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rcollinz13

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There is no denying our affinity for this show and the fandom that it has garnered. Some of us are old school cartoon fans that were drawn in by the quality animation that most modern cartoons don't have. Others were open minded enough to give the show a chance after hearing about the massive backlash to it. I myself got into the show after watching 'Teens React To MLP: FiM', and hearing the teens pass judgement on a show that they hadn't seen. Regardless of how one may have gotten into this show, I think it is fair to say that this show has become a great source of escapism for many. 

 

It's no secret that we are living in some turbulent times. There is an economic recession, the ongoing concern of global climate change, a crumbling job market, and a myriad of other things to be concerned with. There is all this negativity coming from the world around us and in comes MLP. A show completely divorced from reality. A world separate from our own. It's full of fantasy, adventure, new experiences, and just good feelings. MLP offers a form of escapism from the cold and harsh realities of our world today. It's not just overarching issues too. The show provides escapism from the simple stresses of everyday whether that be your family life, stressful job, or anything else. In a simple sense, there is nothing wrong with having something like MLP to be used for escapism. We all need something to 'detox' at the end of the day and keep ourselves sane. The problem is when it becomes less of a sense of relief and more a sense of denial. Where the person uses the escapism to deny reality and ignore the real world. In some respects I think fiction is a more powerful drug than anything. The ability to get lost in a world completely divorced of the problems that we have in our own is strangely appealing. However, falling too far down the rabbit hole can cause someone to become dangerously detached from the real world. 

 

Let me know if MLP has become a source of escapism for you. Do you think it's possible to become to separated from reality? At what point do you need to take a step back and return to the real world? I I welcome your thoughtful discussion. Cheers. 

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There is no denying our affinity for this show and the fandom that it has garnered. Some of us are old school cartoon fans that were drawn in by the quality animation that most modern cartoons don't have. Others were open minded enough to give the show a chance after hearing about the massive backlash to it. I myself got into the show after watching 'Teens React To MLP: FiM', and hearing the teens pass judgement on a show that they hadn't seen. Regardless of how one may have gotten into this show, I think it is fair to say that this show has become a great source of escapism for many.


Very true. I am a huge animation nerd to begin with, and I encountered it days after I was (briefly) killed, so I totally get it.
 

 

It's no secret that we are living in some turbulent times.


Only if you believe the false narrative. The reality is, we're doing pretty awesome. And not just "we" as in the US, the whole human species is actually doing pretty amazingly well, when taken as a whole.


 

There is an economic recession,


Not unless you live in Syria, Yemen, Moldavia, or sub-saharan Africa.

 

the ongoing concern of global climate change,


Sadly this is true- though now China is starting to get onboard with the whole "let's not all die" thing.

 

a crumbling job market,


What country are YOU talking about? Because in most westernized democracies, job growth is actually pretty strong- and in the States, the last few months have been RECORD-BREAKING in terms of employment growth.


 

and a myriad of other things to be concerned with. There is all this negativity coming from the world


There is also tremendous good and positivity and optimism and hope. You just have to know where to look.

 

A show completely divorced from reality.


I'd say part of the appeal is just how close to reality it brushes. An episode about literally not judging a book by its cover, where a character is ostracized and treated like a pariah and outcast who just HAPPENS to be of a species from AFRICA? That's not addressing racism, not at all. Episodes with pre-adolescent characters trying to figure out what they are meant to be? That doesn't remind you of puberty? The characters have disparate personalities and hopes and fears, and they confront them and adapt and grow as the show progresses. That's pretty awesome, and that's what people go through as they age into adulthood, too.

 

A world separate from our own. It's full of fantasy, adventure, new experiences, and just good feelings. MLP offers a form of escapism from the cold and harsh realities of our world today.


I'd say it offers a different perspective on the sort of interpersonal struggles we all eventually face- though with colorful cartoon horsies that sing and dance and do magic. :-D

 

It's not just overarching issues too. The show provides escapism from the simple stresses of everyday whether that be your family life, stressful job, or anything else. In a simple sense, there is nothing wrong with having something like MLP to be used for escapism. We all need something to 'detox' at the end of the day and keep ourselves sane. The problem is when it becomes less of a sense of relief and more a sense of denial. Where the person uses the escapism to deny reality and ignore the real world. In some respects I think fiction is a more powerful drug than anything. The ability to get lost in a world completely divorced of the problems that we have in our own is strangely appealing. However, falling too far down the rabbit hole can cause someone to become dangerously detached from the real world.


