Could Rainbow Dash be a bad influence on children?

[SteveMorison 404]

Rainbow Dash is my favourite character but at times she can be selfish, lazy, arrogant, rude, impatient and narrow minded. Now none of this would be a problem except that despite these flaws she is treated just as much as a protagonist as the rest of the Mane 6. In other shows with similar audiences most characters with those traits are usually an antagonist to some degree and it is made clear that that is not how you should behave in situations. Alot of kids under 5 watch MLP, without trying to sound like an annoying soccermom could they learn the wrong message from RD?

[Megas 27,767]

No, that just means she's flawed, just like a normal person would be

 

She also has just as many pluses that would make for a great role model(loyal, determined, brave, etc.)

Edited March 24, 2015 by Megas75

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,162]

I wouldn't think so. One of the things that makes FiM such a great form of media is that the characters aren't perfect; they have flaws with which they continually have to adapt to and learn to overcome.

 

Dashie can be as you say she is, but she can also be loyal, caring, empathetic, and plenty of other emotions. Likewise characters like Twilight & Rarity have their own faults; so it's not just Rainbow.

[Banul 3,831]

No, making all the characters flawless would be a bad influence on children.

[Shanks 10,816]

I think bland goody goody Mary Sue characters that are often presented to children especially girls are actually far far more damaging than characters like Rainbow Dash who are imperfect but also have plenty of good traits as well. If you assume kids are stupid and can't properly learn the difference between things being portrayed verses things being endorsed than it can become a self fulfilling prophecy Mary Sue characters present an unrealistic and damaging example because nobody can be completely perfect but making characters flawed yet still strive to do their best makes them far more interesting and compelling characters by humanizing them and makes them far far better role models as well. 

[Megachangeling12 109]

Well I wouldn't exactly call Dash a pure bad influence but she's not a pure angel either . So I think it safe to say rude , selfish protagonists like herself along with Discord , Angel bunny and Trixie fall under the protagonist villain catogorey

[I love Jelly Otter 477]

Think she should be excluded from the show.  Bad influence in little kids' show is something that should be avoided!  If your little kid acts weird & annoys you all the time - it's your fault you let him/her watch something as bad as Cailou or Barney the pedosaurus.

Edited March 24, 2015 by I love Jelly Otter

[Ice Fox 1,145]

I don't think so; we often time see Rainbow repromanded for her actions, or NOT behaving as she did is the lesson of an episode.

[Pastel 7,630]

I'm not sure the characters have much influence on the kids watching this show.

Regarding Rainbow Dash, I think it's OK as long as she gets her lesson at the end if she behaved badly in an episode.

I also agree that flawless characters can be a bad influence (but they're not the only ones).

Edited March 24, 2015 by Blobulle

[Moonlight 7,288]

Not really, not any more than any other character in the show. Luna is a much worse influence than Dash could ever hope to be. 

[WriterOnTheRun 25]

Not really, not any more than any other character in the show. Luna is a much worse influence than Dash could ever hope to be.

 

Agreed. She almost KILLED the mane 6 (though a kid show would never show that) and now she is all forgiven and faces barely (besides the 1000 years but I think that Just made her more spitful) any consequences

But Luna still #1 LUNA IS BOSS

[King Sejong 859]

   Sofia the First could be incremental compared to Rainbow Dash, for Sofia the First is a bland, generic Disney princess, an example of the Mary Sue, that bronies seem to revile, Rainbow Dash is a believable character, we can relate to her or know someone like her, she is athletic, bold and motivated to do well, yet she can get overbearing and is prone to disheartening, Sofia on the other hand, is too perfect, she has a good speaking voice, minus personality and back story, her mediocre achievements get rewarded, and her conflict is so easily fixed, there might as well be no story structure, in fact Sofia the First does not even have to be a princess, she appears to have been a Mary Sue before that, so she could have achieve accolades, without becoming a noble, due to her mother marring the king, the story is similar to generation three MLP, in which the visuals and dialogue, replaces the story and plot. I am glad a character like Rainbow Dash exists, she reminds us that we are human, we make mistakes, so we have to resolve those mistakes, in order to mature, as oppose to letting things fix themselves like magic, so Rainbow Dash elevates our humanity, to make us confront the knowledge that we are mortal, for our rewards in life are the ones we achieve on our own, with a little help from our friends, if I need a positive strong female character, Rainbow Dash is at the top.

Edited March 24, 2015 by King Edouard

[veryoriginalponyname 121]

Flawed characters like her are exactly what this show needs. This ain't Barney the Dinosaur's made up fantasy bs after all.

 

 

As much as I despise RainbowDash, I can't say that her behavior could influence children that much.

 

Considering my youngest sister was inspired by her to try out for sports at school, I would hope her influence would be greater. At least IMO.

