A Small Explanation

[Raspberry32 226]

I have a few friends who are not very fond of My Little Pony. I simply ask them why they don't like the show, and I get these responses.

 

"The show is gay. You are gay if you really watch it."

 

"It is for little girls."

 

"The show isn't meant for grown men."

 

We have all heard these responses before, and I am sure we all have acted in a way to try and change their point of view in all of this.

 

Well, the way I reacted was, according to these few friends, a little over the top.

 

What you are about to read may sound pretty similar to what you may have heard from yourself, or others. But, read this before jumping into my short little essay. (I don't know why it came out black)

 

I had a quote from a YouTube comment in my post, and I even stated it was a comment from YouTube. Sure, what I said may sound strikingly similar to what someone else may have said on YouTube. But, that is because we (the bronies) are constantly discussing this topic, trying to reason with the haters. What we hear from other bronies, just adds up to our reasons already stated, making what we say more true, more effective, and more informative.

 

 

That was a quote from me explaining to my friend why I sound just like other brony "arguers".

 

So, if you understand the black coated text above, and you are ready to jump into this, go right ahead. Also, if you want, ignore the beginning about "expecting". That was meant for something they said before. It still ties in with the whole pony thing, though.

 

 

 

"You don't get it, do you? We EXPECT things out of certain people, and we are, even if it is in the slightest, shocked when they do different.

 

 

 

 

We EXPECT children to be wild, crazy, and energetic. But when they go a full month chilling on the couch, you start to wonder what in the world is wrong with them.

 

We EXPECT business men to be all stiff, spiffy, and serious. But, when we see the CEO of Geico partying on top of a table, we are pretty surprised. (I know the Geico CEO is probably not all party like, it is just an example.)

 

We as humans have all of these expectations that we receive by living. When you walk down the street and see a jogger, you EXPECT them to be in really good shape all the time. Or when you see a 250lbs man sitting in McDonald's, we feel pretty bad for them, but we also EXPECT them to be lazy and unhealthy.

 

I also see a flaw, in both of your theories. I understand what you THINK, but what you don't KNOW is that My Little Pony has a past.

 

G1, G2, G3, and G4. Right now, I am going to focus on G4 (Friendship is Magic)

 

Generation 4: Friendship is Magic is a reboot of the previous generations. Unlike the previous generations, G4 has a pretty clever sense of humor, even though at times, it can be a little overdone. But, that doesn't mean somebody else can think it's funny. Friendship is Magic tries to reach out to everybody, young, old, male, or female, which is most of the reason they have some pretty nice references. I believe the references are included into the show, not to appease the older audience being "forced" to watch, but to gather the attention and strike a surprise at the older audience who actually enjoy the show. It isn't like Hasbro doesn't know about bronies. Those references are there for a reason.

 

A theory I came across is that there are some out there who like the show because it reminds them of the animation they grew up on. That may be true for some, but not for all.

 

Here is a comment I spotted on YouTube explaining some reasons about this person's love for the show.

 

"I watch it simply because the show is genuinely hilarious, and each one of the ponies (even some background ponies) have distinguishing characteristics and even some critical flaws that the other ponies balance out. The best part of it is the fact that the show has a positive message that everyone, young and old, can relate to.

 

"everyone, young and old" - This caught your eye, I know it. You may not have the sense of humor some of us have, but you can't deny the fact that there are people who enjoy this type of humor. If not, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

 

You know, different friends, families, and environments all lead to different points of view. You have all of these different opinions and thoughts that were implanted in your mind long ago, so you follow with what you know, or think you know. I say this because you recognize My Little Pony from the 2000's. G1, G2, and G3 are all the same. G4 is the generation that lured us into the show. Keep in mind, G4 is the generation you have NEVER given a chance, simply because of the past, which I might remind you, are the generations that were intended for young girls.

 

Something G4 has that the others do not, is personality, characteristics, and moral. I will be getting into 1-3 generations later, but generation 4 gave every main pony, even some background ponies, a unique personality and characteristic. They are easily told apart, easily distinguished from one another. This is something any good show needs, not just MLP. Personality and characteristics both give another trait the 1-3 generations don't have, which is the ability to relate.

 

Nobody is going to relate to having a tea party with rainbows above their heads. Everybody can relate to when their friend is having a problem, and they have the option to help them or not. Every character has a specific trait that the other does not.

 

We all, in life, have friends who are different than each other. Boom. Relation #1.

 

We all, I am sure, have a competitive sporty friend (Rainbow Dash and Applejack). Boom. Relation #2.

 

We all have a crazy, funny, party animal (Pinkie Pie). Boom. Relation #3

 

We all have that one team leader who likes to keep everything in order and can handle anything (Twilight Sparkle). Boom. Relation #4.

 

We all have a day where we want to accomplish something in a certain way, or do something better than someone, or prove something to everybody who doubted you. Relations #5, #6, and #7 have been established.

