@WeeklyRanting

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

I am a disabled person currently starting a media rep firm and this video has been something I have passed to friends to explain to them wtf I am doing, So kudos for the great explanation. Quick fact – there are 1.3 Billion disabled people on the planet! mostly a target market completely forgotten about by brands and companies. Bare that in mind whenever you want to run a successful business.
@dinosaurznspace

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

I'm not necessarily bothered by video games with women represented in a way that straight men would prefer. I just think if there were more games out there made from what women like to see as well, then it would be good and fair. Like having a female oriented game (I know there are some out there). But certainly not most mainstream games are like this, but if there were, there would probably be a lot more women playing video games. Or even have the women alongside very attractive male characters as well that don't look like the same typical male character type. It's just annoying when every single girl presented in a game is made to look attractive to men, and the guys in comparison in the same game, are ugly or disgusting. Or they're the typical white male with dark hair and basic face and he's the only decent looking male in the whole game hahaha
@fukuinashole6506

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

good
@smitved5664

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

Game of thrones is an example of different kinds or sets workin together and making an amazing series every season
@justthecoolestdudeyo9446

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

Production teams need to be diverse, so that there is less bias towards who gets money to make films. Producers are the ones who tell colored/queer/etc… creators to make their films straighter, whiter, etc… Nothing's wrong about telling white stories, straight stories, male stories, but if those are the stories that are more overwhelmingly favored to be made, it does limit the range of art that people can consume and learn and relate to
@theresamanuel6200

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

What a common sense approach to representation in the media, although as a society, we do have a social responsibility to be aware of diversity & fair representations.
@AnaxofRhodes

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

Have you watched Mr. Robot? Tons of neutral representation in that show.
@edwardy4069

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

It is advertising that annoys me the most. Why do I want to buy the same necklace as the woman in her undies has?? It makes no sense! Why is she in her undies, and why would this make me want to buy the necklace? Also models- apparently they don't smile because you are supposed to be looking at the clothes, not the person, so why does the weight/height/prettiness of the model matter? Personally, I'd like to buy clothes that the model seems to enjoy wearing, not looking like they have a stick up their arse.
@loonachan

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

As someone who writes a good bit and hangs out with others who do, writing stories from perspectives that are not our own is a pretty important exercise and one I think should be at least tried more often. Because our first instinct tends to be to define them based around their most basic characteristics, and this is the big pitfall in a lot of media that tries to be "diverse".

John Green's character in that novel was good precisely because the fact that she wasn't defined solely as "cancer girl". You have to have respect for you characters beyond their superficial attributes. It's important not just to create better stories, but to be better people.

It's also funny how no one ever points out in these discussions that Harry Potter was written by a woman. No one ever bats an eye at that because middle-aged women apparently know teenage boys' perspective much better than a man could ever understand a girl's perspective.
@Glamador

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

I have often felt that it does not promote any cause to blame singular individuals for producing what is, in the end, a product of their own life's experiences. Change happens over time, and the diversity that comes naturally from making industries themselves more inclusive will outweigh any attempts to inject it forcibly into existing products.

That said, it occurs to me that perhaps shame can be a powerful motivator, which could be employed to great effect. I believe that this theory is being put into practice today all over the internet and social media. I would like to see a video on the topic of shame and how it is being used online presently and if it really is having the intended effect on creators.
@FreeTheDonbas

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

Men write media from the perspective of men, the problem with that is their perspective of women. If they could only talk about men without involving women at all, then women would be in a better position than they are now, since they would only be underrepresented, instead of what they are now: misrepresented as well as underrepresented.
@margaret__todd

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

As you said; It's pretty much the case of changing the world in order to change the media, and not the other way around. That said – I think a lot of improvement is happening on non- traditional (social?) media… For example, as a girl in wheelchair, I have never, EVER seen disabled character in traditional media that seemed appropriately portrayed (ok, prof. X is cool, but telepathy kind of "negates" disability) – but I found plenty of it on youtube, various writing sites, etc…
@BK02027

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

Sometimes I think it's the person's upbringing that is a possible cause of why there is less diversity in media. Parents can often pull their child to or away from a certain profession. Family and friends would want them to work in a certain field, whether they want to or not. An example would be Neil deGrasse Tyson. As a kid, he loved science, but was told he should just play basketball instead. He had to try very hard to pull himself away from this "predetermined" career for him so that he could follow his dream.
@cidevant002

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

Even though I understand your position about "hating in the right direction" and concentrate more in have diverse creator instead of expecting not diverse sources to give us the diversity, I also think is important the criticism of those tendencies because it also show there is a market, there is money. The reason we don´t have movies of superhero with more proactive girls or dolls of Black Widow is because companies think is going to be a waste of money, that they won´t have as much money by selling "girl stuff" (a ridiculous concept, of course), wich… kinda makes no sense, considering My Little Pony, the succes of Power Puff Girls (the reboot sucks, so I am talking the 90 version) or the new Star Wars. Hopefully that can change in the future.

