"its just my worldview, that no one's bad"

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

So what's everyone's thoughts on meghan's video about her views of MLP?

 

[ShadOBabe 19,011]

I don’t mind it at all. I used to feel that way too, and I love reforming villains as well.

I’ll admit I’m a little more jaded when it comes to real life though. Sad actually, because I’m a Christian and I do believe that all people CAN be redeemed. The possibility is available. But I know that some of the “broken” people out there will refuse to be “fixed”. There are people that will take their hurtful ways to their graves and not regret it even on their deathbeds.

But that’s more just sad that anything. But that’s why I like My Little Pony. I enjoy a sinister villain as much as the next person, but a good reformation is my crack.

[ShootingStar159 2,157]

This is a fantasy setting. In the real world, yes, there are people who are too broken, selfish, or uneducated to be redeemed, especially the way MLP goes about it.

But we, as a species, didn’t progress as far as we have by saying there’s nothing we can do, throwing our hands in the air, and succumbing to cynicism. Idealism is what pushed us to adapt, overcome, and succeed, and if this show wants to adopt a idealistic viewpoint, I have no problem with that.

If you want the real world, there are plenty of other shows out there that will give it to you, and this show will be here with its childish idealism if and when you want it instead.

Edited November 21, 2017 by ShootingStar159

[Hierok 11,832]

I really hope she will not reform Chrysalis. I was not a great sigh for me that everyone could be reformed, Chrysalis was in the video.

[Tacodidra 61,286]

I can see it working out that way in Equestria but sadly not in the real world. In some cases, evil is just that.

I'm fine with characters being reformed in the show. In the ones that have happened so far, believable reasons have been given for why the characters did what they did. But I don't want to see it happen to every villain in the show. As sad as it sounds, I can't imagine a perfect world. While Equestria is a utopia in many ways, some degree of conflict is required to make the show enjoyable and relatable.

[ShadOBabe 19,011]

11 minutes ago, ShootingStar159 said:

or uneducated to be redeemed

Got to immediately disagree with this. Being “uneducated” doesn’t make a person irredeemable. You don’t need education to be a good human being.

Also I find I lot of people that use the term “uneducated” as a dig at someone’s moral character are actually saying that “if you don’t think the way I think you’re obviously just uneducated.” Regardless of that person’s actual level of education. Which is gross.

You quite possibly didn’t mean to imply that at all, but yeah, there are people that tacky.

[KH7672 1,604]

I see it Meghan taking the more humanistic approach on characters. If you want to make a villain evil and I mean really evil you have to do everything possible to draw comparisons away from our protagonists. Tirek is nothing like the ponies, he crushes their puny pony bodies under his hooves. The Sirens are nothing like the students (a little leeway for Sonata though) they are all just pawns in their game every single one of them, even the villain that tried to do it first. Even going outside the MLP universe Star Wars' Emperor no one is above him, Frollo in Hunchback the only one above him is God and must serve the Lord through is granted power, Azula from Avatar she's the better sister, the better fighter the better everything when it comes to the fire nation.

Now when you humanize them then their characters become greyer whether it's zapping them into submission, finding something lacking in their motivation and tackling it, or just pure forgiveness and offering the hand or I guess hoof in trust and friendship they were looking for.

And the best way to humanize the character is to look at why they are who they are. If you make them born like that, desiring power, and seeing anything under them worthless than congratulations you have a terrible irredeemable villain, now go take that character and role with it and never look back. But once you decide to give that character motivation our heroes can offer then you've got to consider that option. (Hence the whole motivation behind Starlight's prodding in Shadow Play). The final step is to decide as the writer if this chance in possible acceptance is worth for the villain to take. That character mindset to take if you want to reform the villain. Otherwise please go nuts and let them try and destroy the world, I mean they're gonna lose because they're the villain. We meet, we fight, you lose, they win, we go home happy to face each other another day. Then we just do it again. What do you say?

Edited November 21, 2017 by KH7672

[ShootingStar159 2,157]

19 minutes ago, ShadOBabe said:

Got to immediately disagree with this. Being “uneducated” doesn’t make a person irredeemable. You don’t need education to be a good human being.

Also I find I lot of people that use the term “uneducated” as a dig at someone’s moral character are actually saying that “if you don’t think the way I think you’re obviously just uneducated.” Regardless of that person’s actual level of education. Which is gross.

You quite possibly didn’t mean to imply that at all, but yeah, there are people that tacky.

