Classism in Ponyville

[VelvetDivan 96]

I thought it might be interesting to discuss classism in Equestria.  I think we'll leave out the whole alicorn issue since there are so few of them, and focus on the earth, pegasus, and unicorn divisions.

 

Unicorns are the only ponies really suited to fine manipulation of their physical environments.  They all seem able to use telekinesis handily, and anything beyond that is probably tied to their cutie mark.  Who needs hands and fingers when you can just levitate things around?  Because of their equivalent to fine motor skills, you'd expect to find unicorns working as fine artisans, in clock repair shops, tailor shops obviously...anywhere fine manipulation is required.

 

Pegasus ponies have no fine motor advantage over Earth ponies, but with their wings, they're able to do all kinds of tasks neither other group are well-suited for.  Whether it's courier duty, repair work several stories up, weather control, or dragon combat, you'd have to be pretty hard-up to consider anyone but a pegasus for the job.

 

Finally we come to Earth ponies.  As far as we know they have no special aptitudes at all, and before you say strength, remember that Pinkie is an Earth pony and never exhibited special strength that I can recall. Strength came to Applejack and Big Mac through their daily work, as it would come to anyone who does that sort of labor every day.  Any time an Earth pony wishes to use a tool, they either have to use their mouth to grip it, or potentially bind it to a hoof (I've never seen this done, but I don't see why it couldn't.)  There's never any suggestion that Earth ponies aren't useful, because (The Hearth's Warming Eve episode certainly suggests) the other two types certainly don't want to plow up dirty old fields and plant vegetables.  Because the Earth ponies grow food for the rest of the pony population, perhaps that's reason enough to believe there will never be an unemployment problem for them, despite their relative shortcomings.

 

 

Would you be happy in this system, as an Earth pony?  What if your cutie mark had nothing to do with farming?  Or you had yet to earn one, but disliked working in the fields?  What if Applebloom hated apples?  Does she have many alternatives?  Sure, the Cakes have a bakery, but what would happen if a unicorn baker opened up shop in town?  They would be able to turn out treats in a fraction of the time and make more delicate confections, perhaps even magical desserts.  There'd be no competing with them.  Flim and Flam almost put the Apple family out of business in a couple of days.  If they'd had a bit more sense...

 

(Yes, I realize I'm overthinking the show,  But since a number of us do roleplay in the universe the show spawned, I don't think it's a bad idea to spitball some ideas back and forth, and reinforce the framework.)

[Harmonic Revelations 8,836]

 I have noticed that ever since I started watching the show, Alicorns are almost always Royalty, Unicorns seem to be upper class/extremely wealthy, Pegasai are middle class, and Earth Ponies are lower class.

[VelvetDivan 96]

 I have noticed that ever since I started watching the show, Alicorns are almost always Royalty, Unicorns seem to be upper class/extremely wealthy, Pegasai are middle class, and Earth Ponies are lower class.

 

Which makes sense given the quality of work they can do, barring alicorns, who are simply 'royalty' and aberrations.  

 

We know that some traditional measures of wealth don't work, like having piles of jewels around, because they're common enough that they can be used to pay for pet-sitting.  We know that Applejack's business isn't doing terribly well though, because she's always needing to replace tools or facilities at Sweet Apple Acres and lacks the bits to do so.  Farmers do get their money cyclically though, generally, so that could just be poor budgeting on her part.  

[RWB 229]

 Farmers do get their money cyclically though, generally, so that could just be poor budgeting on her part.  

Considering the lack of economical sense shown by AJ in "Cider Squeezy", I'm going with the "poor budgeting explanation, myself.

[akita-ken 581]

Well, my ponysona is an Earth Pony and I think I wouldn't mind that at all, because it has been shown before that their hooves can 'wrap' around objects to some extent.. so when I draw Earth Ponies as well as in my headcanon I tend to take that that creative freedom to explain away things that they're able to do, such as hold onto knobs/switches, or do simple things like depress trigger buttons and bend slightly to keep things in place. Because of their limitations though, I find that accomplishments made by Earth Ponies are more noteworthy than those by the other two types. And because they are born with so little a headstart as compared with the other two types, I find that Earth Ponies tend to be very relate-able characters.

 

[Sky Warden 2,243]

I don't think Earth Ponies are only good at farming. There's a florist who's an Earth Pony in Ponyville. I forger her name. Roseluck maybe? Not only that. There are many other Earth Ponies with various talents. I think Earth Ponies are more "extreme" with their talent. Just say if an Unicorn has talent A and there's an Earth Pony who has talent A as well. I think Earth Pony is more talented with talent A than the Unicorn. I'm not sure where did that theory came from. It's just snapped out of my head, and I think it's kinda true somehow.