Futhermore, I really think is just better when people create that of that they know. With your example of John Green, there were people that like it but also some people (women with cancer, to top it all) didn´t like it and find it too unrealistic. Everytime cis people try to make trans media always backfires and the trans creators are just left without any job.
@amandaananda9029

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

Really good points! You make a good point that content creators shouldn't necessarily be held responsible for basically educating people, and making sure the opportunities are available to everyone makes a huge difference. That said, while it would be great if parents did take their kids aside to talk about this stuff, I don't think it happens as much as it should.

I think media literacy is really important, and something we should be teaching in schools. Knowing how to decode all of the many messages we see in media can be hard, regardless of age, so I think giving kids the tools to dissect and understand what they see would make a difference.
@christiansmith2849

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

You should definitely have more subs. You probably have the most common sense of anyone on this site.
@oddrey52

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

I agree with just about everything you said in this video, including the assertion that parents ought to take responsibility for teaching children good values, and not rely media to inform their world view. However, I disagree in that I don't think this means that media creators shouldn't take responsibility for the effects the things that they create have on consumers. The fact as, some kids have crappy parents, and many more have parents who just don't have the time to talk to them about all of the media they consume. And even when parents to have the time to have these discussions, I think media is still going to have a significant effect on their worldview.

However, I think people should have the right to make what they want how they want it, and I don't think people should harass individual media creators online because they don't think their content has diverse enough representation.
@bennitori4

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

I think rewarding the people who represent minorities successfully is much more important than calling out the people who don't. If it's offensive, then yes, call them out. But non-offensive lack of representation isn't as important as rewarding good representation.
People who consume media are supposed to incentivize media makers into making whatever content they would like to see. So if you like movies from different perspectives, you incentivize the creator into making more by giving that work positive feedback. Or if you like Michael Bay type movies you incentivize those creators by giving them money.

But rewarding a job well done is more important than complaining about the lack of something. If someone doesn't think they have the depth or experience to make something from a point of view they don't know about, then good on them for knowing their limits. But when a good work from a unique or different point of view does get made, it's good bring it any positive attention it might deserve (within reason.)
@GeneralNickles

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

i never really thought about it, but i guess there really arent any non-white people on friends.

im really having serious trouble thinking of a single time a black guy is on screen in that show.

i dont really think its a problem though. thats just how things worked in the 90s. i really dont think that they meant for it to happen that way. i highly doubt racism played any role in that happening. even so, it is a bit odd that the producers never thought to introduce ethnic characters.
@hl10gg

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

I really love watching your videos because you always provide a view I hadn't thought of. Thank you : ) !
@Mr_DPZ

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

You bring up an excellent point about women only serving as romantic interests in movies (or media in general). In the end of most stories, the hero gets the girl. This obviously isn't true in real life. I think this is part of what plays in to all of the young men who feel entitled to have the woman they want. If a guy sees himself as the main character of his own narrative, and he does everything right and is a "good" guy, then clearly he deserves the affection of his love interest (in his own mind), right?

Of course, solely blaming modern media for this unhealthy and dangerous mindset is short-sighted and wrong, and I definitely don't believe that these stories should just stop being told because of it, but it's just something that's been on my mind for a while now.
@chrisiousity

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

I do think that one issue is 'market forces', which includes assumptions about what is marketable that are often based on false ideas. The big stars are white, lets hire whites because they are more likely to be stars, the big stars are white, lets hire….etc etc.
@aprilmoralba9487

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

I definitely agree that equal opportunities in careers in media is definitely something that will eventually lead to diversity in our media. I agree with that whole heartedly. I also agree that you can't force people to write about experiences they don't have. As a straight Asian-American woman, I COULD write from the perspective as a gay Latino man, but that is not my experience and I don't really know how well I could represent their truths.

I do think writers, creators, casting crews do have a responsibility to not white wash. Don't cast Scarlett Johansen as an Asian character and try to make her look more Asian. Don't make New York City look like only white people live there. Don't cast Emma Stone as a character who is supposed to be Pacific Islander and Chinese. Representation is important. People of color exist.

Great video to get conversations started. 👍🏽
@mariellabevan7255

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

I think that to have accurate representation of different groups in the media we need to have people from those groups behind the camera as well. And if that isn't possible for whatever reason, I think it should be encouraged that writers ask others from those groups to give an objective look at scripts and give advice on how to create a more accurate portrayal of that character and to create the most multi-dimensional/real characters as possible.
@uggiewuggie

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

Brilliant
@XerxesTexasToast

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

I definitely agree that diversity in production is key to diversity in media. Like, I can put a gay character in my story and give them hopes and dreams and other character traits, but since I am not gay, I cannot write about gay-specific issues. I simply don't know how. It takes insight into a gay person's experiences in order to write those kinds of stories, insight which I don't have.
@aaron999st

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

How would you go about creating equal opportunity in this profession?
@M3rcaptan

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

Bad media representation is both a symptom and a contributing cause of unfair social attitudes. It feeds back on itself. i think focusing on media shouldn't go any farther than simply pointing out the flaws. It's reflective of today's social attitudes but also projects them into the future. What we can do is to change the attitudes, and the bad representation will necessarily go away.

