Is My Little Pony a Menace to Society?
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Monday, April 8th, 2013 (53 comments) |
Did you know that there are now many thousands of adult fans of My Little Pony (which like the Trekkies or Gleek has their own fan name: "bronies")? On average, people don't know or care, but there are some people who have become anti-brony zealots with a ferocity and intensity that is both odd and surprising.
But maybe they have a point.
It could be said that some shows actually damage people and our society in tangible ways. That push boundaries that shouldn't be pushed. Shows that are mean in spirit, exploitative, or glorify the bad guys in ways that could be argued make us worse people for watching them. But is My Little Pony one of them?
Below I've gathered all the arguments I've heard to date for why there's something wrong with adults who like My Little Pony.
#1 – "Adults who like little kid's shows are creepy"
The truth of this statement depends on what you mean. Toy Story is a little kids show and so is Dora the Explorer. But Disney animations have been enjoyed by adult audiences for almost a century and Japanese kid's shows (called anime) have been popular in the states for decades. So clearly adults can enjoy "kid shows" if they're good enough.
So while it's true that shows like Dora and Backyardigans are hard for anyone over the age of five to watch (little kid shows), and many other cartoons would be hard to watch for people over 10 (age-restricted shows), quite a few animations are enjoyable by people of all ages (family shows).
No one is going to try to convince you that the My Little Pony of the past didn't fall squarely into the first two categories. However, the 2010 reboot was specifically designed to appeal to all ages. With smooth Flash animation, top-notch voice acting, great characterization, an unprecedented level of art and lore along with a a plethora of adult gags and references, My Little Pony has transcended it's legacy and become something unexpected: not just watchable by any age or sex, but genuinely enjoyable.
Verdict: FALSE. There is nothing creepy about adults watching shows that were designed for them to enjoy.
#2 – "But it's a girl's show!"
![Lauren Faust is working to change the idea that girl characters have to all be vain, weak, and stupid. [<a href=http://sketchcoyote.deviantart.com/art/Lauren-Faust-signed-my-Comic-Con-Derpy-Exclusive-314979257>Source</a>]](http://www.thegeekprofessor.com//graphics/other/mlp/haters/lauren_faust.jpg) Lauren Faust is working to change the idea that girl characters have to all be vain, weak, and stupid. [Source] 
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First, when you say "girl's show" you're talking about a HUGE range. There's the brainless giggle-fest nonsense like Strawberry Shortcake and then there's action and humor packed shows like Kim Possible. There are even in-between things like the newer Barbie animations that have great animation and design, but are still quite girly overall… but that's only if you're one of those people who equates "girly" with froo-froo worthless nonsense. Lauren Faust (the show's artistic creator, and season 1 executive producer) always hated the stereotyped girls portrayed in cartoons. Through her career, she has fought this trend by introducing and strong and interesting characters like the ones in The Powerpuff Girls, The Kids Next Door, and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. Not brainless. Not weak. Not stupid. And a decided lack of makeovers and so-called "girly things". She made this show to feature a variety of girl types and show that each can be great in their own way. In doing so, she's trying to sever the link between "girly" and worthless… and she's succeeding. |
Verdict: TRUE. It IS a show targeted towards girls.
#3 – "But there's something seriously wrong with guys who like girl shows!"
The stereotype says that women like stories, romance, and drama while guys like violence and punching. Both have a fair degree of truth, but where they fall down is in the overlap. Take for instance Naruto. Unlike a lot of "boys cartoons", Naruto includes a deep and detailed story plot that progresses through the series. The cast is huge and each character has their own issues, goals, dreams, and problems. Take away the Ninja powers and fight scenes and you essentially have what people might consider a "girl's" show.
Everyone knows that guys appreciate a good story too. We care about personal issues, we want the guy to get his girl or the girl to get her man. We cringe when they make embarrassing mistakes, we root for them to defeat the bully. Heck, most guys will admit to fighting tears during that one scene in Toy Story 3 or Futurama (you know the ones I mean).
