It’s because fictional characters can have real concerns.  Like, the reason why I love Persona 4 so much is that the characters are teenagers with real concerns that teenagers would have, and concerns that people don’t address in teenagers.  Too often they’re told “you’re too young to understand” and “wait until you’re older” and not taken seriously, but honestly, there’s so much growing up in high school and college, I hate that people just assume “you’re a kid, you don’t know any better.”  Kid doesn’t mean incapable of feeling things, or being concerned about things.  Kid doesn’t mean you just don’t know about being hurt, or being in love, or being worried about what other people think, and just… that’s not what being a kid is.  Being a kid is about growing and becoming the person you want to be, and that’s hard to do if someone is like, “You don’t know any better.”  Yeah, that may be, but that doesn’t mean you should treat them like they can’t grasp the concept of it, or have genuine concerns about their life.  

This is really personal, but take my wifey for example.  She came out to her parents and they said, “No you’re not,” and took her to therapy.  How terrible is that?  They’ve come around since then (because I mean, come on, 12 years with a girl?) but she essentially had to come out twice because the first time they were like, “Nope,” just because she was young. And sure, maybe there is a kid who thinks he’s gay, and maybe years later he’ll marry a lady, but it’s called growing up and discovering yourself.  Don’t tell someone they don’t know what they’re talking about, don’t tell someone their feelings in the here and now are false.  

Hell, I mean, look at a series like X-Men.  Mutants are discriminated against because they’re different.  You can fill in the blank with race, gender, sexuality, just… pick one.  Just because it’s got superheroes who can control the weather or fly doesn’t mean they aren’t facing real issues.  Look at Rogue, she can’t even touch the person she likes, and she struggles with that.  So not only is the overall show a big metaphor for being different, but those characters who are different have their own things to deal with.  What better way to address those issues than with something a younger audience would be interested in?  I really like shows like that that aren’t afraid to go there just because it’s a “kid’s show.”  Like Adventure Time?  I haven’t seen much of it, but from what I’ve seen on Tumblr there are some solid lessons to be learned, and it’s not preaching them, it’s just part of the story.  It’s not like, “Now son sit down and let me tell you about being kind to others,” it just… is.  And that’s great.