Do older Bronies have it better?

[ReGen 1,466]

I'm thirteen. I can't get a job, therefore I have no income. I have no money so I can't buy what I please. I also have to live under the rules set by my mother, which means I have to get her OK for going anywhere, and she never gives the OK.

 

Now, I would love to go to BronyCon. But as I mentioned, I have no money to pay for it. My mother certainly won't pay for it, that's an expensive trip. And I don't think she would like the thought of me being around with (usually) much older people than me. Most of them men.

 

So this brings us to the question: Do older Bronies have it better since they have more freedom to do whatever they please? 

 

I ask this 'cause by the time i'm old enough for stuff like that, i'm afraid that the fandom won't be as strong as it was today. 

Edited July 12, 2013 by ReGen

[Dark Horn 430]

Uh, that's sort of true. Yes, older bronies have it better, in the ways that you stated. Not sure what else there is to say about the subject.

[SkyGust 71]

Being 15, I say yes, they do.

 

My problems are:

 

-Can't go to meet ups

 

-Can't drive to cons

 

-Can't watch the show having parents nearby

 

-Have to hide stuff from parents

 

-Have no money for stuff

[Little Lizards 91]

Wow, seems like we're having the same experience! My parents won't let me to go a convention either, even if it's fairly close to my house, and I have no income because I can't get a job either. 

 

I think that older bronies do have it a little bit better. They can buy basically whatever they'd like, it's fairly easy for them to go online shopping (For me I have to ask my parent's permission, give them the money to pay for the whatever, and then they have to 'okay' the item to make sure I'm not wasting my money), and they can get a job so they can afford air travel or gas or whatever to go to a convention. 

[DusK 1,264]

I've heard a lot of stories about younger bronies catching flak from their parents. Crystal Slave immediately comes to mind.

 

So yeah, being 27 myself, and living in a house full of fellow 20-something bronies, it's pretty awesome not having to deal with the approval (or rather, lack thereof) from family members with the authority to punish me for something so completely petty.

 

You may be right about the fandom not being as strong as it is today by the time you get old enough to be on your own. The "Golden Years" of the fandom are long gone; I even missed them myself, becoming involved in this fandom in late 2012. Good art pieces seem to be few and far between these days compared to earlier on, and don't even get me started on how broken the music scene is right now.

 

Really, at this point, the best thing you can do is just enjoy the show in all its awesomeness.

Edited July 13, 2013 by DusK

[Xanatos 162]

Being 15, I say yes, they do.

 

My problems are:

 

-Can't watch the show having parents nearby

 

-Have to hide stuff from parents

 

These are not problems with your age. They are problems with you, namely that you are insecure as hell. That's no way to be.

 

And a 13-year-old can still get cash, OP. Mow lawns or something. And the fandom's as strong as ever. Unless the show ends, I don't see it dying down anytime soon.

[fimdash 1,196]

Yeah, I'd say that older bronies have it better. You're right that they get a lot more freedom than younger bronies. They don't need the consent of others to purchase whatever they want online, they are more able to go to brony meetups, etc. It's also easier to be open about ponies when you're older. When you're in high school, it can be hard to be open about liking MLP because high school is filled with a bunch of immature kids. As an older individual, you won't be surrounded by these kinds of people. It's likely that you'll still come across immature jerks in life, but it'll be way easier to ignore them.

[Dzastur 1,719]

Yes.

 

Of course "have it better" is a wide paintbrush - in terms of the fandom, I can tell you that not many people my age I know are hardcore fans...but, most of them who've seen the show like it, and they have zero problems with me being one. I don't have to worry about my peers giving me sh*t for stuff, getting exposed on FB; there's no worrying about my parents' approval (dad's dead, mom loves cartoons), and so forth. I do, however, have to worry about bills, staying employed, not dying alone, and high cholesterol. There's always a trade-off. (Especially with bills `cause Derpy does my finances for me.)

 

At 13, I applied myself hard in my studies, was unavailable for lots of social functions, and was generally miserable, but hoping my pain would pay off someday. The end result is that, in May, I was able to drive my convertible Mercedes for 15 minutes to attend Equestria L.A., easily afforded the entrance fee, saw and heard Nicole Oliver talk in a motherly (and hilarious) Princess Celestia voice for the better part of an hour, and then went to the beach the same day and did fine dining with friends that night. So, don't take your eye off the prize.

[DusK 1,264]

These are not problems with your age. They are problems with you, namely that you are insecure as hell. That's no way to be.

