Lack of positive male role models

[mars 4,861]

boys do not need to feel empowered, they already control the earth.

 

i like that the show is about girls being on top for once. it's a breath of fresh air. i don't see you complaining about pretty much every single other show ever, which only has male role models.

Hold up, honey. I'm a feminist, and that isn't the right mind set at all. My younger brother is six, and he loves my little pony. What would be wrong about having a male character that could serve as a great role model for the young boys who watch the show too?

 

But actually, I have complained. One of my favorite shows, Supernatural only has male leads which aggravates me to no end. They end off killing off every female character. But whatever, that isn't the point of that topic.

[Phoenix Flair 332]

I think one of the major points about the show is to create positive female role models that we don't get in most other shows, so yeah, they let the guy characters fall by the wayside.  Oh well.

[Nulln 754]

Hold up, honey. I'm a feminist, and that isn't the right mind set at all. My younger brother is six, and he loves my little pony. What would be wrong about having a male character that could serve as a great role model for the young boys who watch the show too?

 

But actually, I have complained. One of my favorite shows, Supernatural only has male leads which aggravates me to no end. They end off killing off every female character. But whatever, that isn't the point of that topic.

because he has every other show in the world.  mlp is one of the ONLY ones, if not THE only one, that is directed at just girls.

[Admiral Regulus 2,769]

because he has every other show in the world.  mlp is one of the ONLY ones, if not THE only one, that is directed at just girls.

 

Yeah! That's the spirit! Hooray for segregation!

[Sceethe 704]

its not something that i care about, since the show and its way of portraying role-models are still primarily aimed at girls.

the life-lessons and similar stuff are not what i enjoy about it.

 

so i think it´s better to aim the rolemodels and life-lessons etc. at the primary audience, while we enjoy the rest.

[mars 4,861]

because he has every other show in the world. mlp is one of the ONLY ones, if not THE only one, that is directed at just girls.

But he doesn't watch every other show. The character doesn't have to be in a lead role, but what's wrong with having one strong male character?

 

If the roles were reversed and the show was male-oriented, I'd ask: "What's wrong with having one strong female character?" There's just no harm in it.

[Andaasonsan 3,205]

Yeah! That's the spirit! Hooray for segregation!

It isn't about segregation though. There is limited screen time in an MLP episode. It's silly to spend that time making extra sure that boys are empowered too when there are so many shows that are already empowering to boys.

 

And it's not like the show presents males as lesser, it just doesn't spend as much time focusing on them.

[Nulln 754]

But he doesn't watch every other show. The character doesn't have to be in a lead role, but what's wrong with having one strong male character?

 

If the roles were reversed and the show was male-oriented, I'd ask: "What's wrong with having one strong female character?" There's just no harm in it.

 

 

Yeah! That's the spirit! Hooray for segregation!

It would ruin the only female empowered show for girls.  They KNOW males are empowered, just let them have 30 minutes of not having to be reminded of it.

[mars 4,861]

It would ruin the only female empowered show for girls. They KNOW males are empowered, just let them have 30 minutes of not having to be reminded of it.

How would it ruin the empowered show for girls? The mane six, princesses, and every character would still be in there. Strong as ever.

[Nulln 754]

How would it ruin the empowered show for girls? The mane six, princesses, and every character would still be in there. Strong as ever.

Except then it won't be that girls can do just find without men having control, it will be "oh, well you still NEED a man, so let's just throw one in there"

[Jeric 46,835]

But, in this crazy theory, Big Mac would represent men being unwilling/unable to share their feelings/emotions due to his quiet, stoic nature.

 

Rewatch Applebuck season. He shared his feelings plenty there. Also Ponyville Confidential. I like to think he represents the quiet intellectual observer. Wisdom that doesn't wait to speak ... but rather openly listens. When the quiet guy speaks ... people tend to listen with rapt attention.

 

Also, show has plenty of role models ... I do not care what gender they are. I prefer good characterization and writing over forcing a male role model because it would 'balance' things.

[Admiral Regulus 2,769]

It isn't about segregation though. There is limited screen time in an MLP episode. It's silly to spend that time making extra sure that boys are empowered too when there are so many shows that are already empowering to boys.

 

And it's not like the show presents males as lesser, it just doesn't spend as much time focusing on them.

 

Lauren Faust's vision of the show was to take away gender stereotypes of the cookie-cutter female character. The whole point is that there's no right or wrong way to be a girl... but I'd really like for this same philosophy to cross the gender binary entirely. There's no right or wrong way to be a human being, regardless of gender.

 

Personally, I would love to see a well-rounded male character on the show. It's not at all because I think males need a role model. In all honesty, I find the mane six to be excellent role models, even though that crosses the gender binary. So, it's not because of that.

