2000's Cartoons were vehicles of diversity

My friend recently sent me a comic strip regarding how they're having difficulties being proud to be an American. One page referenced how cartoon villains seem to have foreign accents. While I don't have instant access to data that backs up my feelings, it made me realize how diverse my childhood cartoons were.

When I think of diversity, one show that comes to mind is the Powerpuff Girls. The cartoon feels ahead of its time. You had empowered female characters; each with a distinct personality and set of preferences. There was HIM, my first ever introduction to what I'd consider a queer individual. Meanwhile...9 year old me just thought he was a lobster with a interesting voice.

This could just be rosy memories, but that era may have prevented me from being single-minded in a sense. Diversity only becomes more opt-in as you grow up, and not everyone's risk meter allows them outside their bubble. That's something I had to go to therapy for 😂

The effects of diversity on a child is a topic outside my wheelhouse, so take everything you read with a grain of salt. However, were the cartoons of the late 90's and early 00's a catalyst of empathy for the Zennials? Anecdotally, my peers feel more empathetic and passionate than a majority of "adults". Something is special about us, and I think our early introductions to diversity helped create an empathetic movement that our nation needs.