I have been meaning to do a blog on Manehattan for a while. This won't be the proper analysis although I will touch on it, this is more my general thoughts on the episode. The reason for doing this prelude is that I believe it makes the actual analysis easier by clearing up some issues and potential baggage. Some analysis and hints of analysis is present so if you like analysis you will get your fix.

The first is that while I like this episode and think it is pretty good, it does suffer from being bloated. The most salient and most far reaching example is the inclusion of the main cast.

The only purpose they serve is to change the conflict from Rarity having her work stolen to Rarity being mean as a backlash to this fact.

I understand the writers wanted the ponies' elements to be challenged but they could have done that without the rest of the main cast. Perhaps have the tension be from Rarity trying to rectify Suri's theft alone in an unfamiliar city, causing her to compromise but realize her mistake and then be assisted by the various people she was generous with in the song Generosity. Such a format would be similar the Rarity' previous episodes where the conflict gradually emerges from her character being placed in a relatively simple situation. I fault nobody with taking issue with this as it is my only real gripe with this episode, even though I did enjoy the episode.

Mentioning Generosity brings me to the issue of generosity in this episode (quite a leap I know) and the focus of this blog post. It is common for allegedly clever (hopefully this statement will not be proven ironic) to remark that Rarity was not being generous because of the expectations of favors or reciprocation.

If this was the case, then yes they would have a point.

But it is not. Rarity says, "the best thing about Manehattan is that when you do something nice for somebody, and you never know when they will do something nice for you." This is not entitlement and here's why: For one, when Rarity remarks that Manehattanites (?) repay good deeds done to them she is not expressing expectation or entitlement. She is describing them as possessing this positive quality, and maybe even expressing faith in this quality's existence. This being a rather charitable outlook on people, and not at all inconsistent with the Element of Generosity I might add. Rarity also includes the line "you never know when they will turn around and do something nice for you," which suggests too vague a concept of when she would be repaid and how she will be repaid to support the theory she is doing it out of self interest. In summation, she is not really expecting favors in any practical way but simply feels safe being generous with the Manehattanites because they reciprocate good deeds. The difference between this and expecting favors is that here Rarity is TRUSTING the Manehattanites rather than trying to manipulate them in any way. Trust is the key.

Really, this should be argument enough but more is probably required.

For one the song's lyrics themselves make it very clear that Rarity enjoys being generous for its own sake. Such as the following: "Oh, Manehattan, what you do to me Such a huge bustling community And there's always opportunity To do the friendly thing." This shows that Rarity is motivated by doing good for its own sake, as does, "If some are grouchy, pay no mind Surprise instead with something kind Lo and behold, you may just find A smile is what you bring."

"Generosity, I'm here to show all that I can give Generosity, I'm here to set the bar Just sit back and watch how I live" A little aggrandizing to be fair but still confirms the sincerity of why she enjoys being generous. Remember she believes the Manehattanites are generous themselves so she is not convinced she is better than them. While she is the one setting the bar over the course of this song, they will meet it. Moreover it is an "I Am" song, it's going to be on the nose because it is by design about whatever qualities she possesses.

"Some may say, "Rarity, Don't be so big-hearted and bold Treating strangers like they're friends This town's too big and cold" But this is how I play my cards I'm not about to fold Where I see a frown, I go to town Call me the smile patrol" Same as the first two parts.

And lastly, "Generosity, I'm here to show all that I can do Generosity, you are the key Manehattan, I'm here just for you Just for you," This shows a commitment to service unto others.

Furthermore, if Rarity were simply trying to garner favors, why would she further repay the generosity done in reciprocation with more generosity on her part?

She begins by getting Spike a hotdog, repayment for his labor. This was minor but worth pointing out. Then she over-tips the bellhop for his helpful attitude. This causes the bellhop to help her out whenever she needs it, either by delivering her dresses or telling her where her friends went. And in each instance she tips him again, despite his eagerness to help her being in response to her earlier generosity. If Rarity truly saw this as nothing but an economic strategy, it would dictate that she should probably not bother tipping the bellhop again.

