Did 9/11 make you a brony?

[Samurai Equine 50,890]

I've seen the first one, and it didn't say anything about 9/11 being connected in any way, shape or form.

 

You might want to watch again, because I'm pretty sure I saw it in there. Might have been closer to the end, when the documentary was wrapping up, but I'm pretty sure it was in there. I'll even watch it again just to be sure, even though I don't have the ability to record that one little bit and put it up somewhere like Youtube. And even if I was able to do that, I wouldn't. I don't want to risk getting into any legal troubles.

 

The scenes in the documentaries are small and easily missed, so I don't blame anyone for not remembering it, but it was there.

[Jeric 46,850]

No. I love the show ... I love the fandom ... I think good, amazing, and kind people all flock to this community ... but I can't bring myself to say that the fandom is a result of any major event resulting in a sort of 'comfort' syndrome. I also think that the documentaries that tried to draw a parallel between this and a serious movement like civil rights or the anti-war movements is borderline quackery. Those were movements to change serious ills in society.

 

But I concede that since I didn't grow up in the shadow of 9/11 ... I might not be the best one to answer the question.

 

I do see the generation after me being more tolerant of some things than my generation, just as mine was more tolerant than my parents gen. I'm not giving MLP the credit though.

[ponylaces 1,870]

Okay, I'm very confused. How does MLP and 9/11 have a connection? I've never seen the brony documentaries and I was about a year old or maybe even younger when 9/11 happened.

[WunderWaffen_ 165]

This seems to me like a brony trying to cash in on the tragedy.

 

Who ever that is, sounds like they were trying to justify being a brony through an event that has nothing to do with the very touchy and personal event for americans.

 

And I became a brony, due to a .gif I saw during the /b/ days of bronydom.  This one!

 

Curiosity got the better of me...

[Wishing Star 27]

For once, I don't get where all the snark's coming from. The 21st century is vastly different from the 20th, and a big part of that was 9/11. We live in a dark, depressing world where anyone can die at any time for any reason, and any escape from that fact is a welcome one.

 

Personally, I actually agree, to an extent. I often get a bit cynical or depressed about the world, and need to shave it off with a bit of pony. It's a healthy outlet to help us escape this shitty planet for 20 minutes a week.

 

So yes. 9/11, or rather the general atmosphere and climate of the 21st century partially caused by 9/11, is part of what made me a brony.

I think this says it all.  

And also this:

 

 

Anyhow, FIM really does harken back to times where we didn't have terrorists at our backdoor, security EVERYWHERE, and the government watching everything we do (in fact they are probably reading the posts here on this forum). Cartoons before 9/11 were more innocent and free, taking daring new directions for the best of them, and utterly ignored for the worst of the them. Modern cartoons cater towards stupidity in its humor and nonsensical plots, which began around 9/11. 

 

I watched "Bronies" and I don't remember anyone referencing 9/11, but that's probably because people talk about our "post-9/11 world" all the time to explain the current trends in culture/politics/economy/etc. I'm pretty sure no one actually became a Brony in direct reaction to of 9/11, but that doesn't mean it hasn't influenced our behavior and lifestyles. I have a very cynical perspective on this world myself, but MLP is an surprisingly bright and happy relief from all the ugly.

[The Crimson Cross 7,532]

I don't believe 9/11 had anything to do with me being a brony.

Also, because I'm from Australia and there hasn't been large scale attacks such as that over here.

I don't really see it as using an escape route or anything. It's just a show that I enjoy and I'm not afraid to admit it.

Much like any other cartoon or Television show, my tastes range from bright and colourful to dark and dreary.

[Solid 1,327]

Not exactly a "response" but 9/11 could have some kind of influence, though I wouldn't say it played a huge role.

[Dead account67902568 119]

i became a brony 2 months ago,nothing to do with any 9/11

[MorningFlash 214]

That's freaking weird, just because we enjoy a show it doesn't mean we're using it as escapism from 9/11

People are so close-minded sometimes, it's weird 

[Shenron00 366]

9/11? No, after I learned about 9/11, I never even thought about it unless it was brought up in conversation, or if it was the "anniversary" of the attack.

[Denim&Venöm 18,648]

Possibly, but only indirectly, at best.  It's not so much 9/11 itself as the world it helped create. We live in very different times thanks to those events, arguably darker, more serious times. And it's not generalizing just our fandom, but any adult who enjoys anything that can be perceived as being geared towards kids and teens (Pokemon, Magic, Yu-gi-oh, Adventure time, Gravity falls, TF2, Harry Potter, various anime, etc). Us enjoying these things can be a reaction to being sick of hearing about terrorist attacks, political arguments, global warming & economic decline, and the only entertainment we've gotten is dark and depressing shows or cheery kids shows that treat it's audience like nimrods.

 

Is it so crazy? In a way it's happened before. The hippy generation was spawned as a reaction to the fear and paranoia of communism, nuclear holocaust and the Korean war in the 1950's. Sure most of us don't wear tie-dye, flower wreaths and trip on acid like they did (though some of us do name our kids "Rainbow") but the point is our fandom and others like it and their movement all looked for something brighter, more optimistic and more intelligent to enjoy in our world. So maybe the craziness of our world indirectly steered us towards finding something better in MLP and the like. Would we still be Bronies if their was no September 11th, no paranoia about climate change, no middle east war, no housing crisis? Hard to say, as all these things and more did influence our entertainment and our outlook.