Well sure, but that's true of anything. Some people get really into something and forget about everything else, just sort of how people work. :-P
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It's something you would have to experience as a collective, rather than a personal perspective. Too limited a view to provide for the entire world, isn't it? Life

No, I haven't used mlp as a form of escapism, but rather my own imagination. Looking for that which would make me whole, is that I found myself.

 

If there's something that will remain once I leave this body, it's my consciousness. I find comfort unlike any other, within and beyond.

 

So whether the tide rages across, or stays calm, I dance along.

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This is a reason I've stopped watching this show, for the most part. The main reason I started watching it was because of all the little great features it had that most animations lack: a well detailed and intresting art style, subtle use of cinematography and objective correlative as well as realistic dialogue between each of the characters. However, after getting more involved into this show it was hard to not obsesse over it. I don't have any problems with anyone being a huge fan over anything, but then I discovered how other people took the show way too seriously. Some fans call themselves ponies, and not just in the fun roleplay way - they legitimately believe they are ponies and anyone who thinks otherwise is being offensive. This is never the case though; no one has anything against these pony-people, it's just very worrying. Hiding behind your problems may feel great in the meantime, but it would do you any favours in the long run. This is something I'm sure the show has covered many times, yet some still try to hide behind it. This is just my opinion on it though. Everyone has the right to choose how they live. I just want the best for everyone.

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There is also tremendous good and positivity and optimism and hope. You just have to know where to look

Many good points, not only the quoted one - there's great news from a lot of places around the world. That doesn't necessarily change the way a person feels, however. No matter whether it's the media only spreading negativity, or a person has a stressful life, or just feels down for whatever other reason - most people will, I think, be in need of some rest and some cheering up, and getting to not think about everyday worries. My point is, I feel the topic is relevant for some/many.

 

For me, MLP is a window into a world with some resemblance to our own, but mostly a little simpler. Not that it's always black and white, unlike many other shows, but still, in the real world there are often so many more consequences of your actions, so many different stances that need to be taken, and also the almighties Work and Money that always have to be considered. Also, in MLP, I can be sure that it will end well, and though I'm an optimist for the real world too, I can't be sure.

 

As for me, the mind can get spinning pretty fast; there's so much to think about (good AND bad). Entering the pony world is a way to relax, and rest from all the responsibilities and demands of the real world. Everyone needs rest and leisure, and we do it in different ways. Having ponies for that is surely not wrong per se.

 

Also, if the worries of the real world are all figured out, food, residence, hygiene, obeying the law, paying the bills et cetera, if someone thoroughly enjoys BEING a pony... who am I to say they're wrong or bad for doing so? I wouldn't want to trade the real world for my own mini-Equestria after all, but I do believe everyone is better off in a place where they feel they belong.

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I'll be honest. I see no point in trying to escape reality, you're stuck in it whether you like it or not. So, I personally don't use the show as a means of escapism, but others may. 

 

On a sort of related note, not everything is doom and gloom. Most things aren't. It just happens that depressing and frightening news stories sell better than happy ones. If you want some positive stuff look up the research into CRISPR and CAS-9. Kurzgesagt (In a Nut Shell) did a good video on this:
https://youtu.be/jAhjPd4uNFY

 

Their videos often have a tendency to make you think about things, and they often end up making grim things a little better, although some might cause an existential crisis of Gummy proportions.

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I definitely use the show, the books, the music, the fan art, the fanfics, the fan videos, the fan music, and now the Gameloft app, as a means of escapism.  I pretty much use anything and everything I can find as escapism.  That's what my life is--escaping reality any way that I can.  I wake up each day just to find something to take my mind off reality.  That is reality for the severely depressed.  Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective), I'm never too far from reality.  My mind won't allow me to get dangerously detached.  In the case of FIM, though, it appeals to me so much because it's the kind of world I wish I could live in.  I know I am definitely not alone in that regard.

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I used to use the show as escapism pretty much 24/7. Just less than a year ago, when the biggest problems in my life were failing geometry, or facing North Dakota weather.

 

I would still, but now that I'm homeless, that's not exactly an option.

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Well, like anything, it becomes a problem if you use it as a means to procrastinate.

I'm definitely guilty of using MLP as means to put off my course work. 

 

Very true. I am a huge animation nerd to begin with, and I encountered it days after I was (briefly) killed, so I totally get it.

 

 

 

Only if you believe the false narrative. The reality is, we're doing pretty awesome. And not just "we" as in the US, the whole human species is actually doing pretty amazingly well, when taken as a whole.

 

 

 

 

Not unless you live in Syria, Yemen, Moldavia, or sub-saharan Africa.