Lots of "girl shows" include real issues, violence, humor, suspence, and consequences… stuff that guys can still relate to or at least enjoy watching play out. Desperate Housewives, many Japanese anime, Sabrina the Teen Witch, and iCarly are just a few examples.
 Funny and creative
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 Kick-butt awesome
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 Intense drama
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Saying that a guy can't enjoy a show only because the target audience is female is as ludicrous as saying my wife can't enjoy The Big Bang Theory or my daughter shouldn't watch Avatar: The Last Airbender just because they were made for guys.
Verdict: FALSE. Things that for girls by design can, and often are, liked by perfectly normal guys (here are several examples. NOTE: The linked article has strong language!).
#4 – "Only someone super creepy would dress up like a pony!"
![MLP fans in suits at Brony-con[<a href=http://twitter.com/sternshow/status/224808448553009153/photo/1>Source</a>]](http://www.thegeekprofessor.com//graphics/other/mlp/haters/brony_suit.jpg)
Out of context, seeing a picture like this might really make you wonder about the people in the costume, but consider other places you might see someone in costume:
- Sci-fi or anime conventions
- Movie premieres
- Parties or other gatherings
- Sporting events
![Dress up and put on an act? Sports fans do it too... frequently [<a href=http://izismile.com/2012/09/05/crazy_and_hilarious_sports_fans_38_pics_3_gifs.html><b>Source</b> and more examples</a>]](http://www.thegeekprofessor.com//graphics/other/mlp/haters/sports_fans.jpg)
Some Bronies dress up in relevant costumes when they go to brony events just like fans of other things do when going to a special movie, a party, or sporting event. Pretty much everyone would agree that someone wearing paint and a cheesehead in the grocery store is a little odd, but there's a statistically insignificant number of people who dress up outside of relevant events.
And if, for whatever reason, you felt that dressing up is still "creepy" even for appropriate occasions, that still has nothing to do with the majority of fans who don't ever dress up.
Verdict: FALSE. Fans dressing appropriately for fan events is not something to get worked up over.
#5 – "They're just fat neck-beards who will forever live in their mother's basement"
So let's agree that there are fans among the bronies who are less aware of social norms or just don't care. And let's agree that you're welcome to feel however you want about that. But how do you justify assuming so much about them?
![Gabe Newell, co-founder of Valve; one of the most successful and populer PC gaming companies in history... and a fan of My Little Pony: Frienship is Magic [<a href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPjFavgKO5I>Proof</a>]](http://www.thegeekprofessor.com//graphics/other/mlp/haters/gabe.jpg)
There are thousands and thousands of bronies and only some of them live at home or have social or medical differences from the norm. We have fans among the military, webcomic authors, animators, musicians and artists. If anything, the common denominator among most brony fans seems to be people with a lot of talent and creativity.
As for the insulting physical description, any group photo of brony gatherings or conventions shows the same thing:
It's a bunch of people varying in age with an almost equal distribution of guys and girls. They look like average college students to me, though based on other pictures I found, there are plenty of bronies above college-age as well.
Verdict: FALSE. Brony fans are across the spectrum of age, sex, and physical characteristics.
#6 – "Bronies are pushy and treat it like a religion! As if they're special for ironically watching a kid's cartoon"
Well, first we already know it's not a kid's-only cartoon any more than Kung Fu Panda is. But that aside, some bronies can be very excited about sharing the show with others. Of course, people were the same when Gangnam Style was a huge hit (ex. "Hey have you watched this!? You HAVE to see it").
Showing your friends something you found online is not new, but I would be foolish to pretend there aren't people who take it too far. That said, consider this chart:
On the far right, we have brony extremists. People who consider bronyism a "lifestyle", who spend hours a day looking for an commenting on MLP content. People who make death threats to other fans who expressed negative opinions about the show (this happened). These are extreme fans and everyone knows it. However, this is not really unusual:
- There are people who threatened death to RottonTomatoes reviewers who gave a Batman movie negative reviews
- Fans of the Harry Potter universe have conventions, dress up, and generally enjoy the show in ways some people mock and deride.
