pssh hehe, little does Toon know that i'm actually of Puerto Rican descent.........👀 IM GONNA SAY THE N-WORD!

Here’s how to write a black character: Step 1: Write a character Step 2: You’re done

How to write a black character 1: Write a character 2: By the way, they're black.

*I still hate the fact that some cartoonist still think being black is a personality*

How to write a black character 1. Write them as any other character Optional: use stereotypes. Not all comedy uses them How to write a character 1. Write them as any other character Optional: Sometimes be stereotypical. Not all comedy uses it Conclusion: know your audience when writing any character

Don’t write a black character, write a character that just so happens to be black

There is a reason why the main character is black. It is to demonstrate that some people happen to be black.

The fact that anyone think Craig of the creek pandering cause it has black main character is probably the literal most dumbest thing I've ever heard .

Black character And a character can be the same thing. Nobody calls Indiana Jones a “white character”, he’s just a character.

No black characters: Society: this is a lack of diversity Black characters: Society: this is pandering

“Not every character with brown skin has to be a political statement.” Very well put.

I'm the whitest white person you'll ever find and for the longest time I was scared to make any POC characters because I didn't know how to draw them, and I felt like I didn't understand enough about their culture and their heritage to do them justice. Only a year or two ago I realized we need to represent POC, and do our research. I then started characters that were black. Not because "I need much black characters for inclusivity" but because I had a character idea, and it would be even better if they were black. Now for the other POC groups that don't get a lot of representation :")

Black person: *Exists* Conservatives: "It'S fOrCeD rEpReSeNtAtIoN"

The moral of this: being black is not a personality trait. Litterally just their skin tone. Edit: For all you thinking I am being racist? I think it is more culture that impacts your personality, which is alot different to your actual appearance.

Good: black *CHARACTER* Bad: *BLACK* character

I want to see Black , Asian, Indigenous, Hispanic, Spanish and overall people of color. Of any gender and sexuality being represented the right way and not just stereotypes because we're people too. I also want to see also mixed people being represented too : ) I want everyone to see that no matter what gender, race and etc because we all can get along and we all have personality.

I feel like whenever a show has people of color, or lgbtq people, or any other different culture then people think it’s just for the characters to be “quirky”...no. There just humans being humans!

Yep, exactly. Don't write a BLACK character, write a black CHARACTER :)

Everyones asking why is he black But not how is he black 😔

"That means that you think that being white is the default" Holy crap man, you hit it on the nail 👏🏾

Craig of the creek is a cute children’s show with a kid that likes adventures with his friends I saw a wrinkle in time and it was incredible

Whenever someone says:”Wow, a black character for no reasons, SJW much?” I always think:”You need a reason to be black?”

"And for Black women? Yall got like 5...and they all got the same voice"- No truer words have been spoken, but I still love Cree Summer for all of her talents.

I feel the same could be made about any minority character in the media ''why is she a girl'' ''why are they LGBTQ+'' because they exist, because they live lives just like everyone else and deserve to be on tv just like everyone else

that last line about people seeing white as a default, and then the montage of black characters was so spot on. especially with the music. this was such a well put together video, you completely voiced out my thoughts, especially as a black person who grew up head over heels in love with animation. we are just everyday people, who deserve to be represented in an everyday, normal way.

What do you call a black guy in space? An astronaut.

I don't think a black person being in a cartoon or any form of media becomes pandering until them being black is a selling point for the show.

Real talk... over a year ago I was in a rabbit hole of alt right content and I truly believed anyone that was different from me in a movie or show was considered pandering. I’m not even white. This video really got me out of that rabbit hole and I unsubscribed from the channels that gave me such a negative mindset. I will not name them but some of them talk about entertain like Star Wars and make it political when it’s not that deep. I’m glad I watched this video. My views changed when he said “ because you think being white is the default. “

Fillmore is a genius cartoon, he’s just a solid character, and wasn’t created just TO BE black, he was just a great character that HAPPENED to be black, and that is truly the best black characters

"White is not the default" a lot of people don't understand what that means and I think that speaks to the issue more than anything.

"People feel like Craig being black is for no reason." ....you need a reason to be a race? *I'm so glad you made a strong rebuttal to that stupid idea.

Bro as a black 16 year old girl… this video still means a lot. Like I’m basically the YOU of my school where I can go one very long rants about obscure or v popular cartoons that nobody bothered to finish, and cartoons are literally my favorite pastime, my favorite thing to write about, and the literal biggest factor in who I am today. However I literally know like 4 black girls from those cartoons… suzie, numbah 5, doc mcstuffins, and penny proud.

amazing video

“That’s because you feel like being white is the default” *man what a mic drop!*

Don't make a "Black" character. Make a character that's black.

