Has Rainbow Dash really grown out of her selfish attitude?

[ManaMinori 4,143]

And lack of foresight, since season 1? Looking back, I remember that way back in “The Ticket Master”, RD showed just how thoughtless and impulsive she was, by claiming that her reason for wanting the ticket was so that she could go and literally interrupt the Wonderbolt's routine, by showing off and doings stunts of her own, and get everypony to pay attention to HER, rather than the Wonderbolts, who she supposedly idolized. And yet here she's plotting to take their spotlight, while they're trying to perform.

 

I saw this selfish, impulsiveness again in “Daring Don't”, when Rainbow decided to intrude on her other idol's space, without concern for whether or not Daring wanted her around, or with regards to her presence actually hindering the release of the very book she wanted to get sped up in its publication. And again in Season 5, episode 5. I dunno- this recent episode even seems to contradict the growth and lesson learned that RD had in “Wonderbolt academy”, about doing something at the expense of the well-being of other ponies. Seems like Dash put an awful lot of ponies in both Clousdale and Ponyville in danger, herself, once the weather factory started going haywire (somepony could've gotten sucked into the turbines, struck by lightning, had something fall on them, ect), and endangering Ponyvillians who had tons of snow burying them and their homes, their businesses, plant and animal life- how long must have taken to get everypony and animal rescued from under all that snow, and all accounted for?

 

So is RD regressing in growth, regarding her selfishness, lack of foresight, and concern for other ponies? Is she a static character? Or has she grown at all since season 1?

[Fawkes The Phoenix 737]

Of course she has grown as a character. Just ignore last episode.

[Stellafera 3,835]

RD's behavior did stem from a sort of selfishness, but that selfishness stemmed from her deep concern for Tank and her desire to stick by his side. In Wonderbolt Academy, she learnt to say no to ponies she hated -- but she hadn't quite figured out how to say no to things she loved.

 

And that is a pretty consistent trait for her; Dash is always the one to overshoot common sense and others' feelings when she wants something:

 

I WANT A BOOK

BUT I ALSO WANT TO LOOK COOL

BETTER STEAL IT FROM A HOSPITAL

 

It just gets a little more disturbing when what she wants is a living being. RD is really a very needy pony, but doesn't tend to realize it. Episodes like Wonderbolt Academy are stepping stones, but like Fluttershy, progress isn't instant. 

[colt_following 169]

I don't think she's been given enough of a chance to show it

 

- Twilight is much better at communication/social activity (friendship)

- Fluttershy is getting a bit more agressive

- Rarity (I think) is learning to put others before herself. Or something.

- Pinkie is progressing towards understanding responsibility

- AJ is getting lots of lessons... She's generally becoming a stronger, more confident pony (I'd say)

 

Rainbow just seems slower on the process. Maybe this episode will mark her departure from selfishness...

 

[please correct and mark up my post if you think I'm wrong on any point!]

[Abia 258]

Many people have made many posts addressing your points, but in other topics. I'm not going to waste my time rephrasing. Have some quotes. Actually, just two quotes. And one of them is from me. Sorry, I thought I had more.

 

Rainbow's not quite as grounded as Applejack is (or even Twilight, most of the time).  She's grounded at times, but that's mostly when it comes to something she's not interested in.  When she gets riled up, RD tends to make A LOT of mistakes, and the only reason she doesn't make more is because usually her friends are around to keep her levelheaded.  For example, what's the first thing that RD does in the very first episode the second that Nightmare Moon shows up?  She tries to fly right in her face, and would have too if AJ hadn't held her back!

 

Grieving people are selfish. Grief makes people entirely, incredibly self-motivated. Grief in its four first stages does not make someone grateful or enlightened or mature. It makes them a bitch. (Again, generalizing here.)

 

Rainbow Dash is no exception.