When I say uneducated, I’m not speaking academically, though I don’t think you took it that way. I absolutely was talking about moral character. Take Africa, for example, where a large portion of the population of some countries thought they could cure themselves of aids by raping virgins. That is blatantly evil, and is a result of poor societal knowledge and values.

Look at England, after they generously took in large amounts of refugees, theyre are being affected by the societal values they brought with them. London alone had over 450 acid attacks last year.

It is entirely possible to turn someone evil by telling them some people deserve to be hurt or killed. And it’s almost impossible to convince someone they are wrong about something they’ve believed is true their entire lives, especially when the person who taught them those things in the first place is still telling them the same things.

I suppose I could use the word brainwashed instead, but that has other implications I’d rather avoid.

Edited November 21, 2017 by ShootingStar159

[Jeric 46,860]

So right off the bat that woman could have sold me a used diaper for using that quote. That's what I think. Fucking hell Meghan, you had to use that one ... <3

^ not explaining that. It was a moment and it's mines. 

Using a storytelling platform to reflect your worldview is legitimate expression. I'm cool with that if it was her inspiration for reforming several of the antagonists and villains. 

 

[ShadOBabe 19,011]

1 hour ago, ShootingStar159 said:

I suppose I could use the word brainwashed instead, but that has other implications I’d rather avoid.

That’s fair. I think this word is also tossed around a lot as a way to shut down opinions, but “ignorant” is definitely appropriate for what you’re describing.

[ShootingStar159 2,157]

1 minute ago, ShadOBabe said:

That’s fair. I think this word is also tossed around a lot as a way to shut down opinions, but “ignorant” is definitely appropriate for what you’re describing.

You're right, that’s much better.

[PlzDelete 2,456]

I honestly would like it if she didn't reform in the show but is hinted that she will off screen! I personally believe there is good in everyone. It's just that some people choose to hide it, reject it, despise it, or don't know they have it at all. 

[Mesme Rize 15,686]

I mean sure, it's a fantasy world which is basically powered by the magic of friendship and it's a very idealistic world, so in the shows context that's okay and i kinda knew that for awhile now.

But in the real world, it's not that easy. Sure, i think there is good in alot of people. But some are just so broken that they are just unredeemable.

[Goat-kun 2,528]

Reposting the meme cause being a scumbag is my worldview.

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

So, Megahn is the culprit behind all the reformations of show 

"its just my worldview, that no one's bad"

Megahn is really optimistic  but I have disagree about this one. To me, there is no one born good, even good people can do bad things in some circumstance and people are easy to fall into the wrong path, it hard to raise a child to be a decent human being and it's too easy to make them despicable adult human even after so many years of teaching them being good. That why there are laws, there are morals, if humans are actually good and all, we dont even need rules and morals at all   That why i think Starlight struggle to become good is admirable.

There are redeemable and irredeemable, not everyone can be saved, i hope the show, while being optimism, still teach kids some real life lessons too...

Random: This video is a hints that Chrysalis will be reformed, oh boy...  People will not like it.

 

[Megas 27,765]

Yeah....that's not a really good viewpoint. While Equestria is more of an idealistic, fantasy world, everyone being able to be reformed is....really stupid, some people are just so evil that they're absolutely irredeemable. Case and point....Chrysalis.....just....please, for the love of all that is holy, please don't redeem her!

[Guest]

This topic seems as good an excuse as any for me to quote Dr. Jordan Peterson;

"We like to watch stories about horrible psychopathic thugs, and hopefully to learn how not to be like them. Although there are additional advantages because you might say that someone who is incapable of cruelty is a person who is of a higher moral being than someone who is capable of cruelty, and I would say that that is incorrect and that it's dangerously incorrect because if you are not capable of cruelty then you are most certainly a victim to anyone who is, and so part of the reason people go watch antiheroes and villains is because there's a part of them crying out for the corporation of the monster within them, which is what gives them strength of character and respect because it's impossible to respect yourself until you grow teeth, and when you grow teeth is when you realize that's when you can be somewhat dangerous to others and be somewhat seriously dangerous at which point you might be willing to treat yourself with some respect and that others treat you with the same respect. So that doesn't mean that being cruel is better than not being cruel, what it means is that being able to be cruel and then not being cruel is better than not being able to be cruel. Because in the first case you're nothing but weak and naive and in the second case you're dangerous, but you have it under control."

