The Reputation of the Brony Community/Fandom

[aoEAF2FBvC0MIo2Q 3,673]

Something I've been wondering about for some time now. Ever since hearing about zealot bronies attacking clop and gore artists, presumably out of fear for being asociated with the furry fanbase I guess, it got me wondering if it is of any consequence at all.

 

When you're an anonymous brony with only close friends knowing about it, it won't really matter because they know you well enough not to make any baseless assumptions about you and those who would don't even know you are. So then I could just continue to enjoy the show, talk to my online brony friends about it and go see fanart and whatnot without anything to care about. Or so I believe.

 

On the other hoof... Looking at myself and how I look at the furry fandom, I can say that right off the bat, I want no connection with them after being shown some pretty sick things at a time when my skin wasn't very thick. I still don't want to be considered a furry and this is what's making me think twice about my previously stated opinion because if the brony fandom does somehow reach that point then it would seriously discourage new fans from entering the community. Yet it's not so simple, is it? Because if one could be able to give it a chance and discover that it's a peaceful or sensible fanbase where all or at least most of the hate is just myth then they just might take part in it after all but just stay anonymous about it.

 

Just brought up the furry community as an example to help me get my point across. Hope I made myself clear.

 

So then... Is the reputation of our fandom something to be concerned or even care about?

Edited October 7, 2012 by SunBurn

[Doctor XFizzle 8,669]

I guess all these associations don't really bother me because in real life, no one knows I'm a brony at all except my best friend and my other friend who told me about MLP. On the internet, I stick to doing my pony business on pony websites (except DeviantArt but there's enough bronies there that it's not uncommon). So it's easy for me to just turn a blind eye to it but for others, I can see how they could be affected by it if they are open and proud of their bronydom(?)

[aoEAF2FBvC0MIo2Q 3,673]

I guess all these associations don't really bother me because in real life, no one knows I'm a brony at all except my best friend and my other friend who told me about MLP. On the internet, I stick to doing my pony business on pony websites (except DeviantArt but there's enough bronies there that it's not uncommon). So it's easy for me to just turn a blind eye to it but for others, I can see how they could be affected by it if they are open and proud of their bronydom(?)

 

That's just one of the things that came to mind. A different point I remember bringing up is that because after all, this fandom is based around a show that is easily judged as something for little girls, we as a fanbase that is mostly made up of grown men, we have no dignity to begin with. Keeping that in mind, it becomes easy for me to ignore ridicule instead of getting defensive simply because I expect it. Though it's one thing to be looked at as ridiculous and something else completely to be looked at as disgusting. I'm sure there's quite a bit of both towards us as a whole.

[~WhiteHawk~ 186]

I honestly don't really care about the reputation of the brony fandom. People are gonna assume things, it's just how it is. Me being a furry myself, I've grown not to care about what people think about me and/or the people I'm associated with. There's always gonna be cloppers and gore artists (I also enjoy both types of art), and there's always gonna be the people that dislike it. I've just learned not to care about what people think about me, so I don't get offended when people dis my fandom.

 

Just my opinion, though.

[Haven Celestii 9,385]

Meh. Everyone is gonna think what they want. Yes, it is bad if everyone is grouped with cloppers just because a few see what they do and don't like it, but I don't see a complete reason to freak out over it. its not gonna change anything cause like I said earlier, people are gonna think what ever they want. We should be worried somewhat, but we shouldn't go overboard with it enough to attack people of our own fandom.

Also, you're not a furry if you don't say you are. Example, I like this show and the fandom, but I don't give two craps about the anthropomorphic qualities of the characters. Don't look at their art unless it shows itself somewhere, don't associate myself with them at all. I'm not about to let someone tell me that I am a furry just because of one show. So its really up to you whether you are one or not. Being associated with it doesn't bother cause I know its not true.

[JeanHover 326]

I've never cared about the reputation of our fandom. The part of it that most consider questionable I don't mind, and I find it stupid when people say that they make us all look bad. It's not like it's doing anything to us, it just gives haters more of a reason to hate. Hate, by the way, is something I tend to shuffle aside on most occasions. They may get crap out of other bronies, but not me.

[aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 55]

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Edited April 16, 2022 by throw

[Literally Snails 2,307]

If you ask one of the star students at my high school they would put our reputation int less words. Saying some thing like: 'tha's gay, cuz.' or 'Betcha be suckin' dicks.' But who really cares what they think?

