[hidden]

[CadetGrey 267]

[This post is hidden. No offense to anyone, but I am no longer part of the community and no longer wish to be an (active) part of the forums. I treasure the friendships I made along the way. Thank you!]

Edited March 28, 2021 by CadetGrey

[firetorn 187]

That is interesting. I feel like the lions in the lion king are quite humanized (through expressions, speech and body languague), but maybe for you it wasn't enough to feel empathetic towards them? The ponies in MLP are definitely humanized to a great extent. Just depends on the person I suppose, because I found the lion king very emotional

[Invincible 2,091]

Before i begin, i'd like to say you actually make some interesting point. I mean, the characters not being human. That being said, it's the animation styling that tried to depict them as relateable, at least to kids. You see the emotion and facial expressions, the conflicts and directions the characters take, and they are more something akin to a human, so i find myself in disagreement with your statement.

 

When i first watched that movie, i was 6 i believe. It made me cry because i could put myself in Simba's "shoes" (so to speak) and i actually felt hurt so much that i cried. Sure, i did not have the same reaction upon rewatching the movie, but i could still have felt a bit for Simba, because while an animal, he had very humane traits and personality. Nearly all of the animals there did, in fact. Maybe it really depends at what age you watch it. 

[M'aiq the Liar 5,804]

Well, most humans experiance what you are talking about to a lesser degre. Why do you think we humanize all the talking animals in those stories? If the ponies in FiM communicated like actual horses did, and lacked the semi-human facial structer and facial expression that humans use and interpret as displays of emotion it would be far more difficult to relate to that character, and their emotional and physical struggles. For in order to really activate the empathy centers in the human brain, the person must be able to understand the emotion the character is going through, or at least understand that it causes pain. So in order to make you more empathetic to the plights of non-human characters they often give them human facial expressions,and human like body emotes in order to activate the empathy center in your brain.

 

 

And yes, the FiM ponies facial ratios are far closer to human infants (who most people are biologically programed to empathize with and protect) than they are actual equines.

 

So while it is not odd to find it difficult to relate to non-human charcters, as most people have some issue with it.

[SkyDream 315]

My first thought was to say "Racist. " in a joking manner. I'm not sure what that would accomplish though, all things considered. You've already mentioned that even though the basic tenets of the human experience have been listed, acted out, and experienced, they are not absorbed as efficiently as if the actors were human beings.

 

So what is it about the human body that bars a synchronization of experiences from one being to another, locking it into a human shape? That's interesting to think about.

 

It's really one of the reasons why I wish animals could speak, and had real human'ish facial expressions. It would be so very much easier to discuss this sort of topic. Actually, it might even be harder, come to think of it.

 

So, ultimately, it's not the experience, but the experiencer that is at the core of the issue. Fascinating!