As a Mexican who often notices that Hispanics don’t get a lot of shows and movies I also agree with a hispanic version of the leading statement you made in the “cuz he black” section. I love Encanto because the characters are hispanic and it makes me feel represented and it feels nice to be able to relate to them more than a white character.

I’m a creative writing major in college, and I’ve tried multiple times writing characters that were black, lgbtq+, women or other types of people that don’t come from the same background or lifestyle than I am. If I may be honest, it’s so much more difficult than writing characters like myself. It’s been said, “write what you know,” and while yes that is the easiest way to get the best story possible, but attempting to write other types of people’s perspectives makes you a better writer and helps you grow in empathy and understanding about other peoples feelings and experiences. Also, we know how much white people dominate Hollywood and the art we see today. It’s definitely grown toward other people, with movies like moonlight and get out, but white people still dominate both the starring roles and the executives. We want to see more people of different backgrounds than ‘white dude fresh out of Cali film school’ in our movies and tv and making them, but to say that only women can write women, or blacks can only write blacks is asking the industry to white wash what little we have now. We want representation, and I think the best way to do that is to be open to people attempting to write outside their own perspective and help them see how to write it better. We all want to represent other people in the best way, but oftentimes it won’t look great the first time around. Black people are still people, we should write them that way. Great video.

How to black: Write any character you like then paint it black. There, i saved you 20 minutes of your life.

It sucks that people think there are 2 races still, white and "political"

This dude just dunked on everyone who has ever said “It is just for tokenism” by saying “So you think white is the factory setting

When I was younger I didn’t really care to notice the sexuality’s and skin of the characters I just watched the show

It’s only an issue if being black, LGBT, etc is their whole “personality.” Just let them be people that contribute to the plot/story.

this is why i always loved DJ from Total Drama. He looked like what people would expect him to be: A tall strong black man. He could've been treated as a thug or be seen as ghetto. instead they showed him as a sweet, caring, and trustworthy person. Hes the one of the only characters from Total Drama who WASNT derailed

Im glad you put in Miles within your video. He’s a great character that I relate to a lot when it comes to struggle in life. Like in the beginning of Spiderverse where they show case his struggle fitting in to his new school and keeping up with the schools curriculums, trying to study and failed his test. I was in college when I saw that in theater and dude I shed tiers when seeing miles going through all these corses because that’s how I experienced going through college at the time. I struggle to be a good student but it didn’t always cut out. Plus he’s an artist like me. He draws in his spare time at his desk like me with no worries. I didn’t care if he doesn’t have the same skin color as me,(even though we’re both Latinos)I care because we both struggle with our daily lives. So yeah I’m glad you featured miles within your video.

"If you question a characters race then you think being white is the default." That was really well put and I think that's pretty true. I think that stems from early media pretty much being white washed and misrepresenting other ethnicity's. Also Hermes was my favorite character on Futurama.

How to make black characters: Treat them like normall characters

Moral of the story: SKIN PIGMENTATION DOESN'T DETERMINE YOUR PERSONALITY

I'm Latin American, and I just re-watched this video only to realize that it really changed my view and preconceived notions about a lot of things. I don't mean to take attention away from the focus of the video, which is black characters, but I've as well never truly felt identified by characters in media until recently, and this has inspired me to become a better writer, to make everyone feel included at least a little bit in the things I create. Thank you for that

The Dragon Prince and Total Drama did *AMAZING* with the representation

"No white cartoonist knows how to draw a fade." 😂💀

"And for black women--they all have the same damn voice!" BRUHHHHHH BIG FACTS!!! Lol

As a Mexican kid going up in the days seeing black characters and TV was important to me we got to see other people of color shout out to Mr. Régional inside the Jordan downs projects for letting us steal his cable.

When it comes to black female representation in animation, there are actually two in the show Rise of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (or ROTTMNT). The show doesn't point out their skin color and instead focuses on their personalities. It's amazing. Their names are April O' Neil (Yes, THAT April.), and another character named Sunita who shows up later in the show. There are a few other characters who are also dark-skinned, but I thought that letting others know about the more untouched upon characters in media would take priority.

