What makes the MLP:FiM fandom stand out from other fandoms?

[Odyssey 5,718]

Lately I've been seeing too much hatred towards fandoms, especially the MLP:FiM. Sure, there are some people who can be idiots, but really, what are you expecting? Every fandom is going to have negativity, shipping wars, etc., in them. Why remember the bad things only in the MLP:FiM fandom when its just going to create even more nasty generalisations?

 

It's a shame too, as I want to remember this fandom positively. Not everything is in black and white, either. Yeah, some things like the analysis, fan art or music aren't flawless, but at least the people who create this sort of stuff are getting enjoyment out of it. You can't expect for everybody to be annoying fanboys 24/7.

 

So what makes the MLP:FiM fandom stand out from others? Why do people make such a big deal out of it even though, in reality, it's just like any other fandom?

[ThatOneComrade 1,091]

I think it's because it goes against social norms. Take the "SuperWhoLock" fandom for example. For those three shows, it's masculine-friendly, with stories that are cool enough for both genders to enjoy. In MLP, it's feminine-friendly, with stories that are cool enough for both genders to enjoy. The common social attitude is girls can like things that are deemed as masculine, but not vice-versa. The MLP fandom, as far as I know, is the only one to break this trend. Boys liking a show for girls?! That turns society's thought process upside down. This fandom's existence suggests a change in that thought process, and people don't like change. Often times people are threatened by it. They try whatever they can to smolder that change from growing, hence the backlash.

[Dark Qiviut 22,500]

I'm not sure. I think the reasons for this are as follows:

1. This fandom is based of a really feminine show, and it's a fandom that's really grown exponentially.
2. Going into the "feminine" concept, this is a fandom that, whether you like it or not, actively goes against social norms. No, boys/men liking a pro-feminist show isn't just it. (There's a gigantic difference between "boys/men liking a pro-feminist/feminine show" and "boys/men liking a little girls' show"!) The other is how it's a feminine show in the West that is factually good. MLP has a history of embracing or accentuating girly stereotypes that damaged the animation industry. This is the first time that MLP has a generation in which its animation quality can be great and not feel so dated most of the time.

Edited January 31, 2015 by Old King Q

[Noei 718]

There are people who want to make fun of others and to not look look stupid at the same time.

 

Most of their arguments are excuses to give them more right in critizing the fandom.

 

If Mlp wasn't targeret for female audiences at first , Bronies would probably never get so much hate.

Edited January 31, 2015 by Monsieur Noel

[Lisa 5,553]

Probably because the thought of a fandom based on a show meant for the younger, feminine audience sounds outlandish and is easy to criticise for being "pathetic" or "gay." 

[Po-Nonimous 583]

MLP Forums is one of the few sites that I know of on the Internet that represents the real fandom, the genuine article. The majority of so-called MLP/FIM fansites that I've come across are really nothing more than thinly disguised furry sites full of pervs, freaks and trolls.

 

It's those trolls, unfortunately, who've been responsible for spamming the Internet with all kinds of truly horrific and horrible stuff thus tarnishing the reputations of the MLP/FIM fandom.

 

Unfortunately, it's the troll posts that the general public sees most of and, so, they're left with the false impression that the majority of the fandom is made up of selfish, perverted, disgusting little manboys who have nothing better to do than try to ruin everyone's day.

 

If the general public knew the reality, the truth of this fandom then I'm sure they'd completely change their minds.

 

For example, if they knew just how much like a family we all are then, I think, they'd definitely respect that. I certainly do!

 

Hopefully, the trolls will disappear over time and the hate will fade and, maybe... Just maybe... One of these days will get to see us all as we really are.

 

               "Trolls make Derpy sad!"

 

        "I know! Let's give them muffins!"

[Admiral Regulus 2,769]

I'm actually tempted to say there's nothing special about this fandom at all.

 

There, I said it. Am I right, or am I right?

[TubeSock2018 325]

Well...

Partly, yeah, it's the girly thing.

But...hmm...

It was what you could call "the perfect storm".

 

First, the mlp fandom exploded. Boom. Bronies up the wazoo.

Second, Bronies are extremely passionate (like many fandoms).

