What the Hell happened to the brony community?

[Commander_PonyShep 349]

As a disclaimer, I'd like to let you know that I have some skepticism for Equestria Girls, and once even went far as to write a swear-word infested rant about it. It's not just the fact that it's turning MLP into Monster High, either; it's also all of those plot-holes and logic inconsistencies the trailer created for the film, including but not limited to:

 

-Twilight entering the mirror alone, when she could've just as easily brought her friends with her.

 

-Twilight getting a boyfriend, even though in the show she had no interest in romance, only friendship.

 

-Sunset Shimmer most likely stealing the Crystal Crown, only to turn around and win it multiple times in all of those prom queen contests, including the current one.

 

But really, what's worse than EqG and Alicorn Twilight combined, is the very fact that us bronies are throwing temper-tantrums over those changes to the show.  We used to be the most loving, tolerant fan-community on Earth, where most other fan-communities tantrum every time they see changes they don't like to their favorite franchises, like Mass Effect 3's ending, or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles becoming aliens.  But now, we've become the equivalent of those other fandoms, just because of Alicorn Twilight, Equestria Girls, and other controversies like Lauren Faust leaving the show and Derpy Hooves getting axed.  Instead of calming down and learning to love or at least tolerate Alicorn Twilight or EqG, we're just throwing temper-tantrums and acting like DHX and Hasbro owes us a better My Little Pony.

 

Hell, some of us even wrote death-threats to the writers on Twitter, and made some of them even consider leaving the show altogether!  Even though the writers are making changes changes to the show that we don't like, we're the ones destroying the show... despite the fact that the Mass Effect fans' tantrums forced BioWare to release an Extended Cut ending for Mass Effect 3, thus fixing the many mistakes made in the original cut ending of the game.

 

So really, what can we do to reduce the death-threats, temper-tantrums, and sense of entitlement that's spreading throughout the brony community, and return it to its loving and tolerant roots?

Edited May 18, 2013 by Full Spectrum

[~Luminiferous Ether~ 107]

I believe that we have cyber-balkanized ourselves into what we see as a perfect view of the show.

Every time there is a change the bronies go on watch, you agree, a lot of us don't like change.

We just have to get real, the more success Hasbro has on EQG the better, the more capital they make, the more ponies.

If it doesn't affect MLP, why complain in my opinion.

[Commander_PonyShep 349]

I believe that we have cyber-balkanized ourselves into what we see as a perfect view of the show.

Every time there is a change the bronies go on watch, you agree, a lot of us don't like change.

We just have to get real, the more success Hasbro has on EQG the better, the more capital they make, the more ponies.

If it doesn't affect MLP, why complain in my opinion.

But even then, we don't have to divide ourselves all the time over this issue.  If we can't love EqG or Alicorn Twilight, we should at least learn to tolerate those things.  You know, love and tolerance?

Edited May 17, 2013 by Commander_PonyShep

[Umbral Noir 1,556]

I agree that some bronies do get a bit over worked up about things. I think we should try to be a bit more tolerant of change, at least until we see things for ourselves. The thing that worried me is that bronies are starting to jump to conclusions. When Alicorn Twilight was announced, there was an uproar, with swearing, death threats and anger. A while after the Magical Mystery Cure episode, bronies seem to not really mind as much any more. Now that the Equestria Girls trailer has just been released, a brony civil war has started! I think we should at least wait until we've actually seen Equestria Girls before we argue over whether we like it or not.

 

Pleas, don't think I'm trying to start an EG argument though! I think I'll just finish by saying that we should go back to tolerating, we don't want to end up like haters who are completely against the bronies!

Edited May 17, 2013 by DJ-BRONI3

[Commander_PonyShep 349]

I agree that some bronies do get a bit over worked up about things. I think we should try to be a bit more tolerant of change, at least until we see things for ourselves. The thing that worried me is that bronies are starting to jump to conclusions. When Alicorn Twilight was announced, there was an uproar, with swearing, death threats and anger. A while after the Magical Mystery Cure episode, bronies seem to not really mind as much any more Now that the Equestria Girls trailer has just been released, a brony civil war! I think we should at least wait until we've actually seen Equestria Girls.

 

Before I start an EG argument though, I think I'll just finish by saying that we should go back to tolerating, we don't want to end up like haters who are completely against the bronies!

