Stereotypes and Representation in Comics - the Good, the Bad, and the Misunderstood

We live in a society today where freedom of speech is often a marketable concept, view-able by the public as something that could be dancing on the fine lines of offensive, but being compelling for challenging the social norms. To better pull it into perspective, I mostly mean that games, movies, and comics are associated with allowing their writers and narratives to dance around (but not directly) touching a sensitive subject. The things people publish if deemed as offensive, can be argued that we live in a nation that allows freedom of speech, even in publishing. Racial remarks, government jabs, classist allusions and the like aren't out of the ordinary in the things people make - whether it's in jokes, comics, movies, games or publications. Some people like the fine line writers trod on subjects - seeing it as daring or sticking out of the crowd, or challenging the way people perceive things and their daily thoughts in the social structure they live in. Personally, I think that in moderation, it can be a compelling subject or add-no to narratives, mainly because it adds a conflict or current event issue that can be influential towards the reader and make them think.