 

When you are in pain, you try to make that pain stop. Rainbow Dash was in pain. Did the event at hand warrant a reaction like she had? No, absolutely not. This episode makes me think Rainbow hasn't experienced much emotional pain at all (which fits in with my perception of her as a character, but that's beside the point). In these fields, Rainbow is inexperienced and naive, and thus will react extremely to events other, more experienced people would consider trife.

We (people in my culture, my household, my life as I know it) typically learn about loss in small doses. Slowly we learn to let things go. First it's a toy, then a friend, a pet; we learn to let go gradually so that we can be prepared for the inevitable deaths of our loved ones. This episode makes me think that RD knows very little about loss. She hasn't been through the emotional training required to accept and recover from the (temporary) loss of things she loves.

She meets Tank, and her friends introduce her to the idea of pets. RD learns that pets are companions. So when she has to say goodbye to Tank--perhaps the first constant companion she has ever had--it doesn't matter that it's just for a few months. It may even feel like a betrayal. ("I took care of you when I was sick/injured, and now you're saying you can't handle a little discomfort to make me happy?")

Logic is involved in none of RD's reaction. She hasn't learned about loss yet.

I realize my opinion of RD's development isn't actually clear from this post, so:

Rainbow Dash has developed and learned, but her personality (and those oh-so-obvious flaws in her personality) have remained consistently stubborn.

She's learning, and she's still cultivating her personality.

[UnknownFry 169]

No, but she has improved in some ways, and nothing wrong with falling back habits as well. It is a part of her personality, and ponies just like people have to regress sometimes in order to progress for the greater good.

[WriteCodes46 178]

So is RD regressing in growth, regarding her selfishness, lack of foresight, and concern for other ponies? Is she a static character? Or has she grown at all since season 1?

She can have some episodes where she shows "character development", but the writers can always revert back to her default characterization (AKA "regressing in growth") when it is convenient.

 

At least that's the real life explanation for it.

[ArcheoPony 76]

Taking into account the last episode...no...

[Venomous 18,813]

I see a lottle bit of growth, but not much.

She seems to return to her old ways often.

[BastementSparkle 20,312]

It's not quite that simple though. If you have a character flaw rooted in your personality like that, you don't just get rid of it overnight, one episode, or even multiple episodes might not get rid of it. In reality that personality flaw might be something you have to deal with all of your life.

 

 Dash has definitely improved, she's grown and moved past a lot of her selfishness and arrogance, but that doesn't mean it's gone completely, or that new situations can't bring those traits out. While her feelings and actions were selfish, this situation was different than any we've seen before. She was facing losing somepony...Tortoise, she cared about. Even if only temporarily, that can hurt and be kinda scary, especially if you're not used to it. 

 

 It was a new situation to her, one that brought out some of her worse traits, because she didn't know how to deal with it.

Edited April 26, 2015 by BasementPoneh

[The Awesome One 1,314]

She is better than what she was at the start of the show but only slightly. At least she seems to be living up to her Element though.

[veryoriginalponyname 121]

It's not so much that she's growing out of it, but more so that her reasons for acting that way are becoming a little easier to sympathize with. For me at least. Even if I didn't already unconditionally love RD, I don't think I would've thought to harshly of her for how she acted yesterday. 

[kanashimi purinsesu 244]

Well they do say some old habits die hard so Imo it makes sense that she'll have a bit of a relapse here and now even though she's trying hard to change. Sometimes, it's very easy to fall into old habits ESPECIALLY when you are tempted to do something you really, REALLY want to do. I know that for a fact. It can be hard too for impulsive ponies such as herself that are always looking for ways to be noticed.

 

I still love me some Dashieboo though <3, those little relapses makes her that much more true to life.

[Time Shield 402]

I think RD has grown greatly in her character since season 1, particularly her emotional growth.  However, aside from that growth, she has always been one to act on impulse instead of thinking things through first.  I would consider that not so much as a character flaw, but more as just her general approach to things.

 

Also, one could argue that her cutie mark influences her behavior in this regard.  Lightning never takes time first to consider where it's going to strike; it just does.