Third, ponies are relatively easy to draw. They all look similar minus some small changes in eyes and mane. This led to the ponification of everything from how easy it was. You can't who-ify or poke-fy as easily as ponifing.

 

Mix these all together and you got

A super popular, always in your face fandom.

The result? Annoyed individuals. It's like a popular song. You start to hate it. Especially if you didn't like it from the beginning.

So all this negative sentiment, mix in the "weirdness" of it, and we're still missing one ingredient.

The cringe factor.

Dating sites for Bronies with weird commercials. Clop. Etc, mixed with already negative sentiment leads to even greater negative sentiment. It's bad enough that we're watching a show for girls, but we have, in the eyes of many, defiled it.

 

So basically, it was a bunch of little things that many fandoms exhibit, built up and viola, you have a fandom that, no matter how hard you try, will always be met with annoyance and dislike.

Edited January 31, 2015 by pollo20x6

[zombienixon 330]

I'd say it stands out more for being the easiest target, being a girls show with the majority of the teenage/adult fans being male.  And we've all been acquainted well enough with reality TV to know that the general public loves "gawk at the freaks" kind of shows, because people like to feel superior to one another. 

 

Beyond that, I don't really know any fandom associated with one show that has it's own music scene. Don't know how that happened.

[CC_Maud_Pie 6,431]

- It defies social norms and gender expectations

 

- Based on a children's show

 

- Started from the internet

 

- Took over the internet

 

- Fans are usually fans of FiM instead of the whole Hasbro toy franchise

[Mantza 29]

We have such a nice and lovely fandom. I guess we don't fight that much too. ^3^

[Pinkie-Guy 563]

We have such a nice and lovely fandom. I guess we don't fight that much too. ^3^

I've seen people arguing, but then they actually make up.  It's really nice and I doubt it's a common feature on forums in general.

[Shanks 10,816]

-The brony fandom is not the only one to get hate but it is the only one I am aware of where people will automatically assume someone is a gay or a pedophile just for being a part of it and I don't just mean trolls who will just use those as cheap insults.

 

-The brony fandom is the only one I am aware of that has such a significant portion of it that is obsessed with what people jack off to, that is really one of the things that irritates me about this fandom is the insane amount of white knights.

 

-It has made a lot of people question the arbitrary gender roles in society which has been met with some resistance which is one of the main reasons for the assumptions of homosexuality and pedophilia.

[KatonRyu 1,033]

Many of us are grown men who watch a cartoon meant for little girls. Some of those men identify very strongly with the show and that gives others cause to shower us with hate. There's a lot of people who don't understand why we like the show so much, because they can't get past the name and remain stuck in whatever image from the 80s they have by that.

 

Other than that I think there's plenty of fandoms that receive as much hate, if not more, as we do. Those haters are simply less vocal about it,

[TerribilisScriptor 107]

PROBABLY the MASSIVE ammounts of content bronys are creating. for it beeing so younge it has produced that is easily comparable to older fandoms like the pony fandom.

[Guest]

Nothing really. It exhibits all the behaviors of other large fandoms, fanart, music, fan content, etc. It's all literally the same stuff, and it's not really "unique" in that capacity. Even being based upon a girl's show isn't exactly setting it apart because that has happened before too. As far as going against social norms... Ehhhh I wouldn't say bronies exactly go so against them... A lot of bronies still hold double standards about homosexuality, and segregate women in the fanbase. They merely give the illusion of being all-inclusive in this fandom, when in reality this fandom isn't as inclusive as it would like to be believed.

 

I've been shooed away from many sites simply for not being a big enough fan. I've had plenty of friends who were alienated for being female, and plenty of females who were harassed by men in the fandom. It has all the same problems of any other fandom, and isn't really anymore inclusive or friendly than any other fandom. That's not to say that it's the worst fandom or anything, just that it's not really unique in any capacity.

[Tapfire 92]

Hmm... first let's address the obvious. This mare:

 

 

Next, the fandoms acceptance of new members. Anyone can be a brony, whether they're a boy, girl, other, no matter their race or if they're an alien or whatever they are accepted and made welcome. No fandom I've seen has met that level of acceptance.

