I know I live in a completely irrational country where common sense is no longer common, I’ll just say this. Two chicks are enough. Don’t like it, Charlie’s Angels is still on air.

[...] From my perspective, the poor Young Justice cartoon can’t do anything right. I wasn’t impressed at the “all boys together” approach, and I gave up after being put off by the way the creator responded. [...]

And currently I have no qualms about thinking the creator is a douche from his comments. A very smart, very talented, very creative douche. He should have just kept his mouth shut and worked out the kinks for a sizable market audience. After all demographically speaking, girls make up the larger audience pool in THAT age group.

I’m not sure I’m completely understanding your question, so let me know if I’m going in the wrong direction, but I think the best way to get more accurate portrayals of various groups is to hire creators who understand those backgrounds. Often, that means that they’re members of those groups themselves. If all of your writers and artists are white males of a certain age, than that’s going to be the viewpoint you see expressed.

Rather than substituting X for Y (which is not what i was trying to communicate), how about this? Y is under represented. Is it not true that X is ALSO under represented? As a member of X, I often wish there were more positive examples of X for us to aspire to. While it looks like the YJ cartoon will gradually include more heroines, the chances of them including a Latin hero or heroine seems pretty slim (since the new Blue Beetle is hanging w Batman in Brave and The Bold). And for that I am genuinely disheartened. Although, I’d be totally jazzed if somehow they introduced Vibe to the show!

Johanna:
Totally agree. Here’s hoping to more of both sooner rather than later. Thanks for outlet. Again, I apologize if i have hijacked this post.

Quick question: as a consumer, what do you feel is the most effective way to see diversity in your product?

If it wasn’t apparent (it’s not easy to see on my screen), I included a link about substitution in my last comment. That website does a great job of explaining how problematic it is and the forms it takes. Here is the link again.

Part of the article:
“A common argument that is used on people who are talking about special interests — such as feminism — is to say that, instead of talking about Special Interest X the person should instead talk about Important Issue™ Y. This proposed correlation between X and Y is problematic on a few levels:

1. It assumes that X and Y are mutually exclusive
2. It assumes that there is an objective determinant for what is “important” and what is not
3. It creates a hierarchy of issues, which in turn creates a supposed “correct” order/path that must be followed”

We can push for more representation of both women and Latinos at the same time without harming either cause. Likewise people with non-heterosexual leanings of all sorts, people of other races, older people, et cetera. Pitting one group against another is just counterproductive.

I will respectfully add this though. With regards to substituting X with Y…I think it is relevant here, especially as a member of group X. Regardless of our number (which by all accounts is continuing to grow), it would be great to see some of us get some face time.

basque:
What Johanna said. Didn’t intend to tell anyone to “stop complaining”. Sorry if that’s how it came across. As noted above, I was just trying to add to the conversation. No offense taken!

I think I was also trying to make the point (4 days, 2 kids and a major holiday wreaks havoc with the memory!) that generally speaking, I would much rather read a well written story about a “non-ethnic” character than a poorly executed story about a ____________ [insert race, age, or gender here] character. For whatever that’s worth…

I mean no offence. I’m just not sure what you are driving at. Personally, even though I am a white male and I realize that I’m not in a position to be preaching to women and persons of colour about what they should or shouldn’t care about, I think that these are valid concerns in both cases. And just because I’m a member of another underrepresented minority (queers), I would never feel compelled to tell a woman to “quit complaining because there are even fewer gays and lesbians in the show.”

Joe,
MY point was that you compared apples and oranges, and you did it in a way that suggested we should pay less attention to the issue the posting is actually about. That’s a classic example of substituting X with Y.