Do You No Longer See Ponies as 'Ponies'?

[TS Lightner 269]

As the title says, have you become so used to seeing ponies, that you don't even think twice about them being ponies?  Obviously you still understand that they're ponies, and can clearly identify that, but I mean when you think of them, do you think of them as talking animals, or ponies like us?

Personally, I no longer think of them as animals, and do think of them as ponies like us. the fact that they're ponies doesn't even phase me anymore.  (Heck, I don't even think you can compare the show itself to other cartoons anymore, and probably should compare it to prime-time shows on the mane networks.)

Edited December 26, 2017 by Superplay64

[Will Guide 21,376]

@Superplay64

I always saw them as people you can learn something from since the very beginning of me watching FiM.

Shouldn't there be a poll option that say, "Nothing's changed. I'd always saw them as people" Please add that if you can.

[They call me Loyalty 1,958]

I perceive them as life forms, without further distinction or classification.

[Kaneki 1,073]

I definitely think of them like friends and people. They teach us valuable lessons from their experience.

[Tacodidra 61,942]

I can sympathize with them (like I would with otherwise similar human characters) and wish I could befriend them. But it's not a completely unique case for me. Having watched a lot of cartoons, I'm familiar with many anthropomorphic animal characters. I actually prefer such characters to cartoon humans in many cases, as I feel non-human characters allow for more fantasy elements and require less realism. With the ponies, it's sort of a best of both worlds case, as their personalities are more human-like than many other animal cartoon characters and as such more relatable.

But do I see them as ponies? When watching the show, I don't really think of the characters' species (though I'm obviously aware of it). And they don't remind me of real horses very much, as they're quite cartoonized versions of them.

[BastementSparkle 20,335]

When it comes down to it...Aren't we really just a bunch of talking animals ourselves? I don't see the ponies as any different than us, they're people, simple as that. It doesn't matter if those people are hairless apes or magical ponies or mutated turtles, people are people. Calling them "Just animals" feels kinda offensive...or, it would if they were real, anyway.

Edited December 26, 2017 by BasementSparkle

[Mirage 24,792]

They are indeed person-like, but one of the things I like most about them is that they are also very equine-like as well. They pull carts, kick and rear-up to express themselves, gallop and trot and shake their tales. They even snort and whinny like ponies! They are extremely adorable when they revert to being pony-like - I love it so much.

[Alex2002ita 61]

I choosed "To me, they are talking animals" because:

For me they are talking animals, like us on the other.
We human beings ARE talking animals with a conscience, mammals, but simply evolved talking animals on a mental (and physical) level.
The ponies on the show are the same thing, they are talking animals, ponies, but still talking animals with a conscience like ours.
So, we humans are talking animals as well as ponies are equally talking animals but both with the same consciousness, I do not know if I have explained myself. :b

(IMHO obv, and I'm talking about conscience)

 

Edited December 27, 2017 by Alex2002ita

[Prospekt 11,039]

To me, the ponies are basically just a bunch of humans in colorful four-legged bodies. Yeah, there are plenty of horse references, but I can relate to these characters enough to really not care about their species.

Apart from a few different words, like everypony, somepony, etc, they talk like people. Apart from the consequences of having cutie marks, wings, and/or horns, they act like people. Despite being somewhat naive and living in a fairly peaceful world, they think like people. They experience human emotions.

They might as well just be humans in an alternate universe.

[Mirage 24,792]

5 minutes ago, Alex2002ita said:

I choosed "To me, they are talking animals" because:

For me they are talking animals, like us on the other.
We human beings ARE talking animals with a conscience, mammals, but simply evolved talking animals on a mental (and physical) level.
The ponies on the show are the same thing, they are talking animals, ponies, but still talking animals with a conscience like ours.
So, we humans are talking animals as well as ponies are equally talking animals but both with the same consciousness, I do not know if I have explained myself. :b

(IMHO, obv and I'm talking about conscience)

 

Yes, I do understand. Philosophers would say it this way: Like us, ponies possess a consciousness that is united to their bodies. However, their physical nature differs from ours, in that we are humanoid, and they are pony.

[TS Lightner 269]

Updated the wording of Poll option 3, due to it being worded wrong.