 

Also, the amazing media the show produces. Look at the image above. That isn't my work (I'm nowhere near that good.) but the signiature of the amazing person who made this as well as a link to the post I found it in is there. (http://midnight-blitzz.tumblr.com/post/103039808817/oh-derpy-you-cant-eat-your-oh-nevermind)

That, in my opinion, looks amazing. And it's one of so many more. Look on MLPForums in the requests section- hundreds of amazing artists submitting their work and accepting requests too! And not only art, amazing music is posted every day to pony.fm and youtube, and fimfiction.com as well as the rp sections has some amazing storytelling inside.

 

That's 2 of many reasons why this community

 

 

 

[Discordian 6,015]

Hmm... first let's address the obvious. This mare:

 

 

Next, the fandoms acceptance of new members. Anyone can be a brony, whether they're a boy, girl, other, no matter their race or if they're an alien or whatever they are accepted and made welcome. No fandom I've seen has met that level of acceptance.

 

Also, the amazing media the show produces. Look at the image above. That isn't my work (I'm nowhere near that good.) but the signiature of the amazing person who made this as well as a link to the post I found it in is there. (http://midnight-blitzz.tumblr.com/post/103039808817/oh-derpy-you-cant-eat-your-oh-nevermind)

That, in my opinion, looks amazing. And it's one of so many more. Look on MLPForums in the requests section- hundreds of amazing artists submitting their work and accepting requests too! And not only art, amazing music is posted every day to pony.fm and youtube, and fimfiction.com as well as the rp sections has some amazing storytelling inside.

 

That's 2 of many reasons why this community

You'd be wrong. The gaming community generally has no rules. You'll get your elite groups but for the most part it doesn't matter who or what you are in the world. Gaming is for everyone.

 

---

 

This fandom is not special in any way. Most of what's mentioned in this topic are unique traits of it but it's not any of it makes the fandom stand out. You get the same type of people, with the same types of attitudes and hobbies, as every other fandom. We're a collection of people. Not an exclusive club.

[Megas 27,897]

Eh, to me it's just like every other fandom. I mean, one thing that stands out is that it's a fandom that has a large male following for a show aimed at girls. Even then, to echo what Key Sharkz said, it's not exactly the first, as there were also fairly big male fanbases for stuff like Sailor Moon, Cardcaptors, Kim Possible, and etc. The only thing that really makes it stand out is that MLP didn't become a hit until FiM, before it was just another toy-line for Hasbro.

 

 

As for negative attitudes, again, some people find guys liking girls franchises like MLP weird, especially since it doesn't have the notoriety of starting strong like SM, CC, or KP did.

 

Then there are people who dislike fans because of personal experience. Again, like every fanbase that gets ridiculously huge, fandoms will undoubtedly get there share of bad apples, and FiM is no exception. Unfortunately, especially for people like me who have a tendency to be cynical as far as fandoms are concern, people are prone to see the negatives of something more, and often judge fandoms based on those negatives. Someone has terrible experiences with certain fans and will harbor negative feelings based on those whatever experiences they were. It's unfair to judge entire fandoms based on bad experiences I know, but it's bound to happen, especially with a fandom as big as this.

 

As for me, I admittedly have some pretty negative feelings towards the fandom, but I still try see that there's just as many bright spots as there are dark corners

[[NULL] 907]

Where to begin?

 

- The mindless crossovers with little to no cohesion. There's no clever rhyme or reason to most of these crossovers, other than to say "Hey, I like MLP and ______! I'm a special snowflake!"

- The unquestioning back patting yes men that take up most of the fandom.

- The constant meme spouting, treating insignificant things such as Derpy like the coming of christ. Among other memes:

Sure it may trigger a release of dopamine for many fans, but to everyone else it just becomes increasingly annoying.

- The over-analysis of trivial things in show, such as figuring out what type of fabric Rarity uses. If I were telling this to anyone outside the fandom, I'd have to explain that I'm not joking.

- Many fans believe that everyone is out to get them. For instance, several fans were paranoid that the unicorn on Gravity Falls was a malicious attack on the fandom. Whenever there's a news report on the fandom, the response is usually "Wow, I'm so glad we were put in a positive light!" And it's rare that there's a day where I don't stumble across MLP fans being paranoid about haters, or long-winded explanations on why the fanbase is so great and progressive. But I guess it would be naive of me to think otherwise. Putting the blame on others "fearing what they don't understand" is more convenient than taking personal responsibility.