 

And a 13-year-old can still get cash, OP. Mow lawns or something. And the fandom's as strong as ever. Unless the show ends, I don't see it dying down anytime soon.

Kids can have legitimate reasons for doing that. I think you're severely underestimating the absurdity of some parents.

 

And no, the fandom's not "as strong as ever". It may not be completely dead any time soon, but the flame's definitely dwindling.

[Gigapony 650]

Well, I can see where we'd have some advantages, but it's not always the case, depending on circumstances.

 

I myself am 25, but I can't go to any cons because travel is expensive and I can't get time off work for them. I have to get lucky and try to go to any local ones. Whatever money I do earn has to be prioritised for bills and rent and I rarely have anything left to spend on toys and whatnot.

 

And one must consider that although teenage bronies do catch a lot of flak for liking ponies, the stigma is much nastier for grown adults liking it, and we are usually first in line to receive labels like "paedophile" and "man-child". It's also a lot harder to find fellow bronies our age, and the ones that are out there are usually the ones who hide it.

Edited July 13, 2013 by Gigapony

[DaReaper 1,944]

In some cases we do have it better no one to answer to, people dont look twice when we buy MLP merch at the store thinking it's for our daughter or neice, but sometimes when people find out we like the show we're either weird or phedofiles thats where it's rough

[Ihei 713]

Well, yeah, sometimes I think that. Like, they can vote and stuff and we just sit here, not being able to buy anything. Or do stuff. Wish I had a credit card. T^T   Too bad I'm sixteen.

[Shanks 10,816]

As others have stated there are things which can make it better, but you also have more responsibilities and may have less time to actually enjoy ponies in the first place depending on how many responsibilities you have and the nature of them. It can be hard but it is possible as an adult to strike a balance between having an actual life while taking care of responsibilities. It is nice to not have to answer to anyone when it comes to your personal hobbies but it is up to you to make sure that you balance those out and try not to spend yourself to the poor house.

[verycreativeusername 1,800]

It can depend on different things to know who has it better. If a child brony has parents that have good income and will do lots of things for their child to be happy, while there's an adult brony who doesn't have as high an income as the parents and can't afford to go, while they are both far away from where the con is being held, then the child has it better.

 

Not all adult bronies have it better. An adult brony who is far away from where Bronycon is being held who can't afford to go sure isn't having it better than a child brony who's parents can afford it and lets the child go there.

 

tl;dr: There's more to it than age to know who has it better.

[Radiance64 7,053]

Yeah I guess, I don't have anyone to hide it from really(although I don't really hide it from anyone anyway) and have bought myself some nice pony stuff when I had a job(currently looking for another), but at the same time I haven't been to any cons/meetups and people might find it creepier that us older guys like it, so we don't have it all good... at least we can all enjoy the show though right? It's the core of bronydom and all you really need to do to be a brony imo.

[Fluttershyfan94 5,742]

Well I guess I'm the type of older brony, I am 94 years old actually.. Yeah, just think about that for a minute.. lol

 

Anyway, the older bronies do have it better. A lot more freedom and also better financials. I could afford to go to a convention but need the money on other things, like cars, school and more. Then again, not all bronies have good financials, so a young brony that would have parents with good income and accepting of them being a brony they could more easily go to a con.

 

Everything is just easier when you're older, you have a lot more freedom and money. Only thing keeping me from conventions is that flight is expensive since I live on an island.  It's also a lot more fun being older, seriously people used to constantly tell me: "enjoy it while you're still a kid" I always told them that I hated being a kid since I didn't have a car or a license. I can honestly tell you that being a kid is no fun considering how fun it is driving and being able to go wherever you want, when you want.

 

Also the fandom, well even though there are a lot of people whining about how it's not in it's prime.. Well, the fandom is still very young and it will exist for a long time. I'm sure that it will continue going strong for a few years, honestly I don't care too much about that. I enjoy being in the fandom and I'm sure I'll continue enjoying it for a long time.

 

Age isn't everything, it's financials, family and time I guess. Also location, for a guy like me that lives in the middle of the atlantic going to a brony convention isn't the first thing that pops up.

 

So yeah, older bronies rule!! :3

Edited July 13, 2013 by Fluttershyfan94

[The EverFree Pony 64]

Being 15, I say yes, they do.

 

My problems are:

 

-Can't go to meet ups

 

-Can't drive to cons

 

-Can't watch the show having parents nearby

 

-Have to hide stuff from parents

 

-Have no money for stuff

ikr am 15 too and i can'y get any pony swag:( All i want is what ever man is entitled what ever man works towards with sweat and blood and that my friend is a fluttershy t-shirt with her saying YAY in the cutest way imaginable why why can't i have nice things:( plus i live in hawaii guess how many cons we get out here?!