- Some people were so upset that the planet from the Avatar movie wasn't real that they needed a support group
- Sports fan fights, vandalism, and even outright riots over things that don't go the way they want (I don't need to provide a specific example since this happens pretty much all the time).
And the concept of extreme fans making people hate ALL fans isn't new either. Just ask fans of the Twilight saga how they were treated. Or fans of Anime what people said about them in the 80's and 90's when it was still new. Fans of Dungeons and Dragons or live-action roleplay. Even people who listen to Heavy Metal music! Extreme elements in every group were easier to see and make fun of and the media was only too happy to reinforce the stereotypes for as long as it got ratings.
![Metal fans. Just a bunch of Satan-worshiping losers right? [<a href=http://thehellionrocks.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/46749-ddp_0176020099394613.jpg><b>Source</b>]</a>](http://www.thegeekprofessor.com//graphics/other/mlp/haters/heavy_metal.jpg)
But just like those other groups, the vast majority of fans are happy to goof around, chat, create art/music/writing or whatever they want to do. It doesn't affect or involve anyone else so well-adjusted people know to live and let live.
However, extremism among bronies isn't limited to fans. There's a new group of people who actively spend time during their day, looking for brony videos and stories to make fun of. They devote themselves in a cult-like fashion to making their hate and displeasure known. When presented with information that contradicts everything they say, they continue to mock and bully because they're not really interested in facts or logic. They are the nega-bronies.
Now, some of the nega-bronies are just misguided. They make snap judgments based on bad information and don't bother to research it before forming and sharing their opinions. For example:
![[<a href=http://twitchy.com/2012/07/16/breitbarts-kurt-schlichter-models-my-little-pony-gear-for-charity/>Source</a>]](http://www.thegeekprofessor.com//graphics/other/mlp/haters/kurt-schlichter.jpg)
Kurt Schlichter, a LA-based lawyer and columnist wrote a vicious hate-filled article attacking bronies where he described the fans as "perma-virgins" with a "disgusting obsession" while stating that womanizing characters like Captain Kirk are a far better male role-models.
The funny part is how he contrasted bronies on one end of the spectrum with people in the military; not realizing that there are a lot of military bronies.
To his credit, when military bronies challenged him to wear a My Little Pony hoodie in public for charity, he agreed. I'm sure he was disgusted with the whole ordeal and it probably didn't change his opinions much, but at least he learned that you can be a defender of the USA AND a fan of a cartoon… even if the cartoon is one he thinks he doesn't like.
Believe it or not, there are actually groups and websites completely dedicated to insulting and sometimes cyber-bullying bronies. In an extreme case, a group of 40 or more continuously encouraged one brony to commit suicide.
If there was ever such a focused anti-fan group for Trekkies, Whoovians, or any other fan group, I've never heard of it. Still, people hate what they fear and don't understand and it's a crying shame that so many people are still so eager to attack those different from them in entirely inconsequential ways.
Verdict: FALSE. Every fandom has extremes who are loud, obnoxious, and socially awkward. It doesn't mean anything in regards to the rest of the fans.
Take the challenge!
Above you see the most often used and repeated arguments for why My Little Pony and it's fans are a menace to society and why each is weak to downright silly. But maybe you have something to offer that I haven't thought of before. Some reason why it's truly wrong for an adult male to enjoy watching this great show. I guarantee you that if you can point to some actual harm or problem that has resulted from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, I will reconsider being a fan.
Until then, Here's my personal theory: Lauren Faust is right that My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic is making our society better by causing a lot of people to question their assumptions not only about "girls" entertainment, but the attitude they have towards people who watch it:
But whatever you think about it, just remember this:
![Source]](http://thehellionrocks.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/46749-ddp_0176020099394613.jpg){kind=link}
Awesome article. It covers all the bases as to why some people tend to hate bronies, or at least the arguments that are rational enough to warrant a response! I’d be interested in seeing if anyone can come up with an argument that they feel is good enough to make a comment here.