 

And before someone says "But not all fans are like this! It's the vocal minority! All fanbases have these probelms!", I'm a fan of many things, but these problems aren't nearly as frequent as they are in the MLP fandom. The occurrences of these issues are very few and far between in other fanbases. But here? I see these problems all the time with MLP fans.

Edited September 9, 2015 by SpaceOnion

[Yufery 205]

In my honest opinion, it's just like any other fandom. It has it's good, and it has it's bad. However, it isn't the first show to be targeted to girls that has a larger audience.

 

In my eyes, Powerpuff Girls is one of the pioneers for that. It still has a fandom that's still strong to this day, and it still, in the end, did seem to be targeted towards girls, or was at least viewed as a feminine show.

 

However, I will say that the MLP:FiM fandom helped popularize it even more, to the point where it's become normal in the Internet culture, as well as beginning to work its way into modern society. Not to mention the fact that there will most likely be more shows like it, with the later generations of MLP going to attempt to appeal to the larger audience, as well as other shows trying to use it's formula.

 

But anyways, it's just like any other fandom, or at least in my eyes. You have the AMV (or in this case PMV) makers, the artists, the musicians, and so on. The only reason it's viewed on as bad is because the Internet likes to target certain fandoms at a time. It's not like the MLP fandom is the only one to suffer this treatment, I mean look at the FNaF fandom, or the Sonic fandom, or even the furry fandom. All of those are popular to dislike. As for a reason to why, well I have a few ideas for it in mind.

 

People tend to put their opinions in front of any logical reasoning, which affects their viewpoints on certain things. This is what fuels that toxic minority of our large community. However, people outside the community have this to, and well you always see them complaining about how 'horrible' this community is, while being a complete bigot. They fail to see the fact that this community (and the aforementioned ones) are just like any other, and the only look at the bad.

 

Another reason is because people don't understand the popularity of the show, or just don't like it. This sort of ties in with the previous reasoning, so just consider it an add on to that. Anyways, people who dislike the show itself or are just neutral on it tend to judge an entire group of people just because they don't understand it.However, that isn't to say there aren't people who don't care for the show but don't judge the fandom, but I digress.

 

I also should mention stereotyping. There's people who had bad run ins with the toxic fans, and judge the entire fandom based on a few bad eggs, which also isn't the right way to go.

 

I could go on and on about this, but I think you get the point.

 

tl;dr: A lot of people are bigoted and completely over exaggerate on how 'bad' the entire fandom is. They also tend to stereotype everyone who's a part of it because of a few run ins with some bad eggs. Also, to answer the original question, nothing much really, it's just like any other fandom in my eyes.

 

Although take everything I said with a grain of salt, since it's just my opinion, really.

 

Edit: Wow, I got so into my rant I forgot about the original question! My bad!

Edited September 9, 2015 by Yufery

[Guest]

 

 

Next, the fandoms acceptance of new members.

 

 

Not so much anymore. This fandom used to be a LOT more accepting when it was smaller, but now it seems to have become a bit more selective in that anyone who looks at things with an objective eye and not just praises all things brony get a lot of flak. I am included in that group. This fandom has a low level of tolerance for critics, non-enthusiasts, anyone not calling themselves a brony, or just anyone with an unpopular opinion. The double standards I have witnessed in the 5 years of being here are insane, even on major sites like Equestria Daily. Bronies are especially unaccepting of women I've noticed. Many women have complained that they do not like how bronies speak for them, try and tell them that they are safe in this fandom when it's not true.

 

So many freakin' horror stories of girls at conventions getting harassed by men. Bronies seem to avidly believe in the "nice guy" rule book in that if you are "nice" to a girl, she should become your girlfriend. Many bronies still believe in the friend zone. This fandom is not the safest place for everyone. If you are offended by porn, this fandom is also not a good place for you as it has some of the highest porn output and is one of the few fandoms that will DEFEND the porn to the nth degree. Most fandoms I've encountered make zero excuses for the porn beyond "yeah, it sucks. We try and get it the hell out of here when it happens" but bronies will defend it, and even blame people for being exposed to it. This is a fandom where you are not allowed to criticize fetishes at all even when people are openly discussing them in places that are supposed to be kept PG or PG13. I have moderated brony sites and I have had people fight me because they wanted to porn flat out porn and didn't care about the younger users or the users that it makes uncomfortable.