 

 

 

Sadly this is true- though now China is starting to get onboard with the whole "let's not all die" thing.

 

 

 

What country are YOU talking about? Because in most westernized democracies, job growth is actually pretty strong- and in the States, the last few months have been RECORD-BREAKING in terms of employment growth.

 

 

 

 

There is also tremendous good and positivity and optimism and hope. You just have to know where to look.

 

 

 

I'd say part of the appeal is just how close to reality it brushes. An episode about literally not judging a book by its cover, where a character is ostracized and treated like a pariah and outcast who just HAPPENS to be of a species from AFRICA? That's not addressing racism, not at all. Episodes with pre-adolescent characters trying to figure out what they are meant to be? That doesn't remind you of puberty? The characters have disparate personalities and hopes and fears, and they confront them and adapt and grow as the show progresses. That's pretty awesome, and that's what people go through as they age into adulthood, too.

 

 

 

I'd say it offers a different perspective on the sort of interpersonal struggles we all eventually face- though with colorful cartoon horsies that sing and dance and do magic. :-D

 

 

 

Well sure, but that's true of anything. Some people get really into something and forget about everything else, just sort of how people work. :-P

 

I can see how you think I am exaggerating. You're most likely right, too. I'm a bit of worry wart by nature, and those fears tend to surface late at night when I'm sitting at my computer. 

This is a reason I've stopped watching this show, for the most part. The main reason I started watching it was because of all the little great features it had that most animations lack: a well detailed and intresting art style, subtle use of cinematography and objective correlative as well as realistic dialogue between each of the characters. However, after getting more involved into this show it was hard to not obsesse over it. I don't have any problems with anyone being a huge fan over anything, but then I discovered how other people took the show way too seriously. Some fans call themselves ponies, and not just in the fun roleplay way - they legitimately believe they are ponies and anyone who thinks otherwise is being offensive. This is never the case though; no one has anything against these pony-people, it's just very worrying. Hiding behind your problems may feel great in the meantime, but it would do you any favours in the long run. This is something I'm sure the show has covered many times, yet some still try to hide behind it. This is just my opinion on it though. Everyone has the right to choose how they live. I just want the best for everyone.

I have definitely seen the type of fans that you are referring to. Those were usually the fans that had just gotten into the show and were in the sort of 'honeymoon' stage of discovering the show. Everything is new and exciting right at the beginning. Then, as the show progresses, even if you still greatly enjoy the show, the obsession dies down a little bit. When I first got into the show, and the larger fandom, it was something the permanently occupied space in my brain 24/7 for a good two years. At this point, my appreciation for the show is a little less extreme. 

Many good points, not only the quoted one - there's great news from a lot of places around the world. That doesn't necessarily change the way a person feels, however. No matter whether it's the media only spreading negativity, or a person has a stressful life, or just feels down for whatever other reason - most people will, I think, be in need of some rest and some cheering up, and getting to not think about everyday worries. My point is, I feel the topic is relevant for some/many.

 

For me, MLP is a window into a world with some resemblance to our own, but mostly a little simpler. Not that it's always black and white, unlike many other shows, but still, in the real world there are often so many more consequences of your actions, so many different stances that need to be taken, and also the almighties Work and Money that always have to be considered. Also, in MLP, I can be sure that it will end well, and though I'm an optimist for the real world too, I can't be sure.

 

As for me, the mind can get spinning pretty fast; there's so much to think about (good AND bad). Entering the pony world is a way to relax, and rest from all the responsibilities and demands of the real world. Everyone needs rest and leisure, and we do it in different ways. Having ponies for that is surely not wrong per se.

 

Also, if the worries of the real world are all figured out, food, residence, hygiene, obeying the law, paying the bills et cetera, if someone thoroughly enjoys BEING a pony... who am I to say they're wrong or bad for doing so? I wouldn't want to trade the real world for my own mini-Equestria after all, but I do believe everyone is better off in a place where they feel they belong.

This is something I definitely connect with. Part of the big draw for me was always the warm feelings and positivity  I felt from the show. I've always been a bit of a pessimist and chronic worrier in my life. Having a show like MLP that gave me little boosts of energy and good feelings made me genuinely want to take some of these things to heart. 

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Its true for me. Using the show as a place to escape was my excuse to not worry about the harsh realities of life. It can have both positive and negative impacts and for me it's been mostly in the middle ground. My time occupied by ponies was taken place of things I needed to do in life and I've come to realize it after initially joining. Sure, it has helped me but then it hasn't too in different criteria.

 

I'll say,do everything in moderation because too much of a good thing can become a bad thing too.

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