I got the frantic call from Florida. I packed quickly. Caught a flight. My sister and her husband were at their wit's end. Their fifteen-year-old son - my nephew - had tried to commit suicide. A good kid - and a bright one - and gay.

He came so close...

They thought of me. Also gay. But older. Maybe I could help. I took some vacation time. Spent some time with him. Had a few deep talks. I did good. Connected with him. I helped a lot. But want to know when I saw the first hint of hope?

When I had packed I threw in about a dozen comics. As if I were actually going to catch up on my reading. Right... Among those dozen books, issues one through four of YOUNG AVENGERS. During one of my catnaps he had found and read them before I did. He woke me up. The look in his eyes. He showed me the books - especially the letters pages... His eyes were so big! A comic -with teenagers - gay teenagers! In a comic! And I saw the hope...

With me - at his age - it had been Patricia Neil Warren's THE FRONT RUNNER. With my nephew - it's YOUNG AVENGERS. A light in the darkness - a lifeline to grab - call it what you will. I call it hope.

Thank you very much. What you are doing here is decent and good - and very badly needed. Again, thank you.

Sef Farrow Virgina Beach, VA, in a letter to Alan Heinberg, writer of Young Avengers.

It always matters.

During the pandemic, we were all starved for content so I'm not going to make apologies for this:

I watched Agents of SHIELD. It was decent enough to slog through.

As the series progressed, I saw that one of the main stars was half Chinese and they used her heritage as part of the plot. As an Asian, I am so used to these things being handled poorly. It's always some shit of "ancient Chinese secret" or Buddist bullshit.

But it was actually...compelling. There was depth and substance on how they handled it.

For the first time, I felt like I was seen.

Representation matters in so many ways because it helps normalize diversity. Something that the alt-right have a huge problem with apparently.

Yes, this

Representation matters in so many ways because it helps normalize diversity.

Normalization is so important. Unfortunately, humans need to be shown how to treat people who are different. Even though the answer is mostly "just treat them like a person"

It's interesting to realize that all human interaction is learned behavior and it then makes much more sense that people need good examples.

AoS got good after they didnt have to link to the movies anymore since they were basically being locked out anyway.

But Sesame Street is the best example of representation. I would put my kids to watch Sesame Street if I ever decide to be a parent.

There's plenty of bullshit representation too. Ones that serve nothing but tokenism.

Julia! I like how they gave her special bouncy arms to simulate stimming.

EDIT: It also just occurred to me that even the word "stimming" is a pretty big deal. When I was a kid, behaviors like that would just be called "flapping their arms and acting weird", or something like that. Giving it a proper name normalizes it, makes it like "Oh, yeah, they're just stimming" rather than "Oh my god, what is that weirdo doing??"

We also often need to be shown "this group isn't trying to hurt you, most are just trying to get by and they have full internal experiences just like you." Growing up people like me were typically depicted in media as predators or dead sex workers and in addition to the shame and fear it taught me, it also resulted in some people having to learn to see me as just a person and member of their community with no ill will towards them.

Reminds me of the story of when Nichelle Nichols was planning to quit Star Trek because Uhura's role was so small, but Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. urged her not to, because it was so important that non-white people be represented on TV even if the roles were small. He was right. Seeing yourself reflected in media matters a lot, especially for marginalized groups!

Edit: if this comment is racist or homophobic, I don't want to stand by it or defend it. It feels dishonest to delete it though, so I'll just mark it as a spoiler

I'm sorry

When I was a kid, all I heard was my mom, "Stop it," "Why do you do that?" and the ever so common, "Why can't you be normal?!" Some of my stims were stopped not because of my desire to, but because everything I did was "embarrassing" to my mom. Then people wonder why I have anxiety and difficulty standing up for myself.

Thank you, Sesame Street, for being accepting in a world that wants to be harsh to anyone who's different.

Masking is exhausting! I get that it's sometimes the best option, but we shouldn't have to do it at home!

My problem was that that was the extent of their character. They're only in a handful of episodes, and the focus of those episodes is entirely on their race. It feels to me like they tried to cram as much inclusion into as few characters as possible, which made the characters feel like tokens as opposed to other, more fleshed-out Cuban (Nina) or Jewish (Baby Bear, Charlie) characters.

Looking into it, I'm surprised there hasn't been more gay representation within the show and I really wish there would be. I really like how they didn't really make a big deal about Dave & Frank being gay, making it feel normal instead of unusual

What season was that? It scratched a bit of a Whedon/Chris Carter itch, but it wore out its charm eventually. When does it start getting good?

You had it in the form of the comment, made by the person they were replying to, calling out tokenism on the show. That was your context. All they did was ask, in response, if those characters were what was being called out because they seemed "a bit much." Which isn't gay bashing or racist on its face. All it tells you is they felt those characters were exemplary of tokenism for whatever reason. You could've worked all that out if you'd acknowledged the context you already had. Instead you bit their head off over a slight you made up in your head. Damn. :-/

Context and intent matters. With your subsequent explanation, it's not homophobic / racist. Without it, it seemed way too much like the average MAGA comment.

I liked it starting at season 1, but I think its great starting with season 2. Season 4 is incredible.

I realize now the dances we call skankin’ and two-stepping are pretty much a variation of that move set to punk, ska, or thrash plus an hour of cardio as we run in a circle. We’re all weirdos in the pit, come join us!

This is so true. Humans are naturally very group based creatures, and it's very hard to break that instinct - which is typically why starting young is so important. Tolerance has to be taught, while clan behaviour is innate. Always fighting an uphill battle

It's funny that the dude on the D.R.I. logo is clearly 2 stepping, because that's definitely not what's happening in the mosh pit at a D.R.I. show. But yeah, hardcore shows are like a little choreographed 2 step dance routine, it's fun to watch.

