Ever disliked yourself for enjoying this show?

[Lateon 588]

Yes, I did. It was the usual "What the hell am I doing watching this show about ponies?!"

 

It was exactly one year ago that I became a brony. I lost my appetite for a whole week, I was so conflicted about it. You could say that I was going through the spiritual overhaul Zuko had near the end of Book 2 of ATLA. It certainly felt like it, anyway.

 

After that week was up, I found enough posts over in the pony threads on the MMO-champion boards to say "You know, there's a lot of people who enjoy this show too. They don't seem overly weird to me. They're WoW players, like I am, and other than that, they're just like any other person." I found that people went through the exact same thing that I did (minus my particular reaction). I realized that, while there's obviously going to be some hate from some people, I liked this show, and I shouldn't feel ashamed for liking it, since a lot of other people like it too (I know this is a poor attitude to have, but I'm a "strength in numbers" kind of guy. Being the only person to like ponies in the DC metropolitan area, for example, would have resulted in me abandoning MLP, for fear of being the outcast, or being ridiculed with no one to turn to for support).

 

So, I fully surrendered to the ponies in the first week of August 2012, and told the first person (a college friend) about it on August 17th. I decided that if I was ever going to be fully okay with being a fan of this show, I couldn't keep it a secret. Luckily, he was tolerant.

 

Nowadays, I don't dislike myself for liking MLP: FiM, though I do put up with occasional ridicule from my raid team. I've had to level the playing field by explaining exactly why I like the show to them (they were doing the classic "you'll never get laid" and "talking cartoon horses, you're scaring me dude" hater things), but I've never regretted the decision I made almost a year ago now to become fully involved in the show.

[Toa of Ponies 259]

Well, when I first joined the fandom.. yeah, I guess I did. But I was more worried at the time about why I had joined. Thus, I tricked myself into thinking that I had only joined because of the community. But now thats all thrown out of the window and I know that I really love the show

[ReverseFaller 2,483]

Not at all. I enjoy the show, why should I be mad at myself for enjoying a simple cartoon? It's a freaking amazing show, and I have no shame whatsoever in being a fan of it. 

Edited July 30, 2013 by ReverseFaller

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 40,289]

I did a little bit, but that was before I started watching the show. I had seen many different videos on Youtube and it just really interested me. I had this small phase of 'Wow, I am actually interested in My Little Pony? This is weird....' This was before I even knew about the fandom itself. Even when watching the first couple of episodes, I had those thoughts in my mind, such as 'Why am I watching this?' Or 'Why am I so interested in this?' Then, I just embraced it! I realized why I love it, which is many, many reasons and once I started doing that, everything else is history. I think it was after episode 3 where I really embraced it. I really liked the episodes, but after The Ticket Master was when I fully accepted it within myself. That was one of the greatest things I could have done.

Edited July 30, 2013 by Kyoshi

[Smarts 1,620]

When I first became a brony, I disliked myself a little bit because I thought I was weird for liking MLP and this would affect my life negatively. The very next day, I lost that train of thought and didn't think of myself as weird anymore. I embraced the fact that I enjoyed this show and didn't care what others thought. My parents were cool with me liking it and people at my school generally didn't like me as it was already, so it didn't affect my life in any negative way.

Edited July 30, 2013 by SmartyPants

[Discordian 6,013]

I don't think that should even be a train of thought, honestly. One should never have to justify to themselves or anyone else why they do what they do, particularly when it's something as harmless as watching a TV show.

 

It makes no sense to me that you should tell yourself that you hate yourself over something as insignificant as a TV show.

Edited July 30, 2013 by Discordian

[Thunderchild 875]

Nope, i gave up caring about what the world thinks of me a LONG time ago.

And anyone who'd judge me wrongly for liking the show wasn't worth having as a friend anyways.

 

I just know what i like, and what peaks my interests, and this show is one of them.

Many in the closet people out there though hide what they like from the world, and even themselves simply over the worry you mentioned there, and because they feel they'll be ostracized for liking something outside the unwritten "norm".

I say challenge the false norm and be an individual.

Sure you may fall into similarities with others, but its on your own accord, not someone elses.

^This^.

 

You have to let go of these stereotypes that choke you from enjoying the simple things in life because they're not 'manly' or 'cool'.

 

I'm 43 years old, am a 290lb powerlifter who is also proficiant in various fighting arts-and I'm a security consultant. My life is complicated and stressful on the good days. I love MLP because it's simple, gentle and sweet-and directly opposite to most of my real life. It makes me happy. If that negates the other aspects of my life that make me manly, I really couldn't care less.

 

As you get older you will care less about what the world in general thinks of you and your choices. A lot of things in life suck. If you find something that makes you happy, guard it-it's precious.

[Starlighty 790]

I have never hated myself for liking this show.. no matter how many people try to make me feel like its so wrong to like a kid show i never care i like it and that's all that matters... I am proud to like this show and recommend it to everyone.

[~Silver Essence~ 2,621]

Never.

 

Despite the moments that happened when my family and some online friends discovered that I like this show and make fun of me, I have never hated myself.

 

I will state, sometimes, I just prefer to be called a big fan.