Thanks.  Again, if we can't love Equestria Girls, we should at least tolerate it, because of the whole "love and tolerance" thing going on in the brony community.

 

And, as you said, EqG isn't out yet.  We've only received a trailer.  I won't be able to get tickets to see it as early as June 16, but I hope Equestria Daily puts a spoiler post of the movie that reveals certain plot-twists, at least for bronies who already saw the film themselves.  Why?  Because I had a history of getting spoilers to countless video games, whether on wikipedia or on Youtube, without any need to play the games for myself.

 

But other than that, we don't have to end up like the Mass Effect fans from last year, who ironically and successfully pressured BioWare into releasing an Extended Cut ending for Mass Effect 3.  Loving and tolerating are not the same thing, so while we don't have to love Equestria Girls, we should at least tolerate it.

Edited May 17, 2013 by Commander_PonyShep

[____ 156]

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Edited August 10, 2020 by ____

[Commander_PonyShep 349]

Oh please, a fan base is known as a FANbase for a reason, of course people get a little high on themselves now and then.

We just gotta remember da majuks of friendship.

Yeah.  Like Hal's Emerald Attack/Action/Advancement Team, or H.E.A.T. for short, who threw a decade long temper-tantrum over Hal Jordan becoming the super-villain, Parallax, and killing the entire Green Lantern Corps and all the Guardians who run it.  This eventually had comic-book creator Geoff Johns resurrect both Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps alike, just so that H.E.A.T. could shut-up and calm down.

[Stellafera 3,835]

You know what happened in 2011 when it was revealed that Lauren Faust wasn't in charge anymore?

 

Massive shitstorm.

 

You know what happened when Lesson Zero first aired?

 

Everyone declared the show "RUINED FOREVER" and absolutely hated the episode and everything it represented. 

 

I'm just saying, all these controversies and such ain't new. 

[Dr. Eggnog 203]

 

You know what happened when Lesson Zero first aired?

 

Everyone declared the show "RUINED FOREVER" and absolutely hated the episode and everything it represented. 

Whoa whoa whoa, I never knew that!  From what I could tell coming into the fandom post season 2, everyone else loved Lesson Zero and I was the only one who hated it.  Interesting.

 

Anyway, agree with OP.  Some bronies need to chillax a bit and not get so angry even if they have logical reasons to dislike Magical Mystery Cure and Equestria Girls.  I would hate for any of the staff to leave because of this.

Edited May 17, 2013 by Dr. Eggnog

[Commander_PonyShep 349]

You know what happened in 2011 when it was revealed that Lauren Faust wasn't in charge anymore?

 

Massive shitstorm.

 

You know what happened when Lesson Zero first aired?

 

Everyone declared the show "RUINED FOREVER" and absolutely hated the episode and everything it represented. 

 

I'm just saying, all these controversies and such ain't new. 

Wait, Lesson Zero was a controversial episode?

 

Oh wait, don't tell me.  It was so that the show could have all of Twilight's friends report to Princess Celestia about friendship, rather than just Twilight alone.  Bronies were used to Twilight reporting to Celestia because she was her personal protege who would eventually become alicorn princess by the end of season three.  By having her friends report to Celestia as well, they are rendering Twilight's growth as a character meaningless, because she won't be able to learn from her friends about friendship like she used to, so that she could receive her own character-development.

Edited May 17, 2013 by Commander_PonyShep

[Stellafera 3,835]

Whoa whoa whoa, I never knew that!  From what I could tell coming into the fandom post season 2, everyone else loved Lesson Zero and I was the only one who hated it.  Interesting.

 

Post Season 2, yes. Until about halway through the season, most insisted on judging it by what it meant for the series, rather than what it meant as an individual episode. I was one of the ones that wanted people to chillax about it, but yeah. People took it as a sign of what was to come post-Lauren Faust, and thought "OMG THEY THROWING PANDAS AT US AND THEY ARE WACKY AND CRAZY AND NO DEEP FRIENDSHIP MORALS NO MORE". In retrospect, it was a very unusual episode that had nothing to do with future trends.

 

(People were actually pretty excited about the "other friendship reports" thing, though)

[immblueversion 331]

-Sunset Shimmer most likely stealing the Crystal Crown, only to turn around and win it multiple times in all of those prom queen contests, including the current one.