 

I can go on and on about this. I would love to, but I think there is a limit to the amount of words there can be in one post.

 

Now, if you don't mind, generations 1-3 will now be the main focus here.

 

Generations 1, 2, and 3: There isn't much difference between these 3 generations, which is why I am grouping them together. You hopefully have been seeing the words "tea party" and "rainbows" somewhere up there. I was referring to G1, 2 and 3. This is why I grouped them. They are the same, tea parties and rainbows. There is hardly any adventure going on, and there is hardly any real plot or story to it. There may be some pretty cool action scenes, but it was made just to entertain the young children, which doesn't take much. They slacked. They knew the children would be entertained by almost nothing, so that is what they did. Why do more than what you have to?

 

That is the difference is between G1-3, and G4. When Hasbro gave My Little Pony another chance, they actually tried to entertain. Entertainment lured the adult audience in. It was ENTERTAINING! They added all of those improvements, which made the show more appealing to everyone.

 

Another thing. I said "everyone". The show really does, somewhere, somehow, gather everyone's attention. It is because the wide variety of references, personalities, humor, and characteristics.

 

I am going to say this again. You guys heard about these generations first, which gave you the idea, "My Little Pony is definitely for little girls." But, you haven't been giving the 4th generation a chance, because you still have the impression of the show being for young females. And that is why you will never give it a chance, which will lead to you never understanding our love for the show.

 

This concludes my (very long) explanation on this whole subject. I don't expect you to say "I was wrong, you were right." You won't. That is the whole point of an argument, to prove the opposer wrong. But, I don't see this as an argument, just a small discussion on different opinions.

 

TL;DR: Opinions cause problems."

 

 

 

Now, I know I have plenty of false information in this post. I haven't done 100% full on research. Most of this is from what I already knew off the top of my head. I posted this on here, not for you to criticize my mistakes in a harsh way, but to tell me where I went wrong in this, where I went right, and if you think this information is somewhat accurate.

 

Thanks!

Edited July 9, 2012 by Raspberry32

[Random User 249]

It's like I always say, gender roles are usually the only reason people see fault in men watching My Little Pony.

 

Now if you'll excuse me I need to GO PUMP IRON AT THE GYM AND KICK ASS AND DO MANLY STUFF UUUUURRRGH

[applejack is best pony 22]

The reason mlp fim gets so much hate about it's adult following boils down to one thing, (which both you and the poster above mention) that is that it is generally accepted to be a show for kids, and even more girls. It could have the best plot ever made in the world and it would still have bashing simply because it isn't seen as acceptable and "correct" for adult men to enjoy a little girl's show.

 

The speech was fun to read and I don't really see you going wrong in any places. All I can say is that some people just aren't going to accept it on principle and most of the ones that are like that, if the do get herded, hardly ever go beyond closet brony and rarely tell anyone else, esp friends, they like it. If they come around to it, one more for the herd if not don't let it get to you.

[zDashiez 496]

e I need to GO PUMP IRON AT THE GYM AND KICK ASS AND DO MANLY STUFF UUUUURRRGH

 

sorry i really had to

but seriously this is where "don't judge a book by it cover" comes into play.

 

I

"The show is gay. You are gay if you really watch it."

 

"It is for little girls."

 

 

unfortunately I've had the same conversation with people, i tell them "why don't you watch the show before judging it like that". I usually get responses like "Urr i don't need to cause i'm not a fag like you" " no cause i'm not gay"

my personal favorite " I'm to much of a man to watch a show about pink ponies having tea parties under a rainbow"

Its disappointing that some people are so close-minded to even consider watching a single episode to see what it's really like. I have to admit its amusing to see that they can't come up with a more valid argument besides IT'S GAY!

Edited July 9, 2012 by zRevenantz

[PonyEcho 1,610]

i think the reason some people think that way is because when you first thought of MLP you think of G1 which was aroung the time of GI Joe the second reason would have to be the media (we've all seen the fox news's opinion) most people cant accept when something outside of there comfort zone is good.

 

however when someone goes to the" if you watch MLP you dont have the right to call yourself a Man" or the usual Homophobic rant it doesnt boher me because i dont need the opinion of someone else I only need to care about what i think of me.

 

now back on point i think what annoys people about bronies, is when they say that "MLP is the greatest show ever created" and then pester there friends to watch it even tho they dont care, while at the same time acting like there misunderstood and the injured party in all this.

[One 498]

Say, "why dont you watch it, then judge it?" Then if they dont watch it say "Well cant blame me for liking it if you wont even watch it" "why not try again?" but if they watch it and still hate it say "try again" untill they love the show or they just think your weird.

 

Ive been blessed with the fact I havent had to convert people to the way of the bronies but once I have to Ill just be like "B*** please" then speed away in my Veyron (which I dont have, and I cant drive, but you can dream.. you can dream...)

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

Absolutely. I mean, just check out my signature. I watch the show while maintaining my hobbies of doing "manly stuff" - namely sports and staying moderately active.