[Barbossa 47]

I don't think Earth Ponies are only good at farming. There's a florist who's an Earth Pony in Ponyville. I forger her name. Roseluck maybe? Not only that. There are many other Earth Ponies with various talents. I think Earth Ponies are more "extreme" with their talent. Just say if an Unicorn has talent A and there's an Earth Pony who has talent A as well. I think Earth Pony is more talented with talent A than the Unicorn. I'm not sure where did that theory came from. It's just snapped out of my head, and I think it's kinda true somehow.

 

Photo Finish is an earth pony. She's rich, and tremendously talented at something that has NOTHING to do with farming. She's the best example of how the classism idea is just something people injected into the show. It's not there at all, but I can see the evidence, and what appears to be supportive of it, I just don't think that's the case at all.

[Stalliongrad 982]

It would seem that you forget that there are a few celebrities that are Earth Ponies.

 

Photo Finish certainly doesn't fit into that farmer stereotype.

 

 

Nor does Hoity Toity

 

 

My opinion is that perhaps the racial balance in Equestria is so even this sort of thing isn't an issue. If anything it actually works in favor of the Earth Ponies. Ponyville for example being founded by Earth Ponies, Unicorns and Pegasi living there don't seem to be lower in the class system. If anything they respect and help maintain the traditon set by the Earth Ponies. I think that all Earth Ponies are stronger than both Pegasi and Unicorns. Even Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie use to be a Rock Farmer. I don't think moving rocks around makes you.. weak. The reason for this is not because of the nature of being a farmer. But that because they need to use their entire bodies to do things is the reason for this. They walk everywhere cannot fly. And they move things by push and pulling them. Not with magic. That being said i think that Unicorns are the second strongest and Pegasi being weakest. This reminds me of The Last Airbender series. If you remember when Aang (an Airbender) was trying to learn Earthbending he found it to be the most difficult because he was not used to fighting solely on the ground. This must also apply to the Pegasi in my opinion.

 

We as humans are most directly related to the Earth Ponies so we are quick to say that because to the eye Pegasi and Unicorns have it easier this is why we see Earth Ponies as inferior when that couldn't be farther from the truth. Unicorns certainly do have the advantage of magic aiding them in moving things around. But correct me if im wrong, but most of Equestria's problems seem to stem from magic, caused by magic then had to be fixed with magic. It is why i loved it when Applejack scorned Twilight for using magic during the Winter Wrap Up. Twilight not being able to do that task without magic only supports my opinion.

 

The thing I find interesting about Pegasi isn't that they can fly but that they can manipulate the weather.

 

My OC is an Earth Pony and if i could go to Equestria right now I would certainly want to be an Earth Pony.

[akita-ken 581]

 

I don't think Earth Ponies are only good at farming. There's a florist who's an Earth Pony in Ponyville. I forger her name. Roseluck maybe? Not only that. There are many other Earth Ponies with various talents. I think Earth Ponies are more "extreme" with their talent. Just say if an Unicorn has talent A and there's an Earth Pony who has talent A as well. I think Earth Pony is more talented with talent A than the Unicorn. I'm not sure where did that theory came from. It's just snapped out of my head, and I think it's kinda true somehow. 

 

Yup! Cuz Earth Ponies have to work much harder at whatever talents they might have as opposed to the other two who have it easier, and they come from humbler backgrounds too.

[Sky Warden 2,243]

 

 

Yup! Cuz Earth Ponies have to work much harder at whatever talents they might have as opposed to the other two who have it easier, and they come from humbler backgrounds too.

I was just thinking like that to balance the race system in this pony MMORPG I'm working on. Still, I think the talents of Earth Ponies are more powerful since the talents of Unicorns and Pegasus are more to race-unique talent like flying or magic.

[VelvetDivan 96]

The point is less that 'Earth ponies are only good at farming' and more that farming is the only occupation there's no competition for from the other classes, and that if they choose to pursue any other occupation (other than similar, hard physical labor jobs) there's the ever-looming threat of being displaced by a unicorn, or less likely, a pegasus.