But I do believe that as a writer, if a person wants to write about people belonging to a social group, they need to know about them.
@antha-earth

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

It seems like a chicken and egg problem to me. If we had better media representation we might more easily create opportunities in media creation for people who are underrepresented in media.
@bunnoffiber

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

I totally agree. At first I was worried but your reasoning makes sense. I've actually never really thought about that being the main issue. It's lack of diversity in creators in main stream media as the root of the issue of representation. Great video!
@myName-dg2qm

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

The art I appreciate most negotiates tensions between disparate artistic influences. It seems I appreciate this more as I grow older.

Here's an interesting thought. What leverage does a paid education in media get a person? If I wanted to launch a media career, the last thing on my mind would be a paid education. Maybe there is something Im missing, but couldn't any person put themselves out there and work to establish a far reaching and influential voice? Or otherwise far reaching and influential media?
@etiennepesce546

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

Some would say that diversity in the creative jobs will be much harder to get without good representation in the first place, and that consequently encouraging more diversity in the products would be much more effective (although maybe a bit unfair) than encouraging the ones who make these products to be more diverse. They're hiring the people they can, mostly.
@CoLeMaWeSoMe

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

You're actually right about the whole women in film thing, that's kind of fucked me up
@NaeOnYT

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

I agree that people who are not part of a group may not be the best to write about, or represent the views of, a group, and that diversifying the groups that create media is a primary objective. But I don't think that means you get a free pass for doing a poor job of portraying others who aren't like you. Like, I'm white, and if I do a piss poor job of writing a black character for a video game (especially if I also wrote a bunch of interesting, complex white characters), I deserve to be called out for it. That's how I feel about how poorly written and represented women are in a lot of media, including movies and video games: yeah, that movie may have been written by and directed by men, but that doesn't mean the female characters have to be portrayed simply as sexual objects. (ETA: Let's not forget that some directors make really cringe-worthy excuses for the lack of diversity in their films, like "White actors sell movie tickets.")
@Charlotte4Short

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

I don't think a character should represent a whole group, they should represent themselves.
@sqwalkie

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

Ryan Coogler is a clear example. We just need more of it.
@ItsThatKidGreg

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

On a side note, if you google 'crackhead dreds' (don't ask why I searched this), The1Janitor is one of the first few results
@Jesses001

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

Actually it is a resurgence of female game developers. Back in the day, before Doom mostly, there was tons of women producing videos. When first person shooter games became more popular, males were starting to produce far more of the games as combat is generally a fun activity for males and not for females.
@flinterdun

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

I've personally always tried to identify with characters in media, in the same way I sought a personal connection with painters through their paintings, and musicians through their music. I never felt I was unable to make this connection because a character wasn't the same e.g. gender/ethnicity/species as myself. Just wanted to throw that out there.
@sheltiegirl423

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

I definitely agree that the way to ensure better representation in media is to include a more diverse group of people in the production of said media. However, I don't think that a type of media being produced primarily by one group, for example video games being produced primarily by white, straight men, gives the creators a pass to portray other groups in ways that are damaging. How women are portrayed in video games, i.e. oversexualized with their sexuality bargained or presented to the player as a reward, is actively damaging to how some gamers view real women and just reinforces existing harmful expectations and stereotypes of women that are present in society. Being a straight white male game developer doesn't make those representations of women ok, and I would argue that game developers and other media producers have a responsibility to not create or perpetuate harmful tropes about a group other than themselves.
@shardsobrokenglass

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

I feel like as writers/creators we have some room to write about characters from different backgrounds as long as one researches the culture so that it can be represented properly. Like I wouldn't want to make my main character native American if I don't know anything about their culture.

But I totally agree that it's more important to actually hire great writers from different backgrounds if you can than to shame current writers for not including diversity. I'm still going to criticise but it is their work after all.
@krannok

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

I've been involved in theatre for many years. One of the most common discussions we end up having is casting roles with the "right" racial demographic. Frankly, at the level of theatre I'm involved in (local amateur) it's often hard to find enough actors to fill all the roles, especially if the roles are for non-white characters. We did a play a few years ago set in Africa, and of the four roles, only one actor was African. The other three were played by an Indian man, an Aboriginal woman, and a white woman. We went ahead and did the play, and we even received some praise for our "colour-blind casting", but truthfully if we could have found four African actors to fill the roles, we would have used them.

Obviously, for big tv shows that's not going to be a problem. They would not have lacked for non-white actors to choose from for Friends. But for small theatre companies, it can be very hard to provide a good spread of representation.
@Canemikat

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

I was literally thinking about this topic today! How odd that you spoke about it. Do you have a psychic link?
@T1J

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

A disclaimer: I've made the decision to not have any more long-form discussion in YouTube comments, it's simply really annoying to keep up with. I'll still provide light responses here and there, but if you'd like a really in depth response, I suggest emailing me at hello@the1janitor.com Thanks!
@pre180

October 6, 2025 at 7:47 pm

Insightful video. I know this has nothing to do with the video above but i am curious if you have a public opinions, or thoughts about Sargon of Akkad thoughts of media diversity?