 

I'd think in an optimistic and more cheerful world, we'd go on to find darker, heavier, edgier things to be into, like how rock music from Elvis, the Beatles and Jimmy Hendrix was so popular after the swing music and cutesy ballads and love songs of the 50's or how the more violent games like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat became so popular in the wake of more mild entertainment like Donkey Kong or Pacman. But maybe if MLP is truly as good as we've proven it is, perhaps it would grab our attention, even in another world.  

 

Would I still be a Brony. I've got no flippin clue. But I am one now and proud of it, regardless of how it happened. 

[Andaasonsan 3,205]

9/11 happened when I was in High School, so I'm actually old enough to see the effect it has had on the world.

 

Americans felt fundamentally comfortable and safe prior to 9/11 and took things for granted, so as such everything was all ironic and sarcastic.

 

After 9/11 we became more sincere and appreciative of things. My school for instance had pretty much never done the Pledge of Allegiance. Starting 9/12/01 we did it every day.

 

So I think 9/11 definitely helped to shape a world where it wouldn't be all that unusual for dudes to become fans of a sweet, optimistic cartoon about pastel ponies

[Visual Spectrum 1,932]

I was only 5, so I don't remember any of it. I became a brony out of curiosity and found out it's a really good show. No one was harmed in the making of me a being a brony. 

[Solid 1,327]

I agree that there is no direct causal relationship between 9/11 and the Brony fandom, but I believe that the reason these footages are shown in the documentaries is not to depict the Brony fandom as a response to 9/11, but rather as something positive in face of a series of negative events.

 

As for the purpose of that? I believe it is in hope of the general audience to respect, and perhaps cherish our fandom and its positive energy, as oppose to bashing it down and allowing hatred to run rampant.

[yeet 2,026]

That's weird. Considering not all of us are Americans. No offence but not many people in other countries care that much about 9/11. Yeah it was bad, and it shouldn't have happened, but other countries have their problems, also I was basically a cabbage when 9/11 happened, so I can't really be like "im gonna watch this show and possibly get bullied, to prove that all we need is friendship." I don't know who came up with that theory, probably the same guy who said vaccines give you autism. XD

[GuyNamedEarl 1,332]

Yes, and Pearl Harbor made me a fan of Battlestar Galactica

[honk friend 1,978]

Honestly with such a ridiculous title, I was hoping for a slightly less ridiculous thread.

I was sorely disappointed.

[EquestriaGuy 1,074]

ya I always thought that premise was complete BS. The fandom is a response to a really god damn good cartoon, which created a community in its spirit. It's nothing more. I wasn't tossing and turning in my bed, thinking about burning towers, until I found solace in a cartoon, I simply found an exceptionally good cartoon. These documentary people are really fishing at this point.

[Kothen 279]

No, 9/11 didn't, but you can be sure as sugar The Alamo did.

 

In all seriousness that's such an odd connection that I scoffed when I read the title. inb4 Fox News reads this title and does an article on how Bronies did 9/11

[TubeSock2018 325]

I've read a similar statement, but it was worded slightly different.

 

It didn't say that bronies were a response to 9/11 itself, but rather a response to post-9/11 United States.

 

In a way, that makes sense.

Ever since 9/11, we've been at war. 9/11 changed the United States in that we became more violent.

The nation adopted a "get them, before they get us" mentality.

The nation threw the word "terrorism" and "terrorist" much more frequently.

 

And the article I read was stating that, bronies, the 15-30 year old men into MLP, would have been children during the height of all this, 2001-2010.

It argues that we developed a subconscious cynical attitude towards our world and MLP was the opposite of that reality, therefore being extremly appealing.

 

Now, I'm not saying I agree. It definitely made some compelling arguments, but I don't necessarily think it was the reason. MLP is well written and I'm sure we would have liked it pre-9/11.

 

But as for 9/11 itself being the cause of bronies? No. It happened 9 years before the premiere of MLP: FiM. It couldn't have been the cause.

Edited August 12, 2015 by pollo20x6

[Luna the Great of all the Russias 2,978]

9/11 irrelevant to me becoming Brony. This sounds to me like attempt at making bad conspiracy theory. To me, one may as well say:

-World War 2 made people Bronies.

-Holocaust made people Bronies.

-Great Leap Forward made people Bronies.

-North Korea made people Bronies.

-Mongolian Conquest made people Bronies.

-Armenian genocide made people Bronies.

-*Insert any other event or thing that resulted in people's deaths* made people Bronies.

 

Title of this thread made me confused quite a bit.

Edited August 12, 2015 by Luna the Great

[Sage 125]

Wait, what the hell is going on here? Did someone mess with the natural order again?

 

This is what we call "reaching" and nothing but.

[Alphys Hedge 671]

What the actual buck? No, I did not become a brony because of 9/11 o_O Whoever made that documentary needs to seriously think about what the hell they just conjured up.