[Alex2002ita 61]

6 minutes ago, Mirage said:

Yes, I do understand. Philosophers would say it this way: Like us, ponies possess a consciousness that is united to their bodies.

Exactly!

6 minutes ago, Mirage said:

However, their physical nature differs from ours, in that we are humanoid, and they are pony.

In fact I did not talk about their nature, on this it is obvious that our nature is very different from our and I totally agree on what you say

Edited December 26, 2017 by Alex2002ita

[Steve Piranha 29,500]

I do seen them as people, but not looking past them being ponies. About them being animals, yes they are animals. Last time I've checked, we are animals as well

 

[CypherHoof 26,483]

I think EqG Twi is instructive on this too (not SciTwi :D) - As the FiM pony AND as the more human-shaped (if not human-coloured) EqG, she is still Twi.

Therefore, her Twi-ness is independent of her shape - she is Twi, regardless of being a pony, a breezy, or an EqG...

[Foxy Socks 2,604]

Well they are more human-like, so I see them like that, but have equine based behavior too. 

[AlbaTross 1,586]

Well, I sometimes briefly forget I'm watching ponies, but then they do something pony-like or we get a horse-pun.

[KillerKingBakudan 702]

I will always see them as talking animals. And to tell you the truth, I can't understand how anybody can think differently on the subject. It doesn't matter how intelligent these ponies are. We don't see the characters from Animal Farm as anything but talking animals. In fact, horses like Boxer would feel right at home in Equestria. So what makes the ponies from FIM any different (besides magic)?

[Techno Universal 2,576]

Well for some reason I've always automatically thaught of the ponies from MLP as my future creations like I actually created them in real life in the near future as a project that would attempt to save humanity from their own destruction. So I don't know why I think of them this way but maybe it's true that I created them in the future if I'm feeling it deeply now.

[Fluttershutter 3,402]

We're all talking animals.

Yes, I see them as people, just of a different species.

[Castle Bleck 19,523]

I see them as an alien civilization (think Star Trek, Mass Effect, etc.), basically.

 

So yeah, people instead of animals; in fact, we see Ponies (capitalized on purpose -- like the name of an official alien race) like Fluttershy taking care of actual animals.

Edited January 8, 2018 by A.V.

[ShootingStar159 2,157]

On 12/26/2017 at 3:20 PM, BasementSparkle said:

When it comes down to it...Aren't we really just a bunch of talking animals ourselves? I don't see the ponies as any different than us, they're people, simple as that. It doesn't matter if those people are hairless apes or magical ponies or mutated turtles, people are people. Calling them "Just animals" feels kinda offensive...or, it would if they were real, anyway.

Well, no, we’re animals, but we’re also people. 

All people are animals, but not all animals are people.

The irony of calling us “just a bunch of talking animals” is as offensive as calling ponies animals.

[Lyrin 28]

If you think about it. What if animals are humans, and we are animals. What if our language is crude, and they are beautiful. Makes you think.

[BastementSparkle 20,335]

4 hours ago, ShootingStar159 said:

Well, no, we’re animals, but we’re also people. 

All people are animals, but not all animals are people.

The irony of calling us “just a bunch of talking animals” is as offensive as calling ponies animals.

I never said we weren't people. I was making a comment on how we humans are really animals too, just like the ponies are, but clearly we aren't the same as other animals, just like the ponies aren't the same as a normal real life horse. There's no real difference between us and them in that regard.

[Victoria Sponge 1,021]

They are ponies with human lives, personalities and problems. To be honest sometimes I like them more because they're not humans, sort of a refreshing take on life but in another universe/dimension where everything is horses.

[ShootingStar159 2,157]

23 minutes ago, BasementSparkle said:

I never said we weren't people. I was making a comment on how we humans are really animals too, just like the ponies are, but clearly we aren't the same as other animals, just like the ponies aren't the same as a normal real life horse. There's no real difference between us and them in that regard.

I know what you were saying in full, but what you said, “aren’t we all just a bunch of talking animals ourselves?” is breaking your argument down too far. Many different animals can “talk”, humans and ponies are not people just because we can talk, it’s a lot of more complex issues that determine personhood. Gorillas, for example, can learn to communicate basic ideas through sign language. That doesn’t mean they are people.

 I don’t disagree with what your saying, I just don’t think it was the best way to say it.