 

I'm ok with brony, but just call me a big fan. Seems more fitting for me.

[DaReaper 1,943]

No, never had the feeling of diskiking myself over liking this show, only thought i ever had was the first episode i watched when the theme song hit i thought "the hell am i watching" thats it

[Gigapony 650]

I have, and I still do, to an extent. I hate myself for everything I do, though. Liking ponies is just one more on a long list of aberrations.

 

While I won't stop liking MLP (it makes me feel good) I do often have to look back at my interests and realise that it seems like everything I get into is weird, or unpopular, or niche, or part of negative stereotypes. No matter what it is, for some reason I always end up getting into what isn't "normal" to like and never get into what is.

 

Which would be fine if I could offset that with other things. Many bronies can counter the fact that they like ponies by being physically fit, attractive, successful, imposing, or otherwise functional. I can't. I am a walking pillar of abnormality that confirms every bad stereotype. I am a poster child of bullies' perfect target.

 

Don't get me wrong, liking ponies has been an absolute blessing to me overall, and I'll always think that; but it must be said that it does nothing to improve my overall image and reputation, and does everything to further ruin it. So I do dislike myself for liking yet another "controversial" thing.

Edited July 30, 2013 by Gigapony

[Zygen 6,065]

At first I was a little confused, I mean I was like.. "I'm a teenager who likes ponys? What the heck?" so i did kinda hate myself in a way, but it was more denial i guess.

 

Although after joining the forums and some times i got over it. And now i'm comfortable with it, i mean I enjoy the show, theres nothing wrong with not following the stereotypes for men, i mean who said they're right anyways? I always hated the mens stereotypes anyways.

 

So yeah, while i'm a closet brony for different reasons, I accept that theres nothing wrong with watching MLP now.

[Onylex 2,836]

No, not at all. I never really saw it in a way that I would have psychological problems or seeing myself as a "manchild". Iv always looked at it from a perspective that Im just a very open person.

 

Its like Im braking the rules of what is considered to be the norm in gender and age which isn't always a bad thing. Think about in sort of how the Civil Rights took place. If people didn't brake what is considered the norm and or expectable who's to say that women would be able to vote or that people of color and people that come from different countries, cutlers etc would be blatantly excepted as they are today?

[Jellal Fernandes 229]

My room is right next to my dad and stepmom's, I can't watch it there because my dad would think I'm gay, he's not very understanding. So yes, sometimes I do feel bad about it, I kept it secret until a couple weeks ago, then I came out about it.

[Lunas Husband 2,777]

No, I could never hate myself for loving a great and loving show. As for you hating you're self sorry to hear about that I know how you feel, the world is only getting worse with each passing day. But we have MLP so I think that maybe some day the world can be at peace.

[Tails_155 68]

The only dislike involved with the show other than my various criticisms thereof, are the way that society has made it so "uncool" to enjoy what you like. I cannot, with a serious face, publicly sing a pony song. I can publicly sing msot music I like, but singing "everypony" aloud just feels SO awkward.

[techno915 407]

prepares for the hate responses

 

honestly, one of the few things that i don't like is that since i'm a brony, i get confused sometimes with the furries and associated with the cloppers. i personally don't really care for either of those.

[Paleopony 690]

On 2013-07-29 at 8:39 AM, Shanks said:

Though I haven't gone so far as to dislike myself for it there were some moments in the beginning where I kept asking myself "what the hell am I doing watching this?"

Same with me.

[Cirrus. 1,088]

No, I never had a problem with liking MLP. I grew up when Powerpuff Girls was on and had no problems with that either. My whole family would even watch it sometimes. I was 25 at the end of 2013 when I started watching.

I saw the first 2 episodes and thought it was OK, but wasn't going to watch more. What I really had a problem wrapping my head around was the fandom/online stuff.

I really wasn't sure about it at first. I thought it could just be a huge stupid trolling effort to ironically overhype the show or something for the LOL's. I did watch more of the show and more fan stuff and of course the show and fandom is great!

Edited September 24, 2021 by Cirrus.

[baba_booey 4,299]

I wouldn’t say I disliked myself for liking the show *directly*, but there have been times where all the hype backlash the show and fandom received kind of made me feel like I was wrong for enjoying it - something that I still kind of struggle with even with some of the games and stuff I like now.

[EpicEnergy 22,082]

I never disliked myself for liking MLP, it was something I genuinely enjoyed.

[Fluttershyfan94 5,738]

I mean to be fair I've had more criticism of being an anime fan then I have been of being a fan of the show. Suppose most people will think it is odd but thats all really while many have rather interesting preconceptions about the anime fan.

[Cash In 21,513]

For the first couple of days, I was kind of kicking myself for liking it, but then I realised I had watched the entire first season and that there was pretty much no way off this train. 

[Pentium100 2,056]

I have no idea why I would dislike myself for watching some TV show. If I don't like the TV show, I don't watch it, if I like it, I watch it. Why would I watch it and then dislike myself for watching it? This seems stupid to me.

[AppleButt 8,669]

Finding and enjoying the show is one of the things that I love about myself.  I’ve never disliked myself for enjoy it.