Applejack hate?

[RyaN_ 292]

Hi everypony, I'm certain this topic has been posted multiple times, but I was hoping somepony could tell me about the all the Applejack hate going on (Such as memes and stuff)

 

Here's a good example of what I mean:

http://www.funnyjunk.com/channel/ponytime/Everybody+hates+applejack/XYmqGKL

 

I simply do not understand: She's a nice and sweet, probably the most hardworking. I'm not trying to make a big deal about it , though could somepony tell me why most of the bronies dislike Applejack? :?

 

 

[Unikitty 1,211]

Every pony gets their share of flak, so Applejack isn't an isolated character. The joke that revolves around her is that she got significantly less screentime than the other Mane 6 way back when, so people started commenting on her being more like a background character. I wouldn't put too much thought into it, it's just the thing that she gets teased about. Like Fluttershy's confidence episodes being retconned the very next episode.
'Worst pony' is also just an insult thrown towards any of the Mane 6, depending on who's saying it.

[RyaN_ 292]

Every pony gets their share of flak, so Applejack isn't an isolated character. The joke that revolves around her is that she got significantly less screentime than the other Mane 6 way back when, so people started commenting on her being more like a background character. I wouldn't put too much thought into it, it's just the thing that she gets teased about. Like Fluttershy's confidence episodes being retconned the very next episode.

'Worst pony' is also just an insult thrown towards any of the Mane 6, depending on who's saying it.

I guess so, but I still feel her personailty has indeed grown throughout the series.

[Unikitty 1,211]

I guess so, but I still feel her personailty has indeed grown throughout the series.

They've all changed. The 'background pony' joke is an old one that isn't really relevant anymore, but is just so set in stone that it's here to stay.

[RyaN_ 292]

They've all changed. The 'background pony' joke is an old one that isn't really relevant anymore, but is just so set in stone that it's here to stay.

I'm glad it's mostly an old joke XD, thanks for clearing it up

[Limeblossom 482]

The last season wasn't so nice for her, but that also goes for other characters like Spike.

No denial that it revived the meme.

Edited December 14, 2015 by Limeblossom

[Morning Glory 177]

This is actually funny because I complain for the opposite reason.. I feel like there's too many Applejack episodes and screen time. 

 

I mean don 't get me wrong-- I don't hate her, she's a lovely character, it's just I feel there's so many "Apple" episodes xD 

 

I dunno why people consider her a background character. 

[Kivil 1,721]

It's crazy when people give Flash Sentry all the hate in the EQG movies and no one bats an eye, but as soon as it happens to a mane character everyone loses their minds

[Floppy Snow 279]

I admit AJ is my least favorite Mane 6, but it doesn't mean I don't like her, she's fantastic!

AJ seems to be one of the more mature ponies, understanding and helping everypony, no matter if she knows them or not.

The Applejack "bashing" is more like a bad joke that sometimes goes too far or becomes boring to others, I think.

I liked to call her a background pony sometimes, because she is the favorite pony of some of my friends, only for the joke. But I think it's better for me and others to not go too far with it, Applejack being surely one of the greatest character of the show, in my opinion.

[JonasDarkmane 19,777]

@@RyaN_

Hey there  

 

Since your topic talks about a specific character from the show and about peoples opinion about them, I have moved your topic to a more appropriate section, Show Discussion . 

[Minos 40]

They aren't. It's just a mem, caused by small amount of her screen time in first seasons. She really pony as nice as all the others.

 

And beside... not everyone are really good people, you see.

Edited December 14, 2015 by Minos

[BeCalmFlutterOn 140]

Personally I don't believe that Applejacks should be hated as much as these memes show. I do see her as my least favorite however this doesn't mean that I hate her. On the contrary I find her as a hardworking pony maybe even more so than the other 5 which is one of her best traits. I would say that the reason many people probably don't like her isn't because her personality is bad, its probably due to the fact that she has the least screen time as the other 5 which can be clearly seen in season 1 and she hasn't had very that many good episodes to really develop her character (this is completely my opinion sorry to people who believe she has had plenty of good episodes).

[Violet_S 783]

Honestly I don't think its hate I'll say its more like a joke-ish kinda thing. But im just guessing its because she gets less screen time than the other mane 6, but anyways AJ is a very sweet and hardworking pony and I think she's adorable.

[GeekySonic 1,150]

Applejack has always been a "meh" character to me. I don't personally mind her, I just find the Southern cowgirl archetype to be off-putting. That's just my opinion. She is a genuinely great character, like the rest of the Mane Six.