Funny you should mention that. About 15 years ago I was at a DRI show in a club that was way too small for the crowd. The punks and thrashers had a circle going around the hXc kids doing their moves in the center. I have always been a two-stepper, and the song hit a point that was perfect to throw it down. Except I slipped in a spilled beer and started to go down face first. I was stopped because I took an accidental donkey kick from the biggest dude in our hXc scene. That sent me flying completely the other direction and I bashed the back of my head on a bar table, knocking me out cold. I woke up a few minutes later on the patio just as my friends who drug me out were about to call an ambulance. That’s why I love DRI, they draw everyone. I saw them earlier this year and the oldest dude in the pit was 62 and tearing it up right next to teenagers.

nah dude this one is on you for being too ready to lash out instead of think first

Yes, PBS/PBS Kids are absolute gems that make the world a better place.

Man, I do love me a good pit

I can't tell you how many times I got told to stop "spazzing out" because I'd be quietly fidgeting with my pig dice in school. So that's the term they used where I'm from.

I've seen enough of these shows that I expect season one to be the best written, season two to have the best budget, and an entirely new cast season 3 before they're canceled during sweeps

I am not familiar with young avengers but it sounds like it would go great in my private library. What age range is the target audience?

Yeah Jesús dude it is my job to get bent out of shape over imaginary bullshit. Don't put me out of work.

Okay so I'm not diagnosed but I have always done the arm flap and been made fun of for it throughout my life. I still have to stop myself from doing it as an adult when I know I am not in a safe or "appropriate" environment and it breaks my heart a little every time. Jesus I'm gonna cry I love that this Muppet exists.

I know how some people will dismiss Heated Rivalry but honestly some of the most thoughtful Asian/autistic representation I have seen on television. The pressure of being the "model minority" and just being a POC in a white dominated field, and the way that the main character's (not discussed, but canon) autism is handled so thoughtfully by the actor. The character genuinely means so much to me.

You don't strictly need a diagnosis to find coping mechanisms that help you with whatever unspecified thing your brain is doing. That's why I'm a proponent of just letting "weird" people do their "weird thing" that doesn't harm anyone. I don't know what goes on in their head. I'm not entitled to know. They don't need a name for it. The guy restlessly walking up and down the train platform doesn't need a doctor's note for me to just stand clear of his way and allow him to do his pacing.

I love that generation. I'm not the target audience, but because of games and movies I have read some comics, and young Marvel heroes are wholesome. I met Squirrel Girl through Marvel Rivals and she's unapologetically herself, even if she's a little awkward, which is awesome. The Unstoppable Wasp is a great representation of severe mental illness, and she's a very sweet superhero. Jeff the Land Shark, so cute! The MCU itself showed us how homosexuality is normal for Miss America, and the comics expand on it. I think Marvel is going a good job (even though I'm aware it is still Marvel, with their propaganda and sometimes not so progressive values). Also, this generation does have a lot of queer people 👍.

Same as you'd expect for any mainstream Marvel comic, YA and up. The protagonists are older teens, but they're very much dealing with adult challenges.

Honestly though, if you're going to read any Young Avengers, I'd go for Kieron Gillen's run. He kind of looked at what Heinberg did and said "Now dial it up to 11!" As with everything Kieron does, it's really great.

See also Brian Micheal Bendis' X-Men run.

Unfortunately the far-right want to undo everything. The PBS has been defunded by Trump but PragerU will take their place instead. The crucial life lessons from Sesame Street will be accused as being "woke" these days, whether from genuine bad faith actors or bots online.

That's an amazing dialogue (well, monologue in a way too). Thank you for the recommendation.

The diagnosis is always a variant of "they need some help feeling normal".

For a substantial number of people, a full blown psychiatric diagnosis is way less useful than convincing everyone else to extend what counts as ordinary. (See: gay, trans, etc.)

Might I ask how they handled it well? I haven't seen the show, nor do I intend to, but I'd like to know what sets it apart from the generic mystification and exoticism. I know that it's bullshit, but that's not worth much without understanding how it's bullshit, if that makes sense?

And it's considered a very offensive term in the UK, interestingly.

I’m surprised there hasn’t been more gay representation within the show

Bert and Ernie are giving you side-eye :D

I almost listed them as more fleshed-out gay characters, but it's never been explicitly confirmed in-show XD

I strongly suggest everyone who has the means pick up PBS Passport. $5/month (or more if you want) to stream the library including Nova episodes from the 80s? Yes, please.

Also, no better time to merch up and let the radical right know what you're about - https://shop.pbs.org/

This! For example, I am not diagnosed with ADHD, but I know several theraupetic techniques for ADHD people help me manage rest and activity, so there's that.

Do they have the old kids shows? Can I binge 3-2-1 Contact!?

Marvel has always been good with this.

Just look at X-Men. The whole thing is an allegory for marginalized groups

Which characters are those? Is the guy talking Reed Richards?

Edit: oh wait, maybe Colossus? Just saw the pointy shoulder things...

Representation matters in so many ways because it helps normalize diversity. Something that the alt-right have a huge problem with apparently.

Not only that, but it just makes for better, more compelling stories. And a much better variety of the types of stories.

PBS and PBS Kids programming has been separated for while now. Overall a great thing, as you can cut the children loose on PBS Kids. That said, HBO bought Sesame Street for a while and show licensing got a bit confusing for anything in the Sesame Workshop like 3-2-1 Contact.

tldr; here you go https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9vpEzfAbupWL8byt2gybiTgQfUn28J9B