I have to confess, I seriously doubt anyone will ever make a solid case for it.
I don’t understand why do haters hate stuff so much.. Okay, they don’t like it, but why do they go to every single video and article and argue with everyone and show their hate? I hate many things, starting from today’s music and ending with ..ugh.. way too many to choose, but I don’t annoy people with my hate, it’s their choice if they watch it, I don’t care.
If haters keep showing their hate and keep arguing all the time, their nervous system will be fu*ked up after 10-20 years.
I don’t watch MLP, neither I hate it, neither I like it, im neutral about it, but I must say, some videos and pictures I have seen around internet really makes me want to see it..
What do you have to lose by watching an episode? Or at least a fan-animated video? I could suggest a few.
Not a thing in my opinion. My very first experience with MLP FiM was a Heart of the Swarm Pony mix video.
Don’t worry friend. Maybe it’s not for you. But I can say that if you like high-quality animations like Anime and Avatar and especially if you can tolerate “girls shows” (like a lot of good anime is), then you’d probably like ponies.
You were right
After watching alot of Fanart and MLP videos, I gave a chance and watched some episodes.. Now I have seen all the MLP episodes and can’t wait for S3 
MLP is AWESOME!
I’m very happy to hear that you’ve enjoyed the show. For fans of quality animation, it’s well worth a try.
Nobody will ever have a solid foundation for a reason to not watch a Television program.
Well, I can think of a lot of reasons to not watch some shows, but those are reasons why >I< wouldn’t want to watch them. It would be a tough sell to tell someone else they can’t watch it.
Great article. These are all fair points.
In my experience online, it seems like the most common motivator for anti-bronies is the need to hate *something*. If it wasn’t bronies, it would be another group or phenomenon. In this case, bronies are an easy target, because there are plenty of instances of downright embarrassing behavior/images associated with the fandom. The internet tough guy types love taking those and waving them around, saying “SEE? SEE? This is the kind of autistic faggotry these people are reveling in!”
Meanwhile, the quiet majority is composed of normal people who happen to like the show. We watch it, have a good chuckle, and move on with our lives.
Exactly. If anything, I consider this article a “hater test”. If they read this and act the same, I ignore them.
Speaking as a Brony here, I would make the argument that a lot of “haters” feel that bronies are trying to shove it down people’s throats, and are therefore super annoying.
On any website (or game, for that matter) you WILL run into ponies inevitably. It’s got a massive fandom, so there’s going to be a lot of fans who like to talk about it/advertise it. It’s great if you like MLP, not so great if you don’t.
Obviously it’s an over-generalization to say that all bronies are pushing the show, but rational haters view those of us who DO push it like religious fanatics who are constantly trying to spread their mantra of “it’s not just for kids”, etc etc.
The other thing that seems to annoy the rational “haters” is that people make it out to be more than what it is: a TV show.
It’s become a way of life for some people, and it can be argued that it’s damaging, just as any addiction is.
There are undeniably bronies who have made MLP their addiction, and it can be argued that it is damaging their ability to be productive, or make friends. Whether they would have simply chosen something else to be addicted to had it not been for MLP can be argued, but it certainly can’t be tested.
Anyway, that’s my thoughts, taking the challenge as a long-time Brony.
I know what you’re saying, though I don’t really see it as any different than the Star Wars or Star Trek fandom honestly. So they write stories and dress up. No one cares.
Until they start having support groups like the Avatar fans, I’m not going to worry too much
MLP may be no different than other fandoms, but it’s the prevalent fandom at the moment, (and one that seems to defy logic and surprise people) so it’s definitely under a lot of scrutiny. Also the whole target audience being different than the fandom is what makes it look different to outsiders. Individuals like to be able to classify things, and to see adult men to come out in support of what’s perceived as “a little girls cartoon” makes people care/react. They will then jump to conclusions, and characterize the group so that things still are classified correctly and no longer defy logic.