 

 

 

No fandom I've seen has met that level of acceptance.

 

Ironically as much as people hate it, I would wager that the Homestuck fandom is probably one of the most accepting. They accept everyone and when people criticize their fandom they more or less shrug it off.

 

 

 

hundreds of amazing artists

 

That's actually another bone I have to pick: I have never encountered a fandom with as many stuck up artists as this one. I swear this is the only time I have ever seen people who expected people to pay up front, give no progress updates and expect customers to legitimately just wait until they get something done with no estimated time of delivery and if a customer complains fans will attack them. I have encountered some of the most unprofessional artists in my entire time on the internet in the brony fandom. Thankfully no one here, but still it's nuts.

 

 

 

there were also fairly big

 

Gattai has more or less spoken the magic words to this formula. "fairly big". When fandoms grow, quality has a tendency to decline because mentality changes. In the early days of bronies people were more selective towards behavior. They discouraged bad behavior and poor quality content because they didn't want to give the world the impression that it was a bad fandom and ward people away from it. After they got big though, they get so many new people every day that it's a matter of "eh, who cares, we'll still have people". As fandoms swell, the amount of people moderating that fandom drops because a lot of them get sick of the bullcrap.

 

This phenomenon is far from exclusive to bronies. Any fandom that grows generally reaches an apex which is usually followed by an explosion of fans leaving and the fandom will return to being niche again or die off. The best times for most fandoms are usually within the first few years of their creation. I remember the brony fandom back in 2010-2012, I can say without a doubt that I felt it was the best time for the fandom. People didn't have:

 

 

 

"But not all fans are like this! It's the vocal minority! All fanbases have these probelms!"

 

 

This mentality. Back then people actually cared what others thought of the fandom and did their best to coach people into not behaving in a manner that was deplorable. We encouraged people to keep their clop in their NSFW folders and not discuss it on sites intended for a PG or PG13 audience. I remember reading fanfiction back then and people actually asking for critique and following it. Hell back then Equestria Daily would personally respond to your submission with critique and advice on how to improve your stories and they were actually pretty helpful!

 

We didn't glorify the same "big contributors" to the fandom and gave even the little guys a chance.

 

Most important though we didn't rush to defend the brony name every time it was criticized, even by one of our own. In fact we discouraged people from flipping out when people were criticized.

[Justin_Case001 4,907]

I'm actually tempted to say there's nothing special about this fandom at all.

 

There, I said it. Am I right, or am I right?

Well, there is and there isn't.  In and of itself, on its own, this community is just a bunch of folks that like a pony show, which makes it nothing special, no better, and no worse than any other fandom.  It's great to celebrate what you love, but that doesn't inherently make the fandom more special than any other.  But it's the response to the hate that makes it stand out, in my opinion.  When a group is hated on, it will naturally make the group want to rise above the hate and speak out in defiance.  It's like LGBT issues--it really shouldn't be a big deal.  Take being gay for example.  It's just what you're attracted to.  It shouldn't even make news, ideally speaking.  If someone is hetero, it doesn't make news.  A hetero person doesn't have to "come out" to their friends, family, and the world.  In an ideal world, homosexuality would be no different.  But it is different, specifically because of the hate.  So, in response, you have the parades and pride events, and it becomes courageous to be openly gay.  The fact that responses to brony issues are often of the same magnitude as those to LGBT issues is mindbogglingly ludicrous, but often true.  So, because of the opposition, it makes it a big deal for the brony community to stand proudly and openly defy gender roles and try to change society's mindset.  That's part of what makes it special and stand out.  It really shouldn't be special in that way, as in it shouldn't have to be, but it is.

 

If there was never any hatred of any group, then no one would ever have to be courageous and strong, and rise above it.  But if we lived in an ideal world like that, then we could become courageous and strong for better reasons, and put our energy into things that really matter.

[Shanks 10,816]

So many freakin' horror stories of girls at conventions getting harassed by men. Bronies seem to avidly believe in the "nice guy" rule book in that if you are "nice" to a girl, she should become your girlfriend. Many bronies still believe in the friend zone. 