[Ian 69]

Eh. Personally, being a member of quite a few misunderstood fandoms, I get some flak. But when they realize I have /god on, they kinda walk away like meh. And to those who like clop stuff, I don't care, and don't think I find it creepy because's it's ponies, I find the genre a little creepy whether it's ponies, furries, people, or robots. I just don't like it personally. On my view on how others veiw the fandom because of them, I couldn't give two craps, as I've said I'm insome other much more misunderstood fandoms than just bronies and furries :1

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,695]

I welcome and accept everypony in the community. I don't like everything that comes out of it, but I don't have to. I think any reputation we have to the rest of the world, apart from liking a pony show, is unimportant and really in the eye of the beholder.

Edited October 7, 2012 by TailsAlone

[Creamy Arty 6,252]

There's infighting wherever you go. Many of the "zealot bronies" like to take the No true Scotsman approach. Many of the furries don't like us either. There's enough overlap with the brony and furry communities that I wouldn't worry about it. Both fandoms have the ire of the internet public at large, but for the most part instead of finding some common ground on that issue they discard their greatest potential ally. There is a middle ground, a central faction in a Venn diagram of bronies and furries in which many people sit comfortably. Most people who outright hate the entirety of bronies or furries usually do so simply because they want to; they believe what they want to believe regardless of anything you can present to the contrary. There's no changing a mind like that so you're best off doing your own thing.

 

 

On the other hoof... Looking at myself and how I look at the furry fandom, I can say that right off the bat, I want no connection with them after being shown some pretty sick things at a time when my skin wasn't very thick. I still don't want to be considered a furry and this is what's making me think twice about my previously stated opinion because if the brony fandom does somehow reach that point then it would seriously discourage new fans from entering the community.

I'd say we're already there. I can show you some pretty sick things within our own fandom. Would you want to leave it if I did?

[Solace 407]

it has a bad rep because the other fandoms are around things that are not orignlaly set for little girls .i'm not saying it is now because of the fandom but because we are against the social norm we are shown as deviants furries, pedophiles, and Cheeto dust stained nerds just because we are different dos not mean were are bad

[Brave Hooves 113]

We have a reputation of being fat autistic manchildren pedophiles that fap to pony ass all day and live off EBTs and unemployment checks. I've only heard of one person like that that just happens to be a brony and his name is Chris Chan. People love assuming the worst, just don't pay mind to it, do your own thing and remember your real friends are. I've actually seen people that have admitted to enjoying furry porn that say they think clopping is disgusting because it's a girls show. Hypocrite is an understatement.

[Tacit Moon 100]

I absolutely agree with most everything said so far.
 

Edited July 3, 2016 by Tacit Moon

[Guest]

Fandoms will always attract weirdos, it is the natural life cycle of a fandom. Generally it goes 1. New clean fandom, not a lot of people joining up 2. Starts to attract more people, weirdos join 3. Fandom starts to get a bad name in the general public 4. Fandom ages and begins to lose the "hipster" people while keeping those who actually like it.

 

The Brony Fandom is somwhere between 2 and 3, and 3 will inevitably come, we can't keep clop and the like out, so it will eventually get to the public, and we will follow the trail of other fandoms that get hated on more and more.

 

Most fandoms are at 4 by now (trekkies, sci-fi, furries, and various other ones). Some do manage to skip three (Dr. Who), but it usually depends on the subject matter and audience.

[AnonBrony 1,468]

I don't really care much about our reputation. As long as its just online. Yeah i don't like the fact people assume crap about us but you can't really do much about that. Theres always been something in the back of my brain that always want to tell them the truth and defend our reputation, but it aint gonna be much to any avail. But as of now i don't think we should worry about our reputation.

We should only worry if when we go on some big news thing and are potrayed badly. Like on T.V. in merica and are on one of the big news channels that millions and millions watch, and are potrayed badly. If that happens, some etremist will try and protest against us, Hasbro will get involved, and the show will most likely end. But there is little chance of that happening, don worry heheh.

[Modphase 1,271]

Wait, so you're telling me, that Bronies attacked these artists just because they're doing something their allowed to do?

 

UghhaaahHHAAAHHhsbajbsdhjsbanOOOONOOO

 

This makes me so mad. So very, very mad.

 

These artists have a right to do whatever they want. Sure, what they're doing is clop and gore, but doesn't stop me from giving them sympathy. they were attacked just because they were doing something which they have all the right in the world to do.

 

With that said, I'm against both these Bronies and these artists.

