Here's a thought: We are both the greatest and the worst fandom of all time.

[TheAnimatorOfficial 567]

What I mean by this is that it feels like no fandom has sparked as much talk than the MLP fandom, for the better or the worse.

 

For example, we have created masterpiece fan fictions but at the same time have created such vulgar and tasteless content.

[1111 1,284]

There's a lot of great things about the fandom, but I don't like how we have that make it some thing more then it really is side. 

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,657]

I actually agree with this, but for different reasons.

 

I think we are definitely one of the best fandoms ever, because not only did we give such a great show as this the popularity it deserves, we also are a breakthrough in gender roles in the media. To some extent at least. That cannot be denied and I find that to be wonderful. 

 

Now, for the worst aspect, the 'vulgar and tasteless content' doesn't bother me, that is in all fandoms. What bothers me, is how arrogant this fandom can be. Sometimes I will see bronies act all elitist just because they are in this fandom and they will even belittle their fellow fans because they don't do this or that or something they do is not up to THEIR standards. Then we have bronies that act like they are so much better than Hasbro, DHX and all of those involved in the show. I cannot stand that. Then there is the aspect where this fandom seems to pressure itself constantly with having to be famous or special or talented or whatever.

 

This fandom has many positives but also many, many negatives.

[aoEAF2FBvC0MIo2Q 3,673]

For every awesome piece of artwork, there is a dozen more pieces of filth.

Fer every best friend you make in this fandom, there is a legion of self-centered, self-righteous half-wits that make you wonder why you're still in this fandom.

[SynBassilicious Pony 322]

....................

Edited January 30, 2023 by SynBassilicious Pony

[Mesme Rize 15,685]

It bothers me because "that's in all fandoms" seems like an excuse that gets repeated many times.

 

When negative aspects of the MLP fandom are pointed out, most simply say "but all fandoms are like that".  It is nothing more than a poor attempt to justify the questionable actions done by some MLP fans.

 

It's the equivalent of going to a website that is advertised as being friendly and safe, but actually has trolls on it which threaten and harass other users.  Now imagine that the site administrator tries to pretend that that isn't an issue, and instead says "The trolls and aggressive members on our website are nothing to worry about, because trolls are in all parts of the Internet."

 

By that logic, a friend could start smoking and doing drugs, and then say "It shouldn't bother you, because everyone else does it."

 

The thing is, nobody is perfect. It's impossible for everybody to act good and in my eyes, there will never be ultimate peace in this world. The only thing that we can do, is trying to make it as beautiful as we can, though the bad parts can never be fully exterminated.

 

 

When it comes to OP, i think the vulgar and tasteless also dosen't bother me, eventhough gore isn't really my cup of tea. Like Kyo over me said, the arrogance is sometimes astounding. the fandom likes to throw tandrums over every little thing. be it through a bad episode, a C&D or Derpys voice.

 

But at the same time, you got places like this fandom here, where i am glad that i am a brony.

[Megas 27,742]

Best and worst is subjective

 

imo, the good parts of the fandom are really good, while the bad parts of the fandom are really fucking awful

[Vulcan 3,254]

As a fairly recent addition to this fandom,

I gotta say ,

I don't think I've ever met a community as passionate and as creative as this one,

Also, I'm not entirely sure what you mean by vulgar and tasteless

, personally, I liked the princess molestia series and other series I dare not mention, and if those are considered vulgar and tasteless content, then it's fine on my book , so long as it's made with quality and care.

Edited November 11, 2015 by Vulcan

[Luna the Great of all the Russias 2,987]

It bothers me because "that's in all fandoms" seems like an excuse that gets repeated many times.

 

When negative aspects of the MLP fandom are pointed out, most simply say "but all fandoms are like that".  It is nothing more than a poor attempt to justify the questionable actions done by some MLP fans.

 

It's the equivalent of going to a website that is advertised as being friendly and safe, but actually has trolls on it which threaten and harass other users.  Now imagine that the site administrator tries to pretend that that isn't an issue, and instead says "The trolls and aggressive members on our website are nothing to worry about, because trolls are in all parts of the Internet."

 

By that logic, a friend could start smoking and doing drugs, and then say "It shouldn't bother you, because everyone else does it."

Thing is that you can't really do anything about that. Fandoms as a whole don't have moderators. While MLPForums is capable of banning repeated trolls or generally malicious people, that doesn't stop them from behaving in such a way in another community; you can't ban people from the internet or from reality like that. So best thing that could be done is to ignore them because they certainly won't cooperate trying to be better person so to say.

