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I'm NOT Proud To Be a Brony

Henny Penny Benny

Entry posted by Henny Penny Benny

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Yes, that's right.

 

I'm not proud to be a brony.

 

Don't get me wrong; I'm not ashamed to be a brony either, and I certainly am glad to be a brony. I'm just not proud. Let me explain.

 

First, let's build a solid understanding of what it means to me to "be a brony." I don't see it as part of me, part of who I am; rather, I see it merely as something that I do. While technically true, due to the limitations of the English language, the statement "I am a brony" can actually be a bit misleading. In English, we have but one form of "to be," which I use to say both "I am human" and "I am out of shape." Clearly, human is something that I inherently am, something unchangeable, part of my very identity. Out of shape, on the other hand, is merely the present state of my being, a description of my present lifestyle; it can be changed, and it's not really part of who I am. For be, being a brony falls into this latter category. It merely identifies a particular TV show that I watch and enjoy. It's not really part of who I am, merely what I do. No more, no less.

 

Now let's talk about what it means to be proud of something. Merriam-Webster defines proud as "very happy and pleased because of something you have done, something you own, someone you know or are related to, etc." Clearly "something you own" and "someone you know" aren't relevant in speaking of brony pride, so it must be closest to "something you have done." (Now, I personally don't think there's really all that much humans can do of which they really ought to be proud, but that's another story entirely.) Achievements and accomplishments in which people do tend to take pride are often successes that took a great deal of effort or reveal long-sought answers or give some great benefit to mankind. Even on a smaller scale, someone may be proud of getting homework done early or landing a competitive job. But as I've established, all "being a brony" means to me is that I like a TV show, and if I were to say that I'm proud of liking a TV show, I might just as well say that I'm proud of liking fried chicken. It's really no achievement, no great success, no meaningful work that I've done. It's nothing more that an example of what I find entertaining.

 

I do understand, of course, that as with many words in English, the word "proud" isn't always used with it's precise definition in mind. When someone says "I'm proud to be a brony," his meaning may sometimes be closer to "I'm glad to be a brony" or "I'm unashamed to be a brony." And that's what I am: unashamed to be a brony. I wear my bronyhood boldly and without shame or fear. I'm not embarrassed to like a TV show intended for little girls. But it's certainly not an accomplishment to make me proud.

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Henny Penny Benny

I can understand this, but can't you be proud in your decision to be a brony? Proud that you accept who you are? I know I am :)

Well I'm certainly glad of my decision to be a brony, but as I said, it's not really who I am. If I'd never watched the show, I'd still be the same person. To me, it's nothing more than a TV show I watch. Because in the end, MLP is nothing more than a TV show.

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Banul

Unashamed probably IS a better word to use, but proud makes people feel good. Also, I think people can take pride in watching the show because in a way, it's like persisting to be yourself in the face of all the people who are going to hate on you for it. In that way, it's less about being proud of watching the show and more about being proud of letting you be you.

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ghostfacekiller39

I won't lie, I only really skimmed through this blog, but not being proud of being a brony in general is something I can not only relate to, but totally understand. 

I've met some really cool, amazing people through this fandom - but I've also seen the fandom as a whole be intolerant at times of such miniscule differences. It's saddening and I've been harassed by other bronies before, back in my early days in the fandom before people started to treat Rarity with a little respect, just because of my best pony - and those guys spammed my e-mail account with vomit inducing porn, too, so it wasn't just an "lol your pony sucks" type ordeal, too. 

I only accept the term "brony" because, by definition, I am a brony, but the majority of the time I just find that I refer to myself as a "fan" or a "Rarity fan" :D
 

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Henny Penny Benny

Unashamed probably IS a better word to use, but proud makes people feel good. Also, I think people can take pride in watching the show because in a way, it's like persisting to be yourself in the face of all the people who are going to hate on you for it. In that way, it's less about being proud of watching the show and more about being proud of letting you be you.

I just hesitate to call liking a TV show "being myself." I would be every bit as much me if I'd never heard of MLP, or if I stopped watching it for any reason, or even if I didn't like it. It ain't really part of who I am, just something I do.

 

Although I certainly do get that "proud" has a better ring to it that "unashamed" and tends to make people feel good, for whatever that's worth.

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Mephala

I think this is a good interpretation of how to feel about something like this (putting my Fairy Tail fanaticism aside) because HURRAH FOR UNDERSTANDING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND USING IT APPROPRIATELY AMIRITE.

I do think it's possible to be changed by a piece of literature or music or art or a television show, but it's not a significantly lasting impact.

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