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,303]

This topic that we've all come together to examine and discuss?  I think any children who might be influenced by Rainbow have already got it figured out.  Entirely without the aid of a Brony forum. x3  Because it makes sense that they would be drawn to Rainbow's most admirable qualities: Her confidence, loyalty, bravery, determination, and strength.  These are desirable qualities, and qualities that any admirer of Rainbow's might want to emulate.

 

But what of her flaws?  Flaws make someone more believable and identifiable.  If a child sees their own flaws in Rainbow Dash, they will also see her overcoming them.  Struggling with a difficult situation or decision but ultimately making the right choice.  If even somepony as awesome as Dashie has flaws, then flaws aren't near enough to define or defeat you.  Perfection isn't identifiable.  Perfection is a lie.  Perfection says that you will never be good enough, and the "perfect" have no room to truly grow.  Flaws mean that you always have room to grow; an opportunity for perpetual self-betterment.

 

Unlike some adult members of this fandom, I bet there are plenty of children out there who are capable of seeing all of Rainbow.  Capable of emulating her best qualities and learning from her mistakes.

Edited March 24, 2015 by Ziggy and Angelbaby

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,331]

Doesn't Rainbow Dash learn her lesson most of the time when she acts in one of these categories? Or is stopped by the other mane six?

 

I've seen jerk characters on the shows I watched growing up. This is tame.

[Ze Ubermage 226]

Yes maybe just a bit. No offense to the rainbow dash fans.

[Eloquence 2,076]

@ pretty much hit the nail on the head. A character who's perfect is impossible to emulate, and a bland one with no personality won't encourage anyone to want to emulate them. If all we did was show children examples of perfect characters who did nothing but be flawless in every way all the time, all it would do is give them inferiority complexes a mile wide.

 

Rainbow Dash is not perfect, but I think she and the rest of the mane six are great role models for little kids and for everyone else.

[Wind Chaser 4,768]

The character development of Rainbow Dash from Season 1 through what she is now is enough to show how far she's come, barring moments where her character is regressed into talking about how "awesome" she is.

 

Originally, I think they avoided casting Dash as Scootaloo's sister for this very reason. However, if you look at the upward trend in her maturity in handling situations in "Hurricane Fluttershy" and "Wonderbolts Academy", you'll see why they relented and finally allowed Rainbow Dash to take Scootaloo on as her surrogate sister in "Sleepless in Ponyville".

 

Rainbow Dash already serves as an inspiration for self-expression, using your talents, and following your dreams, and the progression of her character arc shows that this kind of person can be a great mentor, the kind you need to give you that push to motivate you to do things you never thought you could.

[TheJLeeTeam 914]

Rainbow Dash likes to be cool but being cool can also be selfish. No I think she's a more tame version of Sonic and I'm sure kids will find a person with that kind of personality. It's okay to be cool as long as you aren't arrogant.

[Cloud Strife 928]

Dashie can be as you say she is, but she can also be loyal, caring, empathetic, and plenty of other emotions. Likewise characters like Twilight & Rarity have their own faults; so it's not just Rainbow.

 

This is something I absolutely must emphasize. Rainbow has her faults, but that doesn't mean the other Mane Six don't. Fluttershy has, in one episode, outright insulted two of her friends' reasons for living; wouldn't she be a better candidate for arguing about whether or not a character is a bad influence on children? What of the fact that Twilight's response to deadlines is clearly incredibly unhealthy, or the emotional manipulation that Rarity has pulled on multiple ponies to get what she wants, something that we would not want children to emulate?

 

Rainbow is not any worse or better than the other ponies in the show. If someone is to say she's a bad influence, then all of them are.

[Metallic Strings 185]

My answer would be no.

But characters such as that whine bag caillou

Or Dora the explorer, which teaches kids that running miles into the woods is fun and nothing could go wrong. Shows like these are what kids shouldn't be watching.

[FlutterSleep 39]

^Amen, I was literally going to say the same thing, today's newer cartoons are the stuff that kids shouldn't be watching and as much as I love rainbow dash her portrayal in some episodes if repeated by a child would look bad on her but nobody's perfect.

[airtseuqe 24]

Think she should be excluded from the show.  Bad influence in little kids' show is something that should be avoided!  If your little kid acts weird & annoys you all the time - it's your fault you let him/her watch something as bad as Cailou or Barney the pedosaurus.

Except she isn't a bad influence. She teaches kids about determination and loyalty. Plus a lot of athletic girls can probably relate to her. 

[Sazama Ichida 2,367]

I have to say yes. In episode 1 she almost leaves her friends for a group of complete strangers who she doesn't even know...Seriously, who does that? The Element of Loyalty my ass...And she's also whiny and selfish and conceited. Good role model for kids? I think not...

[Katie Fire 158]

Good role model for kids? I think not...

Are colourful ponies trying to be role models for kids? Surely people should stop relying on TV to be showing role models for their children and do it themselves.

 

(@Asbel Lhant not ranting at your post, I just wanted to quote it to begin this reply)