 

You see, these artists can do whatever the hell they want, I care absolutely 0% about what they do, because they have a right to do it. Even though they have a right, they should know that what they're doing angers and sickens some. I'm not saying that they should stop, I'm saying they should keep to themselves if they don't want backlash. It is partly their fault.

 

Now the Bronies who attacked them, it's kinda obvious why I'm against them. Sure, they have all the right in the world to attack these artists, but they should know that what they're doing is not an attack of justice, it is an attack out of anger, and that the fact they attacked them is utterly stupid and immature.

 

In a sense you could say I'm against every single group and religion in the world. This doesn't stop me from joining, or else I wouldn't be a Brony. But I'm against them because they think think that their always right. You can't deny it.

 

If groups stopped believing that they're not always right, that they have flaws, and that what they're doing will anger people, then my guess is that we wouldn't have problems like this. If the artists admitted that what they're drawing is sick, and that people have a right to get angry about it, and that the offending Bronies admitted that what they're doing isn't the smartest, and actually the stupidest thing to do, then they would both get along. They just need to see that it's not black and white, that they aren't perfect, and that the other side has a right to do whatever they want.

 

That's why I'm against every group. Because none has ever admitted they're flaws.

 

This could be applied to my thoughts on the reputation of Bronies as well. Us Bronies need to know that we can do whatever we want, but that if we go too far it could hurt us. The people who hate on us have a right to hate on us, which is what we don't realize. The haters don't realize that we can do whatever we want. It's very strange when you look at the big picture, and that we're our own worst enemies, either if you're a Brony or a hater. And until we admit that what we're doing is not perfect and is hurting ourselves, we will both be ignorant. And of that ignorance is destroyed, we all get along.

 

You can't change other people.

 

 

You need to change yourselves.

[aoEAF2FBvC0MIo2Q 3,673]

@Modphase

 

Well... In the end, groups; be they religious, bronies or whatever, are still made up of people. People are pretty diverse. It's natural to expect that not 100% will agree on the same thing, especially to groups with size. While there is some common ground between us as bronies, we still see conflicting opinions between bronies concerning the show itself.

 

Now... It could be said that we should all just cope, and there are different ways to do that, with the reality that not everyone or for that matter everypony will agree with what one can be passionate about. That's another misfortune born out of diversity; not everyone has as much skill, control or common sense to do so which make some more prone to get defensive and stir up drama than the others. This is something I want the zealots to understand and I honestly see them as the bigger threat to the fanbase's reputation than the clop/grimdark/grotesque artists and those among us into those kinds of content. As much as I would like them to just drop their fanatical ways, I really don't see that happening. I'm just happy that they're a minority.

[Guest]

The Bronycon documentary will hopefully make the reputation of the fandom positive. Hopefully people won't judge the brony community from sources such as Howard Stern...

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,695]

Howard Stern still has a radio show? And people still listen to it? I don't even care what he said about us, that's offensive enough.

 

Something even more ridiculous...I don't know where the pedophile thing comes from. How does liking a show intended for children possibly make you a pedophile? This society's so paranoid it's embarrassing. It's like anything that involves adult + child - parent/relative or teacher = MOLESTER! (When most kids are hurt more by their parents than anyone else in their lives.) I don't get it.

[sqwisgaar.sqwigelf 16]

I agree, people are going to hate no matter what, and I don't see how people are worried about beig associated with furries, sure there are furries that are bronies as well, but you can't really be considered a furry unless you consider YOURSELF a furry. BTW porn is to be expected in any fandom, it's not just the furries fault, and if you don't want to be associate with it then just don't look at it.

[Gone for good 1,593]

I know that people around here keep on saying that they are hated right off the bat for being a brony and all that, but never once has that happened to me. I mean, outside of /v/ I honestly don't see much hatred towards the bronies at all on the internet.

[sqwisgaar.sqwigelf 16]

There's a large amount of furries on the Internet and even at my school that hate on bronies... I don't understand it myself, being a furry for 7 years (but not anymore) it really goes against even why furries stand for. I really think furries and bronies could be close allies. But, maybe that's for another chapter in our history.

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

I agree with Bababa, 95% of the brony hate I've seen is towards people who are self-righteous narcissists about being one, Eeyup.

[Adiirus 38]

The way I see it is the foundation to our entire fandom is based on a simple principle of love and tolerance, though I don't involve myself in the furry fan base their artistic input into the community is still a growth of

the community itself. Also, we all know the outside pressure on the community (most of us have immediate family members that shun our existence due to MLP) cooperation is a must for the survival of our own fandom.

Edited October 9, 2012 by Adiirus