I would certainly not be surprised if there were brony support groups, the fandom seems to already support each other in the various communities. There’s frequently threads about “coming out as a brony” to friends and family (really poor choice of lingo if you ask me).
The way I see it, it’s not a big deal if you don’t make it out to be one. The problem is, a lot of people make it out to be a HUGE deal (when admitting they like the show to friends and family), so the reaction they get is equally huge. Casually mentioned, it would be passed over with relatively little scrutiny and shock to the average, reasonable person.
In conclusion, I love this fandom (and I love the show even more), but that doesn’t mean there aren’t criticisms that have some degree of validity. We aren’t above or immune to criticism, and we shouldn’t be. It’s how we establish norms on how to behave appropriately.
Its hype backlash. Same thing happens with a lot of people on the internet when it comes to Homestuck. Let me tell you about Homestuck or welcome to the herd, same thing different fandom.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Est3UNs-LIk Then there is this.
Yup! I have that linked on a different article. It’s a good one
Nearly the entire crew of Mojang are bronies too!
I’m a brony, and I have to say this is a wonderfully written article. I have it bookmarked, and I may have to show my friends this article when I have the chance.
Thank you for posting.
This was a really good article. I enjoyed it. I’m a brony (or ‘pegasister’ if you will) and absolutely adore the show. I love how objective you’ve made the article and the video at the end made me laugh. It’s so catchy! Hehe.
I can understand if people don’t like the show, but we shouldn’t get so much unnecessary hate for it. And I think the notion that all bronies are ‘creepy’ (and i’ve heard the following word thrown around a lot in regards to bronies) ‘neckbeards’ is completely false. I’m in a group of bronies from Melbourne Australia and most of us are fairly normal looking and act quite normally in public(apart from our general… quirkiness…. hehe). Not all bronies are ugly, my boyfriend and many other people think I’m rather attractive. Does that mean I can’t be a brony? Of course not.
Anyway, overall a great article.
LOVE AND TOLERATE *brohoof* /) (\
Yup. The idea was to provide a good article for people who are skeptical, buy reasonable to read to give them an idea of why these arguments really don’t hold up.
Pretty cool article, thanks for this!
I was a little dismayed that you would apparently consider costumes, fursuits and cosplay to be “extreme” (in a negative sense), or a sign that someone doesn’t care about social norms.
When I see a costume (this applies more generally than MLP:FiM, but I’ll stick with that example), I primarily see appreciation: a celebration of the the show, gratitude that it exists, and that it’s as neat and cool as it is. I see joy: someone enjoying themselves (let’s face it, dressing up is *fun*), doing something that they like, and that hopefully others will like, too. And I see creativity: a costume that a lot of thought and work has gone into, that somebody built from scratch, designed from scratch even. In a very real sense, a costume is a work of art, the same way that pictures, animations and videos, music, stories and novels, plushies, sculptures, woodcuttings and so on are.
Some people may be uncomfortable around costume wearers, sure. That’s their prerogative, but I wish you’d made it a little more clear that the issue’s on their side, not on the costumer’s.
And when you talk about how it’s “maybe just the guys who you find unattractive”, I think that makes it obvious you know it’s just bias. So I really think you should’ve made this clearer.
There is such a thing as a rabid, militant fan; someone who insists that others MUST give the show a try (and like i)t, that one must NEVER say anything about it that isn’t the highest praise, and so on. But there is also such a thing as a dedicated fan, someone who merely appreciates and enjoys the show a lot: and not just the show but also the associated fandom.
These are two very, very different things. Please don’t conflate them.
Don’t get me wrong. When I say extreme, I meant edges, not bad.
Unfortunately, most “haters” hate because they want to, not because they think they have valid reasons. I talked to someone a month ago about it, and they admitted to hating things without any reason whatsoever but still refused to stop. It’s pretty pathetic, but what can you do?
Nothing really, except be sure that they’re haters and not actually reasonable people in disguise (which this article is good for) and then ignore them if they’re dedicated to hate.