I don't deny that this will sometimes happen, but one question I have is is this really so much more common among bronies or does this simply get more attention if it involves bronies engaging in said misbehavior due to societies rather dickish view of bronies being over man children basement dwelling neckbeards? I think it is a fair question that asking dosen't excuse said behavior when it happens but it seems like when bronies do something bad they are criticized it seems like "that is bronies for ya" when people in other fandoms misbehave in a similar manner people usually think "that guy is a jerk/creep" and don't usually pay much attention to whatever fandom they are associated with.

 

Expecting everyone to be perfectly behaved at all times is unrealistic and I really wish people would stop expecting that, I am not saying bad behavior should be justified but only that people should recognize that fandoms have human beings and some of those human beings may be a tad unsavory. The only person people can control are themselves, it is that simple.

 

 

 

Most fandoms I've encountered make zero excuses for the porn beyond "yeah, it sucks. We try and get it the hell out of here when it happens" but bronies will defend it, and even blame people for being exposed to it. This is a fandom where you are not allowed to criticize fetishes at all even when people are openly discussing them in places that are supposed to be kept PG or PG13. I have moderated brony sites and I have had people fight me because they wanted to porn flat out porn and didn't care about the younger users or the users that it makes uncomfortable.

It is easy to make "zero excuses" when the porn is not a huge controversy to begin with and "we get it the hell out of here when it happens" seems to apply more to porn where it dosen't belong which is actually a rather understandable reaction to it, I am a huge fan of R34 and I don't like when it gets posted where it dosen't belong either. The only reason why it gets "defended to nth degree" like you said is because unlike most other fandoms in the MLP fandom for some reason it is a huge deal. The irony is the critics actually make a much bigger deal about it than the people who defend it do.

 

 

 

This mentality. Back then people actually cared what others thought of the fandom and did their best to coach people into not behaving in a manner that was deplorable. We encouraged people to keep their clop in their NSFW folders and not discuss it on sites intended for a PG or PG13 audience.

Not having NSFW material where it dosen't belong is reasonable, but the question I have to ask is exactly why should we give a damn what others think about the fandom? Some people are going to hate bronies no matter what and ironically this obsession with image is causing more people to hate bronies so what is the point? I learned years ago that caring what others think is pointless and only leads to misery. This insistence on caring what others think makes bronies sound like a cult.

[Guest]

 

 

I don't deny that this will sometimes happen, but one question I have is is this really so much more common among bronies or does this simply get more attention if it involves bronies engaging in said misbehavior due to societies rather dickish view of bronies being over man children basement dwelling neckbeards?

 

I can honestly say that while this fandom is not the worst offender, it definitely is an offender. I don't think any of us can deny we've seen it first hand on sites if we've frequented them before. I'm not trying to say this is the worst fandom in the world, but it definitely likes to see itself better than it actually is. 

 

 

 

I think it is a fair question that asking dosen't excuse said behavior when it happens but it seems like when bronies do something bad they are criticized it seems like "that is bronies for ya" when people in other fandoms misbehave in a similar manner people usually think "that guy is a jerk/creep" and don't usually pay much attention to whatever fandom they are associated with.

 

 

All a matter of how frequent it is. I've seen other fandoms where it's just as frequent (furries for example). So yeah sometimes it just reaches a point where people do just go "that's (insert fandom here) for you." but it's usually after a long period of seeing it again and again.

 

 

 

Expecting everyone to be perfectly behaved at all times is unrealistic and I really wish people would stop expecting that, I am not saying bad behavior should be justified but only that people should recognize that fandoms have human beings and some of those human beings may be a tad unsavory. The only person people can control are themselves, it is that simple.

 

I think the issue is people expect good behavior to be more common than bad behavior or bad behavior to just be less common which I would say is a fair expectation.

 

 

 

It is easy to make "zero excuses" when the porn is not a huge controversy to begin with

 

Yeah I will admit that bronies are at a disadvantage there because the porn is of a nature that is taboo to begin with. So yeah they have that working against them out of the gate unfortunately.

 

 

 

he only reason why it gets "defended to nth degree" like you said is because unlike most other fandoms in the MLP fandom for some reason it is a huge deal. The irony is the critics actually make a much bigger deal about it than the people who defend it do.