Maybe, one could argue that tipping him again is simply to ensure more favors but that is a stretch and in disharmony with the aforementioned points about her motivation. But even disregarding all of that let us ask ourselves, "which is more likely?" That she is a clever and conniving emotional con-jobber with rather far reaching vision to be able to predict that she will need the help of others, and spreads token gifts thereby making them indebted to her socially to ensure that they do? Or that she's being as generous as she can but not saying no to their own instances of reciprocation?

The latter is the most reasonable. There is more to this pattern but that will be touched upon later.

My last major point over this issue is regarding a fair counterargument, one I don't hear as often as I would have thought,is that later in the episode Rarity DOES expect her friends to help her out because of her earlier generosity which lends credence to the entitlement argument. This is an accurate description of her later actions, and I will get more into this in the proper analysis, but if one recalls this was presented as a heel-turn on Rarity's part. Her words, "It was in this magnificent metropolis that I learned that while there are ponies who will take advantage of your generosity, you should never, ever let that cause you to abandon your generous spirit. Nothing feels worse than taking advantage of the giving nature of your friends." It is made clear that by the moral that this is not a way she commonly acts and was brought on by being taken advantage of herself. As such her realization that this was what she had become is presented as a return to form with the moral making it clear that the lesson was to be vigilant against this mentality. The lesson was not that the mentality itself is wrong, as Rarity already knew this but simply failed to see the behavior in herself. Furthermore, this statement reinforces the notion of trust. When Rarity was being generous earlier it was out of trust. When her trust was betrayed she became distrusting and began to use her earlier altruism as a way of manipulating favors from her friends. But then Rarity remembered the value of their contributions and all was restored. Trust being the linchpin between manipulation and a healthy self respect is very apparent here.

As a segue to the final item, it is important for Rarity to believe others will repay her generosity in their own way. It is also important that she accepts this repayment from them. Not only because it displays a charitable faith in the general goodness of others which resonates strongly with her element, but also because to not accept their help is rather rude and egocentric in its own right. Largely because it presupposes that only her generosity and good will matters. Bear this in mind.

To be fair to those who criticize this episode's conception of generosity; while it is true that while Rarity herself is not be guilty of perceiving Generosity as favors, is is possible that the episode itself still may. And it does, but this is hardly a negative. As I stated earlier, the concept of reciprocal altruism is not inconsistent with the Element of Generosity.

In fact, it is a realistic and compelling method of expressing what Generosity means.

I say this because Reciprocal Altruism is a concept in human/animal interactions where one will decrease their personal fitness (meaning literally how fit to survive they are in this context) to increase the fitness of another within their pack/tribe. This is done because of the pack mentality and concept of reciprocation social creatures possess. The one giving knows that if they need it the other is likely to assist them, as well as being a way to demonstrate loyalty to the pack as a whole and build social trust (as mentioned early on in this post). And while Rarity did not expect favors, she still fostered this kind of mentality through her actions. Both sides were getting what they liked through mutual generosity. It is not an instance of feeling entitled to favors. Rarity did not expect favors in any practical sense, and the Manehattanites certainly did not expect her to give anything to them. In short everyone is taking the best possible actions for one another, achieving the definition of a harmonious relationship. Which, as I understand it, is the idea behind these Elements and the show itself. In fact it is possibly the best expression of the Element of Generosity since it shows that generosity can be contagious and inspiring to others.

Furthermore the idea of community is good depth for her Element and character as it allows her to repudiate the negative sides to not only her character but the also to the concept of nobility while embracing the positives, which is the concept of service unto others in both cases. The Elites from S&E largely exhibited service unto themselves to varying degrees and so does Rarity when she is misbehaving. Whereas Rarity when she is being good and Fancy Pants both exhibit service unto others, particularly those less fortunate. This is called Noblesse Oblige and as such this episode has great thematic importance to Rarity since it is the entire basis for her character's good traits.

This is primarily what the analysis is going to be regarding as one can probably tell.

Link: https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Reciprocal_altruism.html