Great defense of the Bronies!
We need more people like you who are willing to look at both sides and create a discussion articulately. …but honestly, I was way more excited that you mentioned Kim Possible. You rock.
KP is a great show and yet it was made for girls. Just like Powerpuff girls which TONS of people are easy to admit they enjoy (male or not).
You got something about long fanfics?
As a bookworm on par with my lovely Twi-chan, I can tell you there are plenty of good ones out there.
About the most hateful stuff I’ve witnessed is the paedophilia accusations. The characters are all young adults probably between 19 and 25! I feel no shame in having developed a crush on them.
@That crazy lady who said she didn’t want us going near her kids, Human children are annoying, repulsive creatures, thankyouverymuch. I’d rather be standing alongside a cute, but incredibly powerful badass unicorn girl in the defence of Canterlot against hoards of lovecraftian horrors than be within 50 meters of your brats.
(That said, I’d be honoured to take the CMCs as apprentices.)
No no, you misunderstand. There are some great long fanfics, but I bet that non-fans see that as a sign of “obsession” (in their words).
Great article but I came to see the Brony of Happiness!
Im glad to say I personally know him :>
I can sympathize with those Avatar fans.
Many of us feel the same way about Equestria.
Seriously. Nothing wrong with a world like ours, but a little kinder, a little gentler, and a little more magical.
Wow, this is one of the most sensible arguments I’ve seen on the brony fandom. This guy uses counter-argument very well.
Thi article is very true about bronies,I should know I’m part of the fandom(although I am female,or a pegasister).
Mlp is a cute show and if other people don’t like it,fine. It is a harmless childrens show.
Mind you,I am not very happy that some pony fans are doing shipping(gay)ponies,but o well,who cares?
There is no reason to dislike this show
Wow, you said everything I felt like saying in this article! You even used many of the examples I would bring up.
Anyway, the only possible argument I think you needed to address in this is the one the anti-bronies use: “Why do people feel the need to spread MLP around so much? Why does it end up everywhere I go?”
This is probably the only somewhat rational argument I’ve seen brony haters use, but it has a rather easy explanation and counter to it that another person in the comments already gave: “So what?” If people can deal with annoying trolls all the time on the internet, they can deal with an even easier to get rid of ‘ponyfag’.
The reason behind the extremist fans or ‘ponyfags’ is due to it’s rapid fan growth and it’s history with the /b/ side of the internet. I did some research on this, questioning and surveying bronies I deemed ponyfags and found most of them to range within 11-14 years old (with a few ranking between 15-16). This actually makes a lot of sense to me (especially now that I remember my friend mentioning how many seem to be ‘young guns’).
Interesting! At first I was thinking “rabid” covered that, but I think there is a nuance difference there that I could address. Thank you!
Yeah, I always found it kind of strange some fans are just so rabid over things like FiM. With further investigation, it appeared to be related to age (or at least that’s what my studies had shown).
I then found comparisons in RL such as:
A kid I know that I babysit loves certain games I’m not totally into. He’s such a fan of these games and will try to make me play them with him. If I tell him I don’t like them, he gets angry and can’t seem to understand other people like other things than him.
Does the behavior sound familiar? It should. ‘Ponyfags’ or extremist MLP fans who act very immaturely, are mostly composed of a younger age group.
I’m actually very surprised not many people research the cause of this. People just assume “rabid, awkward nerds” and completely ignore that age is a main contributing factor in all of this. It’s a way overlooked issue that answers a very important question for the fandom.
The show is nothing evil in itself , its a cartoon and a well made one by a awesome woman name lauran faust , she had good idea for the show and unfortunally its the fandom , well one percentage of it that made it bad, too much sexual inuendo and explicit material offer to the young and impressionable on a daily , id say hourly basis, a lot of artist only went toward this to make good art while the rest went to express sexual tendency and there furryness to the rest of the world turning innocent mind toward sexual deviation, i personal like the show and tumblr for its story telling content but the constant stream of porn tend to corrupt minds on the long run, its uther madness , but we live in a free country , so , its up to the viewer to decide what he wants to rant on,
I would point out though that there’s no direct link from My Little Pony to anything explicit. Those are fans that do what those fans do. They do the same with any other cartoon or TV show… Smut happens.