[RyaN_ 292]

We are probably the only fandom that "Loves and Tolerate till the end".. =D

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,657]

It bothers me because "that's in all fandoms" seems like an excuse that gets repeated many times.

 

When negative aspects of the MLP fandom are pointed out, most simply say "but all fandoms are like that".  It is nothing more than a poor attempt to justify the questionable actions done by some MLP fans.

 

It's the equivalent of going to a website that is advertised as being friendly and safe, but actually has trolls on it which threaten and harass other users.  Now imagine that the site administrator tries to pretend that that isn't an issue, and instead says "The trolls and aggressive members on our website are nothing to worry about, because trolls are in all parts of the Internet."

 

By that logic, a friend could start smoking and doing drugs, and then say "It shouldn't bother you, because everyone else does it."

It is not an excuse, I said that because it literally is in all fandoms. It seems no matter what fandom you go to, it will have some kind of 'vulgar' content. It is not my interest, but I just avoid it. This fandom has more of that stuff, sure, but that is only because of how massive this fandom is. 

[J. Brony 313]

It bothers me because "that's in all fandoms" seems like an excuse that gets repeated many times.

 

When negative aspects of the MLP fandom are pointed out, most simply say "but all fandoms are like that".  It is nothing more than a poor attempt to justify the questionable actions done by some MLP fans.

 

It's not an excuse, it's the truth.  And it's not even about fandoms really.  It's human nature.  No singular person is "good" or "bad".  We're all a mix of positive and negative aspects.  And whatever human beings are involved in, you'll see this dichotomy of their nature.

 

As for the MLP fandom, I wouldn't say that we're the best or worst in any specific area, but we're pretty high on the list along with the Whovians, Trekkies and whatever the Star Wars fans are calling themselves.  The amount of genius and jackassery the Bronies produce is reflected by just how large our fandom has become.

[Guest]

I actually agree with this, but for different reasons.

 

I think we are definitely one of the best fandoms ever, because not only did we give such a great show as this the popularity it deserves, we also are a breakthrough in gender roles in the media. To some extent at least. That cannot be denied and I find that to be wonderful. 

 

Now, for the worst aspect, the 'vulgar and tasteless content' doesn't bother me, that is in all fandoms. What bothers me, is how arrogant this fandom can be. Sometimes I will see bronies act all elitist just because they are in this fandom and they will even belittle their fellow fans because they don't do this or that or something they do is not up to THEIR standards. Then we have bronies that act like they are so much better than Hasbro, DHX and all of those involved in the show. I cannot stand that. Then there is the aspect where this fandom seems to pressure itself constantly with having to be famous or special or talented or whatever.

 

This fandom has many positives but also many, many negatives.

That actually... sums it up almost entirely.

 

The fandom does have the strengths of that at times it breaks gender roles, but it suffers the same faults as almost any other. Sometimes though we have to admit that the problems in the brony fandom are more rampant than some others.

 

 

 

It bothers me because "that's in all fandoms" seems like an excuse that gets repeated many times.

 

 

There is some truth to this. A lot of the time people using that line are just doing so as an excuse to take no action, but still complain. For example when people complain that bronies are known for rampant amounts of porn, but those same people do nothing to police it, or discourage it in locations it does not belong, etc. While it is no one's responsibility if you are going to bitch, you should do something about it, otherwise just accept the negative reputation it will bring.

 

I do think the brony fandom has some issues that it has worse than some other fandoms though. I mean the shoving ponies into people's faces is kind of an issue at times. While not a unified issue that every brony exhibits, I can definitely see how it could get annoying having ponies show up everywhere on the internet. There are tendencies to try and take things that have nothing to do with MLP and conform them as well. I've been to a few conventions that were non-MLP related that kind of got overrun by bronies to the point where they started demanding more content be catered to them.

 

It does happen, but we need to accept that it happens and know when it's another instance of "just comes with the territory" versus an instance where we should stand up and say something. In the example above, I think it is important to tell bronies that while they are welcome to be at these conventions, that the conventions are not intended specifically for them and that they need to back down and let the convention continue as it was.

 

It's all a matter of knowing when it's time to step in and say something. If more people would do that, really there would be far less issues.