 

It's petty of me, I know. Don't let my bias sully any opinions.

[Daring_Do 552]

Applejack is second-best Mane 6.

[Member Berry 1,217]

Applejack has always been a "meh" character to me. I don't personally mind her, I just find the Southern cowgirl archetype to be off-putting. That's just my opinion. She is a genuinely great character, like the rest of the Mane Six.

 

It's petty of me, I know. Don't let my bias sully any opinions.

I feel the same. I don't hate Apple Jack at all but she is probably my least favourite.

[Manman20x6 359]

I'm pretty sure that Applejack is many fan's second favorite character, and has relatively fewer haters compared to the rest of the cast. Her personality isn't as extreme as Pinkie, Rainbow, or Fluttershy, which means that she's not as notable in the eyes of most people, but also that she's not as grating.

 

Personally, she's my number one favorite of the Mane 6 because she has the best values.

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

I guess so, but I still feel her personailty has indeed grown throughout the series.

 

Going to disagree there. Applejack has by far the least amount of growth of the mane six; one of her lessons that she wrote to celestia was "I didn't learn anything today! I was right all along!".

AJ has the least ambitions in life (already having a farm that she's working on and nothing beyond that), and little to no flaws that she needs to overcome, with stubbornness being about the only thing she has, and that very rarely runs her into trouble.

 

Not saying AJ is a bad character, but she is virtually the definition of "static character" XD

[Kitkat&Cloud 35]

I'm new and I realize everyone will have their preferences but I believe that AJ provides a solid and predictable character that the other ponies rely on. Honesty is humble and should remain plain and simple like AJ. I think without her, the girls would find it hard to stay consistent. She shares many traits of the other girls but just seems to have a level head. Like pinky said, AJ cries on the inside. So she's not anything less than the other ponies to me. I do love them all the same though and find it difficult to chose favorites so I never did XD

Edited December 14, 2015 by EricaStrawberrica

[bluseymoe 258]

It's not really hate that she's getting a lot of, it's more like casual indifference. She just doesn't appeal to a lot of people, and I think this is the reason why:

 

Applejack is like the Frank Grimes of MLP. Hard working, morally strong, competent underdog whose overcome so much adversity and always attempts to do what's right and set an example that everyone should follow... and yet she's still barely scraping by, and is shunned, looked down upon, and just flat out not given a crap about by most people.

 

Meanwhile all Derpy has to do is make her eyes go weird and crash into a wall or cause some kind of destruction, and everyone goes nuts for her and wants to see her to have entire episodes to herself.

 

Forget about learning anything from Applejack, let's just watch Derpy be clumsy, or watch Fluttershy scream at animals to lover her and then completely ruin a royal party, or Rainbow Dash blow up a factory(that was actually kind of hilarious), or Rarity force Sweetie Belle to carry hundreds of pounds of camping equipment, or Pinkie Pie harassing an elderly donkey until he agrees to be her friend, or Twilight incite a violent riot over a doll just so she could be the one to take credit for solving a problem that she caused and score some points with Celestia.

 

Basically, Entertainment value > strong moral values. I really believe that's how people tend to judge their favorite characters these days. They don't want to be inspired, they want to be entertained. Not all the time, obviously, but I think most of the times that's what people are looking for.

 

Hell, a character can be a completely unlikable jerk but if they can do it in a way that's extremely entertaining and humorous, they're very likely going to get a hell of a lot more love and attention than Saint Applejack over there. They tend to be more quotable too, I mean a lot of the most quoted lines from T.V shows and movies are insults, put-downs and threats. Some people question why Rainbow Dash is so popular due to being kind of a jerk a lot the time, and whenever I see someone say that, I point out that they pretty much answered their own question: People love her because she's a jerk, just like Homer Simpson, or Eric Cartman, or Bender, or Stewie Griffin or countless other fictional characters who are beloved because of how horrible they are.

 

Applejack just doesn't have the personality that was meant for popularity or fan favoritism, especially in this day and age. She's a necessary addition and I think she's fine for who she is (still my least favorite mane 6), but she doesn't have much going for her other than that. I guess there's the "dead parents" thing (which I don't know if that's been confirmed or not) which could probably get her some more sympathy, but then that may never end up being directly addressed in the show, so who knows?

 

Or maybe it's just that people really don't care for rednecks. *shrugs*

[PacificGreen 1,163]

If I'm not mistaken, the whole "background pony" joke came from the fact that one of her episodes, The Last Roundup, was completely overshadowed by Derpy's speaking appearance. It stuck with her since then.