 

Even though the previous prom queen crowns are clearly shown to be quite different from how the stolen crown looks in other shots. Add that to my interest in the whole "going on a mission" plot, see how the other HS elements play out, and you've got yourself a potential viewer right here.

[Mzukiller 233]

Jesus H. Christ are you serious? Oh wow, a handful of bronies are dicks, Clearly the entire fandom is beyond saving.

 

We are not a Hivemind. Look, I am just one man. I can't say or do anything to stop these people. But don't blame me or the majority of us not involved with this insanity for how bad some of the fandom can get. You people need to get a grip.

[Bhending the Rules 697]

I'm actually planning on making a video addressing this new "controversy", just as I did for the Twilicorn freakout. In short, everyone needs to calm down and get through this. That's what we do, or at least it's what we *should* do. In the grand scheme of things, even if Equestria Girls ends up being a bad movie, it's not worth the energy people are devoting to hating on it.

 

[Shanks 10,811]

See this is exactly what I mean by focusing on the negative, I mean really another thread mentioning death threats why are we giving these people so much attention anyway? And I am not denying that there are some people that whine over the slightest thing but really if you really think the MLP fandom is this bad than you haven't seen the kind of stuff the Star Wars and Sonic fandoms complain about. How about instead of asking what the hell happened we look at ourselves and ask why we keep obsessing over the bad and why we are not focusing on the good.

[Pinkazoid 3,493]

"Becoming"

 

Hahah

 

We already are, buddy.

 

Of course, not everyone, but the brony community alone can be considered full of rampant fanboys, because it is. Even if these people are just the "loud" part, and the other isn't as much, people don't think of bronies as "open minded" and considerate anymore.

.

Now we're just a mess~

[Ganondox 899]

Nothing happened to the brony community, we were always like this. The only difference is that there has been more BS recently. If people would just the "haters" blow their steam without criticizing them and accusing them of being anti-brony then there wouldn't be nearly as much infighting. Telling pissed people to chill does not make them chill, they are pissed for a reason and saying that reason is unimportant is taken as an insult. People are going to be pissed off with executive decisions, deal with it. The people who are pissed have to deal with said decisions, so you can deal with a few pissed off fans. Anyway, things are soon enough going to go back to normal, assuming this isn't already normal. 

Edited May 17, 2013 by Ganondox

[Loriem 639]

The reason the community seams so dysfunctional during these types of show changes is because the people who are like "Wait and see and never criticize" go to war with the ones who are like "THIS IS THE SEVENTH SIGN OF THE APOCALYPSE!!!!".

 

The community we have is very massive, and very diverse compared to smaller ones, as such any change, shitstorm, or other fluctuation seams much larger.

 

Also, We mainly preach love and tolerance to the outsiders, but really there is no universal brony code, or universal brony personality. We are basically a true community, different types all around, people fight, but we are still sticking together. 

[Fhaolan 4,468]

We are not a Hivemind.

 

Unfortunately, some people take catchphrases *way* too seriously. 'Join the Herd!', and other 'One of Us!'-type statements do sometimes get fandoms in trouble like this. To some people inside and outside of fandoms the implication is that the group *is* Hivemind, and that the members all must like and dislike the exact same things, and if you disagree you're not really a member of the group.

 

It's interesting to watch some of the Brony Analysis-type videos, where the presenter is a brony right up to when they discover a vocal segment of fandom that disagrees with their analysis/reviews. Then suddenly they say things like 'you bronies', referring to that segment, distancing themselves from their membership of the same fandom. I've seen four different presenters fall into this one.

 

It's all part and parcel of the same behavior patterns. Some fans *want* a Hivemind-like experience because it makes them feel accepted; something they don't get in normal life. When they discover that it isn't a Hivemind at all, they feel betrayed and rejected, and the rage comes to the surface. 

[Gears of Halo Duty V 394]

Nothing really.

 

The way I see it is that things became pretty slow after the end of S3. This whole EG thing has really lit the fandom up. It certainly makes things interesting to say the least, and while some actions are ones that never should have been taken, what's done is done.

 

Also, "Love and Tolerance" is being thrown a lot. While it is true that having an open mind is generally a good thing, there is a distinct difference between tolerating something and just being a complete door mat to it. If you have valid and supportive reasons, you should be able to hate/disapprove (but not hate on) something. If you don't have a sound argument, you're a child.