[colt_following 169]

My cousin and best friend is a guy who NEVER changes his activity. We've spent 5+ years trying to get him to not act like a fool, which he simply tends to do. He's not ONCE changed.

 

I don't think RD is like that, but I think there are things ingrained in our personality that aren't MEANT to leave. And maybe Rainbow needs to learn her lesson more times than average.

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,152]

I'd say she has, and people highlighting the recent episode as proof of otherwise might be missing a certain complex point here.

 

While it's easy to paint characters in broad strokes, it's unfair as they are complex beings; similar to humans. Like a human Dash just had certain triggers that evoked certain emotional responses that I thought were perfectly reasonable. Just because she was acting selfish doesn't mean she regressed; just the opposite. I see her as growing because it makes her feelings more relatable. People who are quite mature are perfectly capable of being selfish if a certain emotional trigger is hit.

 

Dash is just a complex character in my eyes.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 40,302]

I do think Rainbow has grown as a character, but everyone can still make mistakes, often and for different reasons. In Tanks for the Memories, we saw her being really reckless and selfish in a way, but for a reason that felt different, it was a type of desperation to not 'lose' a beloved friend and companion.

 

Is it still selfishness? Perhaps, but can anyone really blame her in that instance? Her actions and motives for those actions in Tanks for the Memories shows that she is a character with layers and not just a one trick pony so to speak. One of the many reasons I loved the episode.

[Pastel 7,627]

I'm pretty sure Rainbow Dash will always be the way she is right now.

She might have grown up a bit since season 1, but honestly I don't really see it.

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,329]

Well, considering that in the last episode, all her actions were for her pet, I'd say she's grown out of her selfish attitude.

[Troubleshoes Clyde 107]

 

So is RD regressing in growth, regarding her selfishness, lack of foresight, and concern for other ponies? Is she a static character? Or has she grown at all since season 1?

I don't think the Rainbow Dash of Season 5 would go to all that trouble FOR HER PET TORTOISE! Or read her pet tortoise a bedtime story after the tortoise going into hibernation.

[Sazama Ichida 2,352]

Obviously not. And that last episode proves it. Really Rainbow Dash? Your pet is only going to sleep but yet you act like he's dying? Overreacting much? And you want to spend time with him so badly that you think you have to ruin winter for everypony else?

[They call me Loyalty 1,941]

I second this. Whoever said Rainbow dash didn't grow out of her immature stubbornness, can't be more spot on at his/her statement.

Her selfishness knows no bounds, at this rate she'll become the next meany of turn.

Shameful it IS, Shameful I say!

Now back on topic. Her attitude felt quite a little bit too much forced this episode, don't you believe? By the way, was that overly expressive face some kind meme reference?

If it was. No, please. Just no, stop. Have some heart within you, please, your episode was repetitive enough to fill it in with yet another repetitive trend. It's truly nauseating.

Please, it's not even funny. I would rather a society where people speak their heart, instead of posting some overly idiotic looking picture, to somehow express their lack human development, daily frustration, and most of the times toxic behaviours, mostly regarding today's young, social interaction.

Sincerely, I don't know what kind of people you were trying to appeal with such a thing.

[The Awesome One 1,314]

All of the Mane 6 are still a little immature at times. Rainbow Dash could be a real bitch but she has improved greatly and I'd say that she is much less selfish now thanks to the MAGIC OF FRIENDSHIP!

 

yaaaaaay!

[Positively Pinkie 109]

 

Heh.

 

I don't think she's been all that selfish. Self-centered is something I think she's more like. (there's cases where she does seem to think she's the most awesome thing on Equestria) And I don't think she'll ever grow out of it. I hope not, it's one of the reasons she's such a fun character.

 

I do think stuff has shifted a bunch for her. In season 1 she was all about the Wonderbolts and practising stunts to impress them. Now she just feels a lot more mature and her fanmoments about the Wonderbolts are restricted to occasional scenes.