"You know, a lot of martial arts focus on exactly that as their principal philosophy of training, it's like we're not training to fight, we're training you to be peaceful and awake and avoid fights, but if you happen to have to get in one you can defend yourself. And part of the philosophy is that if you're competent in fighting, then that decreases the probability that you'll ever have to utilize the skills of the martial arts because when someone pushes you, you'll be able to respond with confidence and with any luck, (and this is certainly the case with bullies,) a reasonable show of confidence- which also in most cases is an equal show of dominance- is going to be able to make the bully back off and hopefully learn from it. So the strength you develop in your monstrousness is actually the guarantee of peace."

(Lecture dictation, hence the massive run-on)

[cmarston1 5,959]

1 hour ago, Kiryu-Chan said:

Yeah....that's not a really good viewpoint. While Equestria is more of an idealistic, fantasy world, everyone being able to be reformed is....really stupid, some people are just so evil that they're absolutely irredeemable. Case and point....Chrysalis.....just....please, for the love of all that is holy, please don't redeem her!

Don't forget Tirek.  If either he or Chrysalis, or god forbid both get reformed I am going to be pretty ticked off.

[FlareGun45 2,221]

I like Meghan's style! I agree with what she says about villains! No matter how unrealistic this show can be, it's a world we want, and a world we can try to make! The villain reforming stories? They don't bother me! Basically, almost anything can happen on the show it won't bother me just as long as Spike is treated fairly and gets what needs to develop well and healthily, that's my only exception!

So basically, if Chrysalis reforms, that's fine by me! :3 Hey, if Tirek gets reformed that's fine by me! If Spike doesn't get that biggest season he needs in the future, now that bothers me. Wow, we're all so different, yet we get along great here! Ain't this a great community? :3

Also Meghan said "BUY OUR TOYS"! I knew she was a Hasbro puppet! XD

[Them's Seeing Ponies 282]

10 hours ago, ShootingStar159 said:

If you want the real world, there are plenty of other shows out there that will give it to you, and this show will be here with its childish idealism if and when you want it instead.

Not sure 'childish' was the right term to use here. Obviously that wasn't the tone you were going for, but describing the show's idealism as 'childish' felt a little too derogatory. Equestria's moral code and ideology are different to the real world, yes, but it's not exactly inferior either. It works for the ponies most of the time similar to how our ideology works for us most of the time. It's just how Equestria is. Personally, I don't have a problem with reformation within the show unless it feels unneeded/overused or disrupts the flow or message of a story/is poorly executed (I'm even fine with most of the reformations, excluding a few such as Discord or Starlight Glimmer (more for the natures of their reformations instead of the fact that they were reformed in the first place) being addressed to kids as long as they understand that isn't how our world always operates). 

Edited November 21, 2017 by Them's Seeing Ponies

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,331]

Sure in a fantasy world like Equestria with different morals, this worldview works. But in the real world, not so much. Do we say that Hitler should be redeemed because he had a passion for art? Do we say that Kim Jong Un should be redeemed because he just has a temper? No. We see them as horrible people. 

The redeeming of villains never really bothered me, but that worldview would really not work in reality. 

[ShadOBabe 19,011]

4 hours ago, Sunset Rose said:

This topic seems as good an excuse as any for me to quote Dr. Jordan Peters.

In a nutshell...

”Speak softly and carry a big stick.” - Theodore Roosevelt

[Guest]

Just now, ShadOBabe said:

In a nutshell...

”Speak softly and carry a big stick.” - Theodore Roosevelt

You got it. There's a lot of avenues to traditional evil but that's the big one. Having power, and using it.

[ShadOBabe 19,011]

29 minutes ago, Sunset Rose said:

You got it. There's a lot of avenues to traditional evil but that's the big one. Having power, and using it.

I’m not sure that having power and using it is “evil” or “cruel”. Particularly in the sense that Dr. Peters was using it.

Having basic self preservation instincts are not bad. If someone grabs me in a parking lot with the intent to do me harm, me spinning around and jabbing them with my kubotan isn’t evil or cruel. It IS power though.

[Guest]

Just now, ShadOBabe said:

I’m not sure that having power and using it is “evil” or “cruel”. Particularly in the sense that Dr. Peters was using it.

Having basic self preservation instincts are not bad. If someone grabs me in a parking lot with the intent to do me harm, me spinning around and jabbing them with my kubotan isn’t evil or cruel. It IS power though.

I should have implied less, but yes. Using power against others instead of in defense of others.