"that means that you feel like being white is the default" wow very true

My grandma asked me why I was drawing one of my characters dark skinned when I could draw them light skinned, (she’s dark skinned, Mexican, and was always mistreated by her family members who were lighter for being brown). I told her that it’s because there are dark skinned people, like her, and that it would be weird not to draw them ever as if they didn’t exist.

I totally understand how you feel though. I'd definitely watch a show or flock to it if a main or supporting character was Native American. That's one of the reasons why I decided to watch the Miraculous Ladybug movie. It didn't help that the movie was decent. Kinda terrible for the repetitive plot though. The native girl did feel like an actual character. I loved her for her personality, not because we're the same race. It just so happened that we were. So... if a new show came out with a native american main or supporting character, I'd love it if the character isn't stereotypical where every single grandfather is suddenly a shaman or a wise future-teller with a basic mystical flute playing in the background everytime he's on screen. It'd be cool if they were written to be indigenous just to be indigenous, not for forced and ignorant representation. They could follow their culture if they wanted. They could be from any setting. The rez, the city, the suburbs. I lived in all three settings and I adapted to all three locations, even at public and boarding schools. I prefer boarding schools by the way. Much less scarier than public schools... shiver. Piper McClain from Heroes of Olympus isn't a good example by the way, no matter how much I love Rick Riordan and his books. Learn from his mistakes if you want good indigenous representation. Not all of us have rich and famous dads! I mean, seriously. Name one famous native american, one who isn't white and blonde and descended from a Cherokee princess. Back on track, Craig of the Creek is cool. I love that show. Not just because he's also brown, but because the show is actually really good. It feels real in a nostalgic sense but modern as well. The characters don't care that he's black. It would definitely change everything if Craig wasn't black considering his family dynamic being an almost accurate portrayal of a black family, but that's not my point. I don't have the writing capabilities to write out my thoughts about that.

9:21 Remember the time Fat Albert was on the Boondocks and almost got into a car crash with Riley?

Society: *demands more diversity* Society when they actually get diverse characters: tHaT'S pAnDeRiNg!!

Thank you. THE HAIR THING ESPECIALLY!

I love coming back to this video, time and time again. As an aspiring writer especially, this gives me the confidence to take the time and write whole, complete characters outside my background. Thank you. ❤

Very rarely do I find myself audibly saying "yup" or "exactly" when watching video essays like these. Thank you so much for bringing to light a conversation that needs to be had. Subbed.

Why is there even an argument about "this character is only black for the sake of being black"? Are they implying that by default all characters need to be white unless characterised by stereotypical "blackness"?

Anyone: "Why is he black?" Me: "Would you prefer that I made him purple?"

That MASSIVE serve at the end... good job guys👏👏 awesome video

What a wonderful depiction you made here. This video was beautifully put together.. Thank you for making this. 💙

Did anyone else just find out that Johnny from Ed Edd and Eddy is black? I had no idea

Asking why a character has the skin tone they have is like asking why they have the hair colour they have.

You made some great points dude and OH MY GOD that always pisses me off! Like, why are people getting mad about a character being black just because? Black people exist! Like what? Are you gonna ask a real black person why they're black? "Oh so you're just out here living your life? You have a non-black related job? You have a non-black related hobby?... Then why are you black?" That shit makes no sense. Same goes for people getting mad about a character being any other race, ethnicity, sexuality, or gender identity... honestly, people need to stfu

This was such an incredibly insightful video, and I'm glad someone was finally able to touch on this topic in a way that explains everything so perfectly. Keep it up man, really enjoyed this.

I never understood the Mentality that a character needs a reason to be any race. Once I was drawing one of my characters and she was black just because when I designed her I thought that skin tone looked pretty on her specifically. People kept asking me why she was black and I was so confused. She was black because black people are exist.

Black people in cartoons were so powerful they brought ToonrificTariq out of retirement.

Cree Summer literally said she voiced all the brown girls and it ain't even stretching the truth that much 🤣

"You feel like being white is the default." Something I wish the people complaining about a black Ariel or a black James Bond would realize.

I'm a black women. I want to be a voice actor, and for once, I just want to play characters that don't have a political statement behind it. Lemme just be the nerdy girl that I am bruh.

i was today years old when i found out Johnny from Ed, Edd, and Eddy was black

So glad I found your channel! Film conversations for my soul! Keep it up!!