 

It's because I think the show might give little girls the wrong idea about men. Snips and Snails are complete idiots, Spike is the brunt of jokes, and characters like Discord are just... evil. There isn't a single male character that the mane six really interact with. The closest we have is Shining Armor, but he's pretty minor. A Twilight and Shining Armor brother/sister episode would be amazing. I don't think it would be a waste of time at all.

 

If not that, I think it would be amazing if we could see some more character development with Spike, Big Mac, or another stallion. I don't want MLP to foster the same sort of "us vs them" mentality that @ seems to have. I have a dream that generations beyond ours will be judged not by their gender, but by the content of their character. MLP actually makes huge leaps toward achieving this goal, but I think developing a male character, if done correctly, could add tremendously to that.

 

So yes, it is entirely about segregation.

[Darker 1,351]

They're obvious stereotypes, You left the best male in the show, though.

 

Big Mac:- Eeyup.

[duidamasterXD 9,626]

I think Spike is a very good role model. He's very mature for his age, he's reliable and always happy to help out whether you need emotional support or something so small as an extra pair of claws, and he does it without expecting anything in return. He also thinks about and questions his place in society, and even learns some pretty mature and useful lessons along the way. And then he'll pig out on ice cream or give people obviously evil books, but he's a kid and I cut him some slack. Spike's a bro through and through, and I think he's one of the more admirable main characters.

[Nulln 754]

 

"Lauren Faust's vision of the show was to take away gender stereotypes of the cookie-cutter female character. The whole point is that there's no right or wrong way to be a girl.."

Exactly what the show is about.  There's absolutely no reason to change it, just because boys don't think it's 'boy' enough for them.

 

"It's because I think the show might give little girls the wrong idea about men. Snips and Snails are complete idiots, Spike is the brunt of jokes, and characters like Discord are just... evil."

Sounds like the right idea to me.

 

"So yes, it is entirely about segregation."

The only segregation i see is guys trying to take away the only show girls can actually feel empowered by, due to the nonsense that men need MORE empowerment.

 

"but I'd really like for this same philosophy to cross the gender binary entirely. There's no right or wrong way to be a human being, regardless of gender."

If you honestly want role models and don't care about their gender, then this wouldn't even be an issue, so obviously you don't want that.

Edited September 19, 2014 by ScumCandy

[Gernia 690]

I think the males are generally portrayed well without being seriously degraded, and as many other people have pointed out, it's a female-focused show, so you should expect there to be more attention around the females as well as a higher number of prominent females. Besides, males like myself can have a female character to look up to or identify with. We don't necessarily need to always have a male character for that.

 

As long as the males are well-written, which I feel they generally are in this show, then there is no reason to complain about male gender roles or how they are represented.

[Mand'alor Dash 2,224]

I'm going to say "No" to the idea of adding "male role models" to MLP.

 

Not because it's "a girl's show," and that the presence of any sort of testosterone would corrupt its sanctity. Not because of any "sexism, rabble rabble." Not because there are plenty of strong male role models in other places in media (the same of which can be said about females). But simply because I have no interest in furthering the concept of tokenism in any sort of media.

 

We shouldn't add different types of people in our works just to fill a quota. We don't need a man quota, a woman quota, a black quota, a white quota, an asian quota, a jewish quota, a methodist quota, a pastafarian quota, a gay quota, a straight quota, a platypus quota, a cactus quota, a chupacabra quota, a wookiee quota, or a sea urchin quota. Writers create characters' appearances and traits based on their personal visions. Good writers follow these visions independent of demographic biases, and add characters as they suit the story.

 

MLP, thusfar, has not called for any "strong male role models" in the course of its run. Lauren Faust envisioned all six (nine, if you count the CMC, and 11 if you count the princesses) main characters as female, and wrote them as such. Adding in more (male) characters to said cast just to say that we have them is retarded.

[Stellafera 3,835]

I think Spike is a very good role model. He's very mature for his age, he's reliable and always happy to help out whether you need emotional support or something so small as an extra pair of claws, and he does it without expecting anything in return. He also thinks about and questions his place in society, and even learns some pretty mature and useful lessons along the way. And then he'll pig out on ice cream or give people obviously evil books, but he's a kid and I cut him some slack. Spike's a bro through and through, and I think he's one of the more admirable main characters.

 

Yeah, can we talk about this? People keep mentioning Big Mac and Fancy Pants as the dudes of the show... but what about Spike, who is a MAIN CHARACTER and has been developed throughout the series and has MULTIPLE EPISODES of him confronting his own issues?

 

ahem

 

Maybe he felt a little bit like "the one guy" in Season 1, but he's developed extensively since then and is one of my favorites. He's greedy and immature at times, but that's because he's treated like a character rather than as a token male. Discord, too, in recent times.