I’m sure you made a typo, in the second paragraph under the graph, it should say “moving to the right” not “moving to the left”. Because a creator of content would need some knowledge of the show.
No wait, maybe if you said “starting from the right, and then moving left”, it would be more clear.
Good point. Fixed.
Hello, Jeremy. Strong article! You said very well about definition of “girly” cartoons. First of all, let’s mention that all the views are subjective and there’s no real definition of “wrong” and “right” in our world. There will always be your point of view and a point of view that differs from yours. But many men are guided by stereotypes. That’s bad. Stereotypes kills personality, new points of view and self-development. People close themselves in social frames and judge reasonably. That’s why there are haters who call all the bronies gays, faggots, sick and crazy people or something. I think that is a real problem of our sociaty! Not the men, who watch the show about ponies, but stereotypes that spoils the perception of others. But there is always a “dark side” of every community… I wanted to quote famous russian proverb, by don’t know how exactly it is translated. It sounds like “in every family there always the ugly one”. Hope you understood) For example, there are bronies, whose behaviour is worst than haters’. I notice the real problem of bronies… They have a dangerous kind of sexual deviation: they masturbate on pony characters of MLP show and lose the interest to women. I’m serious and, by the way, I’ve met such people. Yes, it’s their choice. But it is really bad in demographic and social points of view. What do you think about this phenomenon?
P.S: Forgive me, if I made mistakes. It’s hard for me to express my thoughts in English. I speak only Ukrainian and Russian.
No, no, no.. Cloppers are the one who masturbate to ponies. I am a brony and I dislike people touching their selves to images of my favourite ponies :/
I agree with most of what you said, but when it comes to sex, it’s a fact that there is some segment of the population that sexualizes characters in tv shows regardless of their age, gender, or even species. I don’t really want to get into that discussion, but I will say that regardless of what those people chose to do, it’s something they’d do whether or not they watch this particular show.
My point being, My Little Pony itself does not lead to any kind of extreme behavior.
Let’s admit the obvious–straight men watch MLP:FIM for the ‘plot’:
[link blocked]
Seriously, though, men are as attracted to personalities as physical attributes, and the Mane Six represent a broad spectrum of desirable personality types: intellectual, tomboy gamine, party gal, earthy country gal, haughty beauty, and meek wallflower. And the cute, girly imagery is far more appealing to the straight male viewer than, say, shows like South Park, with their endless scatological and sodomy humour, and ugly animation. This is also why shows like Pretty Little Liars and 2 Broke Girls are popular with male viewers.
i really really hate MLP im tired of seeing it all over but i guess you got a valid point there and like you where saying about the girly stuff. well i watch lots of anime that kinda like stuff for lets say about around teenage girls for example lucky star, k-on Defiantly not any stuff about boys or anything. but yes i am a boy
Saturation exhaustion is an unfortunate side-effect of popularity so I feel for you in that regard.
Just wanted to say, thanks so much for writing this and your other articles like it. You approach these topics so logically and thoroughly and yet concisely. It’s a great resource that when people have questions I can just say hey, read this thing then you’ll get it.
Thank you for the feedback! I do enjoy making these articles so I can avoid having to say the same things over and over, but if other people can use them as a resource as well, that’s a huge bonus
I think the only reason there were not any hate sites dedicated to Trek or Who is because there were no “social” media sites at the time of their origin. Should be called “anti-social” media, if you ask me. These sites, and the web, have given a freedom these hate-mongers have used to spout their vitrol with no accountability. I doubt very much they would say half of what they write if they were face to face with the ones they are abusing.
It’s just a show; they are just people watching a show. Give it a rest, and get a life.
Actually, that’s a pretty good point. No way for them to organize their mutual hate.