*I'm Italian and have been called every stereotype in the book and couldn't care less that cartoons portray us as pizza loving, greasy haired mobsters that say "Ayyye" all the time. I just think its hilarious and realise that its just based on what the media portrays us as. I still just laugh because some of my family DOES sound and act like that. And who doesn't love pizza?*

He's right about all black girls being voiced by Cree Summer, she's everywhere

This is seriously one of the best written and articulated breakdowns of African-Americans in popular media, particularly animated media. you illustrated points I’ve always thought but never been able to put into words. Excellent work!

But overall, I kinda appreciate white people adding (even writing about) black people in shows. That's dope right there. Also, I wanna write a story 🙂

Static was something I needed to see as a kid. He’s an inner city black kid, a badass superhero, and an awkward geek whose jokes don’t always land. He has a white bestie whom he trusts with all his secrets, and it’s not conditioned on homosexuality, but on mutual trust. He gets exposed to the darkness of the world around him, encountering bullies, ex-cons, a frightened homeless child (I had no idea before this show that those could exist), and the adult horror of a bullied kid turning the tables by bringing a real gun. He still keeps his optimism, his belief that the world can get better, that people can be talked to and reasoned with after everything they had done. He may not have had anything like my background, nor was he always right every time, but Static was someone any kid could admire. Also, does Piccolo’s background make him a minority? Yeah, he’s an introvert, but Piccolo values his friends and makes the hard choices when they can’t or won’t. He can be the responsible adult and still not slack off on his training. And he has the most adorable soft side. Just declare him the leader of the group already. Maybe it’s time for black leads and diverse casts to be the norm rather than the exception. The real world shouldn’t just revolve around white people, so neither should our cartoons or other stories.

"that means that you feel like being white is the default" BAM!!

*Person 1 adds brown character.* _Person 2:_ But, why would you do that? _Person 1:_ Why not? _Person 2:_ But, why though? _Person 1:_ Why not? _Person 2:_ Why? _Person 1:_ Why not?

Awesome video, first one I watched. Can’t wait to binge everything you’ve put out. Great job man

It's funny how the amount of melanin in your eyes or hair doesn't change a character, yet the amount of melanin in your skin does. Skin color isn't really different from hair or eye color.

Explained why I don't like the cleveland show, perfectly.

"That character is black just for the sake of being black." Yes.

18:32 to the end: it gave me shivers, honestly very well put and well put together. I look forward to watching other videos on your channel.

God this, this is just beautiful thank you, just thank you!

Total Drama had it's number of black characters, and just about all of them had different personalities. I can't name all of them, but the ones I do name are all completely different from one-another... Leshawna: The sassy black girl, kinda like Zuri from Disney Channel's Jessie. She isn't scared of anyone and she isn't ashamed of her body. DJ: A kind-hearted, soft and friendly guy who's scared of almost everything. I guess you would probably expect something like this considering the fact the show was on Cartoon Network. Lightning: The big buff jock who thinks he's better than everyone. He seeks attention and isn't afraid to do whatever it takes to win. Cameron: The exact opposite of Lightning. He's the small scrawny nerd who gets picked on by almost everyone. Cameron's kind of like A.J from The Fairly Odd Parents when it comes to being smart and using his brain more than most other characters.

"Black for no other reason than being black" So for what reason are characters white? You don't need a reason for *skin*

Well thought out, entertaining, and non-antagonistic in tone while still making the point solidly. This video is damn near as close to perfect as I've seen in a while!

Craig of the creek was such a great written show! The focus isn't on Craig being black, but on Craig being a kid who loves to spend time outside with his community of local kids. When it does show aspects of black culture it's not about shoving it in the face, but it's in the more subtle like within the very realistic black family dynamics. Craig's parents have a different relationship with him than Kelsey or JP have with their parents respectively. The show isn't a criticism of different people's lives, but showing that people have different family atmospheres and that's okay--good even.

"That means that you feel like being white is the default" The whole video could be summed up with this single line. Great video!

Didn’t even know buddy from Ed edd and eddy was black 🙃

this really helps all the non-black writers (like myself) who are trying to write black characters. thank you :) writing a character who just happens to be black is good advice, because you're totally right! and shout out to whoever commented 'being black isn't a personality' i agree

One of my favorite video essays. I come back to this often.

I love the fact that Craig's race seemingly has zero to do with anything. He just happens to be a black kid. The "default" mentality is an excellent point, and great way to end this video. And I had no idea Johnny 2x4 is black until I saw this video. Lol

“For no other reason than being black.” I mean? Are people usually black for a reason? Do these people just run up to a black person on the street and ask “why are you black?”

I never knew that Johnny from Ed Edd n Eddy was black.