 

Well I think it's also because people are a little too open about it from time to time. Like they will openly discuss their love for it when porn is something that is more private. I can definitely see why people would make a bigger deal. Life if it was kept that secret that everyone knew was there, but we all just agreed to let it be and not talk about it, it'd probably be given more of a pass. Also the frequency of it factors in. No one can deny that MLP pumps out porn at a higher rate than a lot of fandoms. Maybe not number one, but they are definitely in the top 10, maybe even top 5.

 

 

 

Not having NSFW material where it dosen't belong is reasonable, but the question I have to ask is exactly why should we give a damn what others think about the fandom?

 

I agree 100% on not caring what others say. We agree on this point. Sadly that's not the issue. The issue is that bronies have a tendency to COMPLAIN about people not liking bronies, so if you are going to complain that people don't like you, then you should understand why and do something to change it. If you don't care then you need not even waste a second moaning about it.

 

 

 

Some people are going to hate bronies no matter what and ironically this obsession with image is causing more people to hate bronies so what is the point? I learned years ago that caring what others think is pointless and only leads to misery. This insistence on caring what others think makes bronies sound like a cult.

 

Agreed, sadly bronies are the ones who have created this care about the brony image. Their biggest haters are people that bronies created by caring too much about image. In the beginning it was more about keeping quiet and kindly taking in newcomers without making a spectacle. Problem is that I think no one can deny that bronies WANT to be noticed. They put on big events, they ponify everything, they make a huge deal about being a brony, they have documentaries made about them, they attack people who give them bad reps in the media, they do big bronies for charity events. It's clear that bronies want to get noticed. They want some kind of positive attention, but the problem is that they go about it all wrong.

 

One of the biggest flaws I usually see is that bronies engage in a few activities which they feel negates all the negative attention they get. Commonly I see people bring up "bronies donate a lot to charity" as a defense, like it's some kind of security blanket that shields them from criticism. For starters bronies actually don't donate anymore to charity than a lot of other fandoms out there, and have not raised as much for charity as they like to believe. The cast for Supernatural has done tons of charity events that have generated more for charity than bronies and they don't make a spectacle about it.

 

Charity work does not erase the bad experiences people have with the fandom. It sure as hell doesn't make me forget that I've had death threats made to me over trivial crap when running brony sites. It doesn't make me forget a sex offender who used the brony fandom to gain access to young women and people brushed it under the rug in front of me. It doesn't make me forget how much porn got shoved in my face despite my polite declining of said porn.

 

My experience may not be everyone's, nor are they the majority experience but anyone that tries to tell me that I should just not even think about said experiences and "not judge the fandom as a whole" just because my experiences are not universal are just being dismissive of this crap. You can't tell someone to not judge something based upon their personal experiences when they are so negative. You can't tell me to just be less skeptical of bronies or the brony fandom when they have done these things to me. It's unfair to invalidate someone's experiences just because you don't want to acknowledge that a problem needs addressing.

 

I will say there is one type of brony that I will ALWAYS respect. I have run into a select few that when I tell them my experiences they first start by saying that those experience are unacceptable and should not be happening and had they been present they would have done something. Even if it's just the thought of saying you  do not agree with those experiences and that you would have done something; that counts for a lot to me! THAT is the mentality all bronies should have: when someone says they had a bad experience with the fandom they should be comforting, understanding and not dismissive.

 

Sadly the reality is whenever I bring up these experiences this is usually the list of comments I am FIRST met with:

 

• "Not everyone in the fandom is like that."
• "Don't stereotype the fandom based on a vocal minority."

That's my issue. When the FIRST thing that you think to do is defend the fandom and try to invalidate my experiences, I can not respect you because you're not showing respect for me. You don't convince someone to give you another chance by telling them that their experiences mean nothing. If your first priority is defending the fandom and not comforting an individual who was hurt, then you are part of the reason why people dislike the fandom.

 

That is by far the fandom's BIGGEST problem and honestly if every single person in it adopted this mentality of comforting someone who has had bad experiences I think we'd see a lot of improvements across the board. We need more actual kindness. We need more actual compassion. We need more actual caring, not just more illusions that we are kind, compassionate and caring.