 

I don't think it's so much "hate" towards AJ as it is that she's probably the least popular of the mane six. But again, it's not that people don't like her, I think it's just that people prefer the fun loving Pinkie Pie or the 20% cooler, athletically awesome Rainbow Dash, for instance.

 

AJ might actually be one of my favorites of the Mane Six, cause she's so close to her family. I like when the show pairs AJ and RD- they're both athletic tomboys, but one is probably a little more brash and impulsive, and the other more patient, and it's just fun to see the contrast. 

Edited December 14, 2015 by PGNatsu

[Treble Bolt 1,122]

Every pony gets their share of flak, so Applejack isn't an isolated character. The joke that revolves around her is that she got significantly less screentime than the other Mane 6 way back when, so people started commenting on her being more like a background character.

I don't know what you are talking about. Applejack has appeared in MORE episodes than any other character, even Twilight Sparkle!

http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/Character_appearances

 

 

Going to disagree there. Applejack has by far the least amount of growth of the mane six; one of her lessons that she wrote to celestia was "I didn't learn anything today! I was right all along!".

AJ has the least ambitions in life (already having a farm that she's working on and nothing beyond that), and little to no flaws that she needs to overcome, with stubbornness being about the only thing she has, and that very rarely runs her into trouble.

 

Not saying AJ is a bad character, but she is virtually the definition of "static character" XD

 

She is a static character. Her majority of growth has already happened before the series started. She still has flaws, but unlike Rainbow Dash and Rarity, she has no further ambitions for her life, and thus those flaws are more focused on then ultimate goals (because she's right where she wants to be).

As far as SSCS6000, she WAS right all along. How can you learn something when you were right to begin with. It's not fair to use that episode as a means to define her character as far as "growth" or lack thereof is concerned. That episode was not for her to learn something so much as it was for her family, her friends and the audience to take home the lesson. In fact that episode shows how much of a catalyst she is to helping others learn lessons. Silver Quill talks a great deal on this.

Applejack is the most mature of the Mane 6, has all her ducks in a row, is practical and pragmatic, makes due with what she has, cherishes what she has, works hard to keep what she has without complaint while helping others with their own needs/desires at the same time, and overall a down to earth pony. All these traits are not often seen in kids shows, nor is the amalgamation of these traits often seen in real life. As someone being from the USA, I can say that I have never run into someone like AJ unless they are elderly. Most people in the USA are too greedy and selfish to embody an Applejack like nature, and thus cannot relate to her. However, many people know people that are similar to AJ in certain ways. To a degree, Applejack is the OPPOSITE of what most Americans are like, which explains why she is so beloved in Japan, even though she is stereotypically "Southern." But that's for a different topic. Overall, she is a very good role model, and very mature and practical one at that.

[Unikitty 1,211]

I don't know what you are talking about. Applejack has appeared in MORE episodes than any other character, even Twilight Sparkle!

http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/Character_appearances

 

I'm not talking about general appearance counts. Applejack infamously had very few episodes actually about her. In Season 1 she had a a single episode solely about her(Applebuck Season), with only two to three others that involved her as a primary character alongside others(Look Before You Sleep, Fall Weather Friends, and Over a Barrel - however, Over a Barrel is more about Appleoosa and Applejack was just there as a plot starter).

 

Season 2 had only two episodes centered around her(Family Appreciation Day, and The Last Roundup). Three all up if you count The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 3000.

 

This and a few other elements are why the joke about her being a background pony gained ground.

 

 

Note: On your source, Twilight Sparkle and Applejack have the same amount of episodes where they're 'the focus of a shot'(107 episodes). Applejack does come out on top only if you include the background appearances (TS-105, AJ-107).

Edited December 14, 2015 by Unikitty

[Gearbox10mm 794]

People don't bash on AJ because she is unpopular, quite the contrary, they do it because she is popular and many consider her to legitimately be "best" pony. 

 

There seems to be a phenomenon among popular culture for a certain group of people to single out a "thing" that has nothing apparently wrong with it and that many defend and then run it and the people that like it down. It really is just trollish behavior. They do it for the kicks and to get a rise out of the "thing's" defenders, though deep down they admit the target of their scorn is truely undeserving.  

[Trixie Heartstrings 433]

There was a time when she was my least favorite, but now I think she might be my 3rd favorite (AJ or Rarity, with Pinkie and Twilight being my top 2). That was because back then, I thought she was kinda bland. Now, I see I have more in common with AJ than I thought.