[DusK 1,264]

As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. So here's a picture of our TV's entertainment stand.

 

 

Yes. Yes, we do most definitely have it better.

[Thunderchild 875]

Well, as one of the older members on here (43) I'm here to tell you that it isn't easier in the ways you mentioned, only in that you aren't bothered by the same crap from your peer group.

 

said a mouthful on this thread-you've got other responsibilities when you're older-bills, kids, house, taxes-the list goes on. it's never easy to find a place for hobbies, regardless of your age-as there are always other factors competing for your attention.

 

[Gigapony 650]

Everything is just easier when you're older, you have a lot more freedom and money. Only thing keeping me from conventions is that flight is expensive since I live on an island.  It's also a lot more fun being older, seriously people used to constantly tell me: "enjoy it while you're still a kid" I always told them that I hated being a kid since I didn't have a car or a license. I can honestly tell you that being a kid is no fun considering how fun it is driving and being able to go wherever you want, when you want.

 

Hmmm, I have to respectfully disagree with you, mate. What you're saying can be the case for some, but not all. Personally, I can't stand being an adult. I have almost no freedom as my job is rubbish until I find a better one, and I can't afford anything but the essentials unless I get very lucky, where as a kid I could rely on gifts for anything I really wanted. I also don't have my own place and as much as I also love cars and driving, it certainly doesn't mean I can go wherever whenever, because I really can't.

 

In fact I could say that as an adult I have less freedom than I had during my childhood (which wasn't exactly candy, sunshine, and rainbows all the time either but was better than this), and speaking for myself, I'd gladly trade the responsibilities, social pressures, and financial woes for the simpler days of being a child any day.

[Fluttershyfan94 5,742]

Hmmm, I have to respectfully disagree with you, mate. What you're saying can be the case for some, but not all. Personally, I can't stand being an adult. I have almost no freedom as my job is rubbish until I find a better one, and I can't afford anything but the essentials unless I get very lucky, where as a kid I could rely on gifts for anything I really wanted. I also don't have my own place and as much as I also love cars and driving, it certainly doesn't mean I can go wherever whenever, because I really can't.

 

In fact I could say that as an adult I have less freedom than I had during my childhood (which wasn't exactly candy, sunshine, and rainbows all the time either but was better than this), and speaking for myself, I'd gladly trade the responsibilities, social pressures, and financial woes for the simpler days of being a child any day.

Well I guess it's just in my case, my childhood was meh.. I have also always had to buy everything myself, so there isn't too much difference there. Then again I wouldn't really be considered an adult, probably young adult or whatever. So I have more freedom then maybe a guy that's older then me. Still if I had to choose, I would always rather choose to be an adult.. I do not want to return to my childhood. Never! All it was for me was a waiting time until I could get my license. I don't know, for me things started getting better as I got older.

 

But like you said, that may be the case for some while not for others. For me being a child was just a waiting time but I guess it was only because I was so obsessed with cars and I couldn't wait to get behind the steering wheel and I'm of course still obsessed with cars.

 

I don't know, for me life got a lot better.

Edited July 13, 2013 by Fluttershyfan94

[Norman 177]

Older bronies probably do have it better. I'm 14, but I make it out to some cons.

 

However, all this talk of the "fandom dying out" has inspired me to make a new thread.

[Apocalyptic_Unicorn 240]

I think it depends on the person. I mean, generally speaking, older Bronies will have it better because of jobs and cars etc.

 

But for example, I'm 18, don't have a job and can't drive, but my parents are fine with me being a Brony, they pay for all of my MLP clothing, and occasional items, and they provide me with a ridiculous allowance, so I can usually buy whatever I like.

They often take me to events in other cities and stuff, so really, it depends on who you ask. I have it a lot better off than most, but I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority.

[................ 14]

These are not problems with your age. They are problems with you, namely that you are insecure as hell. That's no way to be.

 

And a 13-year-old can still get cash, OP. Mow lawns or something. And the fandom's as strong as ever. Unless the show ends, I don't see it dying down anytime soon.

The show dying doesn't mean the fandoms over, look at trekkies, star trek stopped making TV shows(Although the newer movies are coming out) its still popular.

[Moniker 93]

I wouldn't think so, cause he will get waaaaaaaaaay more grief for being a brony if it was found out. So I'd guess that being younger would be easier to handle.