[Samurai Equine 52,063]

The best fandom? The worst fandom? Those are all immeasurable extremes. And if one cancels out the other, then the Brony fandom is really no better or worse than any other fandom.

 

As others have said here, the brighter the picture, the darker the negative. For every person who enjoys something the way it was meant to be enjoyed, there is someone who enjoys it for odd, perverse, or other strange reasons. For everyone who represents a fandom like a patron saint, there are those who tarnish that reputation. Believe me, I've seen it happen with many other fandoms. I've lived it too. As a Sonic fan, you don't know how many times people have called the Sonic fandom the "cancer of the internet." I can see why they say it, but that doesn't mean it's true. Just means people aren't seeing the positive side that is clearly there. Anyone can focus on the negative, but that's usually more harmful than helpful.

 

Honestly, I can't stand the negativity sometimes. It's gotten so bad, it's almost like the majority of people on the internet are creating a new rule or creed. And that creed simply states "Don't be a fan of something, because you'll ruin it."

But that's not true, and not fair.

Just because there are fans who have tarnished the name of a fandom doesn't mean that everyone is like that, nor does it mean the fandom should not exist.

And even if a fandom's majority is mostly horrible people, that doesn't mean the thing they like is automatically horrible. Sonic will still make games that the whole family can enjoy. Steven Universe will still be an awesome action show that challenges societal norms. And MLP will still be a great show that challenges gender norms and stereotypes. No amount of horrible fans will ever change this.

 

But you know what? I like to go one step beyond. I CHOOSE to be an optimist about things. And you can disagree with what I'm about to say, but...

 

I honestly think the Brony/MLP fandom is one of the better fandoms out there.

 

We've inspired the creation of music, art, games, and more. We've donated to charities, saved lives that were in danger, and so much more!

I want to believe that, despite the "filth" that is out there, the MLP fandom is more famous for the POSITIVE things it has given back to the world rather than the negative things!

Time may prove me wrong, and maybe no level-headed historian will ever agree with me...

 

But this is one belief I want to strongly hold on to. And if we want others to believe it, then we need to carry on being a shining example of what this fandom is capable of and all the good things we can accomplish together. And maybe, if we can pull together and do that, we can be an example for all others to learn from. Not just for other fandoms, but the critics and haters who usually say otherwise. 

Edited November 15, 2015 by Samurai Equine

[Guest]

 

 

We've inspired the creation of music, art, games, and more. We've donated to charities, saved lives that were in danger, and so much more!

 

I sometimes find those points to be cop outs. People will often turn around and defend bad behavior with "BRONIES DONATE TO CHARITY". As if it cancels it out or something. I mean bronies do need to admit that there are problems within the brony fandom without just dismissing them as "all fandoms have X" because that doesn't make it any less of a problem. That's like if your boss says you had 300 incidents of shoplifting and you go "all stores get shoplifted from". If it's such a rampant problem for everyone, why are you not doing anything about it?

[Samurai Equine 52,063]

I sometimes find those points to be cop outs. People will often turn around and defend bad behavior with "BRONIES DONATE TO CHARITY". As if it cancels it out or something. I mean bronies do need to admit that there are problems within the brony fandom without just dismissing them as "all fandoms have X" because that doesn't make it any less of a problem. That's like if your boss says you had 300 incidents of shoplifting and you go "all stores get shoplifted from". If it's such a rampant problem for everyone, why are you not doing anything about it?

 

Well, I wouldn't say that's a fair comparison. Just as an example, I'd hardly compare drawing perverse stuff to shoplifting when only one will land you in jail.

 

And I'm not going to say that we don't have problem. Like I said above, all fandoms have their problems, even ours. But where do we start? Do we shame the artists for making stuff that makes the fandom look bad? We might not like it, but everyone should have the right to express themselves creatively. Discouraging artist from what they do, becoming bullies just to keep up an image or reputation for the world to see, that wouldn't make us any better. That would only turn us into the monsters we claim to be against.

 

There is no easy answer against the negatives people bring up against us or any fandom. The best we can do is remind people that those people don't speak for the majority of us, nor are those kind of people trying to make a grand statement that says "Everyone in the fandom is this way". Heck, the people that have put a negative spin on our fandom might still have some good to them. Maybe they also have donated to charity or help out in other good causes. No one is completely evil, no one is completely perverse, etc. The good deeds our fandom has done is not an excuse for the other less than admirable things our fandom has done, but it should still matter for something.

Edited November 15, 2015 by Samurai Equine