 

There's so many girls in MLP of so many personalities that the idea that they're all "female role models" is weird to me. What, would I not be able to appreciate the elements of Harmony if they were held by dudes? Introduce more male characters, fine, but not out of an idea that boys can't learn from female characters and need their ponies to be 'just like them' to identify. 

[Orablanco Account 3,706]

Pretty sure everyone else has said something similar, but I think you're sort of cherry-picking the worst qualities of a kid who saved an entire nation from enslavement, the captain of the royal guard, and...wait, what?

 

 

 

Discord: He represents chaos of course, but also showing males as being unpredictable, crazy and untrustworthy.

 

Discord wasn't written to be a model of anything. At all. You know not every character is suppose to be a model of something, right? Like, Rakin Bass wasn't trying to convince us all Germans were evil toy-hating fatsos when they created the Burgermeister Meisterburger.

 

 

 

There's so many girls in MLP of so many personalities that the idea that they're all "female role models" is weird to me.

 

Yeah, what he said.

 

Why can't boys use girl characters as role models? The Mane Six are clever, accomplished, are constantly trying to grow and become better, and they kick ass. Any kid would be lucky to have that as a role model, boy or girl. As long as the show isn't saying girls are better than boys, which it has never done, than who cares?

Edited September 19, 2014 by CITRUS KING46

[Admiral Regulus 2,769]

I think the males are generally portrayed well without being seriously degraded, and as many other people have pointed out, it's a female-focused show, so you should expect there to be more attention around the females as well as a higher number of prominent females. Besides, males like myself can have a female character to look up to or identify with. We don't necessarily need to always have a male character for that.

 

As long as the males are well-written, which I feel they generally are in this show, then there is no reason to complain about male gender roles or how they are represented.

 

Dragon Quest was a rather degrading episode; I think that one could have been handled a little differently. Aside from that, though, I really don't have any complaints. I'm not the one who started this thread, lol.

 

If you honestly want role models and don't care about their gender, then this wouldn't even be an issue, so obviously you don't want that.

 

I never said males need a role model in the show. In fact, I said the mane six provide good role models for myself, and I just happen to be male. In all honesty, I look up to Twilight as a role model; I strive to be like her, even though she's a girl and I'm not. I'm not ashamed to admit that, and I likely never will be.

 

As I already stated, the reason why I'd like to see more development in a male character is so little girls don't grow up hating men, like many women today do.  That's what I was getting at—and I said that because I think it's important that women see themselves as being no different from their male counterparts, and vice versa. But since you're not willing to listen to me, I'm not going to elaborate any further. I'd say more, but I'm sure you're not going to read something a stupid, overbearing male like me would write.

[Nulln 754]

 

As I already stated, the reason why I'd like to see more development in a male character is so little girls don't grow up hating men, like many women today do.  That's what I was getting at—and I said that because I think it's important that women see themselves as being no different from their male counterparts, and vice versa. But since you're not willing to listen to me, I'm not going to elaborate any further. I'd say more, but I'm sure you're not going to read something a stupid, overbearing male like me would write.

If girls hate men, it's not from my little pony, trust me.  it's from experiences in life with real men.  

[Admiral Regulus 2,769]

If girls hate men, it's not from my little pony, trust me.  it's from experiences in life with real men.  

 

It seems that a lot of people do have that attitude, yes. Pardon my language, but boys think all girls are bitches, and girls think all guys are dicks. I hear it all the time, and it gets old really quickly. Please, can't we just stop that nonsense? We're all human, here.

 

That's why I think it would help if we can tear down this notion of "girls shows" and "boys shows," and have well developed male and female characters in every show. But, hey, maybe I'm just being a little too idealistic.

Edited September 19, 2014 by Regulus

[Nulln 754]

It seems that a lot of people do have that attitude, yes. Pardon my language, but boys think all girls are bitches, and girls think all guys are dicks. I hear it all the time, and it gets old really quickly. Please, can't we just stop that nonsense? We're all human, here.

 

That's why I think it would help if we can tear down this notion of "girls shows" and "boys shows," and have well developed male and female characters in every show. But, hey, maybe I'm just being a little too idealistic.

If boys think all girls are bitches, then they ARE dicks.

 

The point of 'girl shows' is because of boys shows.  it's something for girls to relate to in such a man-dominated world.  How can you not see that?

[Mand'alor Dash 2,224]

If girls hate men, it's not from my little pony, trust me.  it's from experiences in life with real men.  

If girls hate men, it's from ridiculous prejudices that have zero relevance in the real world.

 

Hating an entire gender, half the human fucking race, for any reason at all, is idiotic.

[Nulln 754]

If girls hate men, it's from ridiculous prejudices that have zero relevance in the real world.

 

Hating an entire gender, half the human fucking race, for any reason at all, is idiotic.

If you got stung by every bee that got near you, you'd probably stay away from bees.