[Loriem 639]

Unfortunately, some people take catchphrases *way* too seriously. 'Join the Herd!', and other 'One of Us!'-type statements do sometimes get fandoms in trouble like this. To some people inside and outside of fandoms the implication is that the group *is* Hivemind, and that the members all must like and dislike the exact same things, and if you disagree you're not really a member of the group.

 

It's interesting to watch some of the Brony Analysis-type videos, where the presenter is a brony right up to when they discover a vocal segment of fandom that disagrees with their analysis/reviews. Then suddenly they say things like 'you bronies', referring to that segment, distancing themselves from their membership of the same fandom. I've seen four different presenters fall into this one.

 

It's all part and parcel of the same behavior patterns. Some fans *want* a Hivemind-like experience because it makes them feel accepted; something they don't get in normal life. When they discover that it isn't a Hivemind at all, they feel betrayed and rejected, and the rage comes to the surface. 

Yes, when bronies first appeared all over a forum i used to be on, they were all hivemind-like. As such, I thought they were an organized troll hivemind, and I pretty much strayed away for a long time.

 

It wasn't until I saw some brony music that I realized they were actual fans, and then when I watched "ballad of the brony", I decided to give the show, and mostly the community a chance.

 

The biggest reason I am a brony, is because of the bronies really. The fact is, the community is not very tied together on everything, but you are VERY likely to find a microcosm community that you fit in veyr well with in this Macrocosm of bronydom. Sure the macrocosm is dysfunctional, but you can find a group you like, and find content all around that you will enjoy. 

[Shanks 10,811]

Unfortunately, some people take catchphrases *way* too seriously. 'Join the Herd!', and other 'One of Us!'-type statements

Which is exactly why I don't take any of those statements all that seriously, I don't think they were intended to be taken entirely seriously anyway. Anyone that wants a hive mind like experience seriously needs help, I am not saying they are bad people but they have some really deep seated insecurities that need to be worked on.

[hawkflame 3,308]

In the end, we just need to chill out.  As a fandom, we can't just let our emotions get the best of us.  Mature people don't do that.  I mean, if everyone reacted emotionally to everything without thinking things through... this is how minor incidents escalate to being absolute disasters.

 

I think the best way to go about this is if everyone in the whole fandom just took the weekend off from Equestria Girls. 

[Fhaolan 4,468]

Which is exactly why I don't take any of those statements all that seriously, I don't think they were intended to be taken entirely seriously anyway. Anyone that wants a hive mind like experience seriously needs help, I am not saying they are bad people but they have some really deep seated insecurities that need to be worked on.

 

Oh, absolutely that 'join the herd' isn't meant seriously. Except for a selection of people who have some issues that need some work.

 

It's just something pretty common to subcultures like the Bronies. Trekies, Furries, etc. all had or currently have similar issues. Acceptance is a strong motivator, and it can get very weird when people aren't used to it.

 

A similar thing is the one that leads from 'They accept me for my interest in this topic.' through 'They accept me for who I am!' and lands on 'They'll accept me no matter what!' This is how fandoms usually end up on news channels.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 40,291]

I think the brony community is still what it has always been: A very large group of people with different opinions. Some people in the fandom think that EqG is the end of the show as we know it or that Twilicorn is the death of ponies. This is their opinion but I disagree with them completely, that is how it goes. The thing is though, these people are not the majority of the fandom. I have talked to quite a few people on these forums that are perfectly fine with EqG and Twilicorn. They are willing to give things like this a chance and willing  to let the show have some character advancement, without getting incredibly pissy and throwing death threats around. Again, that group of people is clearly not the majority of the community. 

 

That is the one thing I do not like about this thread, it kinda puts people who are being constantly negative and hates any kind of change in the exact same category as people who either love it, like it, or just acceptable for it. Those three make up the majority as far as I know. The overall fandom just isn't this negative and loony. 

 

As an example, check out AnY Pony's video 'Where are the characters going?'. In it, he and three other big name bronies discuss the future of the characters and the show itself. They discuss many things that seem like big changes, like Twilicorn seems to be, but they discuss them with a positive attitude. The don't go on about how 'this might ruin the show' or 'oh, it makes things unbalanced', they just discuss what the future may hold for the characters and what changes may come, with no fear or negativity. I think there are a lot more people like THAT in the fandom than the idiots that are tossing around death threats just because of a spin-off and some character development. Come on, I don't think the majority of this fandom is that stupid.