 

As far as pegasi being weakest, that doesn't ring true at all.  If anything unicorns would be physically weakest, because they use their TK for everything.  Large flying animals are extremely powerful.  Swans can break your arm with a beat of their wings.  Of course, the wing-spans of the pegasi in MLP are far too small to allow them to fly using real-world physics, so you have to figure they have inherent magic to enable their flight.  I don't think hollow bones are the answer, given how rough-and-tumble Dashie's always been.  

 

Also, I'd hoped this discussion could be less about pointing out instances of classism in the show itself than about theorizing how ponies dealt with it and live together in the harmony we *do* see in the show.  We have to fill in the gaps sometimes, when we want a more fleshed-out universe to cavort within.  

[Stalliongrad 982]

The point is less that 'Earth ponies are only good at farming' and more that farming is the only occupation there's no competition for from the other classes, and that if they choose to pursue any other occupation (other than similar, hard physical labor jobs) there's the ever-looming threat of being displaced by a unicorn, or less likely, a pegasus.

 

As far as pegasi being weakest, that doesn't ring true at all.  If anything unicorns would be physically weakest, because they use their TK for everything.  Large flying animals are extremely powerful.  Swans can break your arm with a beat of their wings.  Of course, the wing-spans of the pegasi in MLP are far too small to allow them to fly using real-world physics, so you have to figure they have inherent magic to enable their flight.  I don't think hollow bones are the answer, given how rough-and-tumble Dashie's always been.  

 

Also, I'd hoped this discussion could be less about pointing out instances of classism in the show itself than about theorizing how ponies dealt with it and live together in the harmony we *do* see in the show.  We have to fill in the gaps sometimes, when we want a more fleshed-out universe to cavort within.  

 

I think they have dealt with being together well enough since the founding of Equestria really. I'm sure they have their differences. I think it mostly has to do with which area in Equestria you are in and conform. If you are in Canterlot there will be more Unicorns and a lot of magic. I don't think it means Pegasi and Earth Ponies don't fit in but the flavor of the place certainly is different from say .. Ponyville. And for Cloudsdale ... well the only people who ever get to see it would be Pegasi so we don't even need to ask about how it is there.

[Freewave 1,145]

 I have noticed that ever since I started watching the show, Alicorns are almost always Royalty, Unicorns seem to be upper class/extremely wealthy, Pegasai are middle class, and Earth Ponies are lower class.

 

Actually that's funny because when we did the top brony musicians based on ytube subscriptions we actually put them in groups based on these aparent classes

 

 The Alicorns of the Community (Over 50,000)

The Unicorns of the Community (5,001-50,000)

The Pegasi of the Community (1,001-5,000)

Earth Ponies (101-1,000)

Blank Flanks / Fillies (1-100)

 

So yes i agree that in terms of power and status it goes in such a ranking. Unicorns can do magic which trumps flying and there's less of them in ponyville (see how many showed up during Hurricane Fluttershy). While I dont' agree that earth ponies are limited to faming it does mean that they have less power at their disposal than those who can fly or do magic although there are likely more of them.

 

In the end while people might get mad that having a class system is unfair that's how the world works (lower, middle, and upper class) and Hearth's Warming Eve addressed this topic (with the 3 races fighting) and its clear that Mane 6 operates with 2 earth ponies, 2 pegasi, and 2 unicorns just fine.

 

 

Well maybe just one unicorn now. I guess they will need to have Lyra join in Twi's place.  

[GlitterdotSparkle 8]

I love that the ponies can all be different and still all be of value. if we relate it to the real world, its like there's only a few Bill Gates/ Richard Bransons/ Oprah's etc, but in Ponyville everyone they interact with is of equal value to the world and therefore has a right to be happy and have their needs met.  In that end, I don't think classism exists in MLP, but that the show makes a powerful statement of how having different innate skills can be a good thing as there are somethings that you are naturally better at contributing to society.

[Argumedies 1,748]

I remember a couple of years ago when this all first started I read an article written by one of you brainy twily collage typez on the subject of the pony race/class comparing it to the idilic utopian society by Sir Thomas Moore.

 

It was quite interesting... I just don't know where to get a copy of it

Edited August 5, 2014 by Argumedies

[Fractured 2,684]

Yes, there does seem to be a classist system, with canterlot/high society being mostly unicorns, and earth ponies live off the land, but it's not really an issue. Nobody really desires wealth in Equestria, because there's nothing you can really buy with the lack of technology, and you're not leaving on a vacation anywhere. When ponies care about money, it's only about having enough to live. (You also don't have to worry about finding jobs...)

Edited August 5, 2014 by Shimmer5000