Brony Rant

[Bronyette 835]

Today in college I had the awesome privilege to hear some jerk tell off bronies. His rant included that whole Howard Stern crap, and how "can these people be any worse." I wanted to tell him yes, people are much worse than some people who watch a darn TV show but he was in the office talking to some lady about it. He said we all dress up as 'horses' and go to comicon, among other bullcrap. It was like saying everyone who watches and likes breaking bad is a meth addict. The worse thing was, he was a full grown adult, possibly even a teacher. It really set me off but my fear overcame my anger and I was unable to say anything.

 

<\rant>

 

So my question is; are we really that bad in the public eye?

Edited August 28, 2013 by Bronyette

[Sunny Fox 5,952]

No. The only kind of person who holds that sort of opinion is a person who has never done any sort of investigation of their own, never tried to find out what the brony fandom is about, and just accepts anything the more biased sections of the media spout about us. If he is going to accept a Howard Stern diatribe at face value, I don't think his opinion on anything, let alone bronies, is one I would give much weight to.

 

There's not much you can do with this sort of person except ignore them.

Edited August 28, 2013 by Full Spectrum

[Moonlight 7,287]

Honestly, being bad in the public eye can be anything.

 

You look too pretty? Fake.

Not pretty enough? Ugly.

Over 100 pounds? Fat.

You're a girl who likes boy things? LOL DAT'S HOT

You're a boy that likes girly things? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?

 

If we are bad in the public eye, then we're not the only one. Tons of fandoms get mocked for simply being in fandoms. Don't pay the type of people you encountered any mind. Hopefully, they'll stop being a misinformed moron eventually. 

[Bhending the Rules 697]

Doubtful. Maybe at one point the fandom was held in that kind of extremely low esteem, but I'm fairly certain that time has passed. The more people get to know us, the more they come around. I've personally gotten several people to see the brony community in more positive terms than they otherwise would have. Win them over, one by one, and soon the loudest haters will be a teeny tiny minority.

 

Will there always be a select few that throw their lot in with the likes of Howard Stern? Sure. You can find people foolish enough to accept just about anything. But they are a lost cause, and if we know what's good for us, none of our concern.

 

 

You're a girl who likes boy things? LOL DAT'S HOT

You're a boy that likes girly things? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?

 

Man... I could write an entire ESSAY on this very subject, but for brevity's sake for now I think I'll just say "You nailed it," and call it a day. 

[Scootalove 10,689]

A lot of things are bad in the public eye, we aren't the only group of people to be labeled as ''bad to society.'' I choose to not even socialize with people who like to label people who watch a TV show as not normal, or enjoy it too much. So, I don't pay it too much attention since the person who mocks someone for liking a TV show is usually the idiot.

[Guest]

So my question is; are we really that bad in the public eye?

Only amongst the ignorant. Some people just assume of the worst of what they don't understand or refuse to be educated about.

[QuirkyUsername 1,576]

As a former hater I can say yeah Bronies aren't represented too great outside the fandom as far as I saw. The description of what a brony is and how "stupid" the fandom is gets worse and worse from hater to hater, embellishment is a huge part and as much as Howard Stern amuses me his dissection of the fandom in no way shape or form helped. We are watching a show outside our demographic which is described as weird. Pokemon is outside of its demographic as well but they have the excuse of gender ambiguity, alot of cosplayers (except cute girls) get alot of shit too for being "weird" and wanting to dress up and even step into the role of their favourite characters but when bronies do it; again we're HUGELY outside the intended demographic so are picked on for it. Haters will always exist whether they don't understand the fandom are trolling or legimately don't like it and feel like being an ass rather than avoiding it they will always be here so the best we can do is just keep loving the show. Or global domination with manditory bronyism, that could work.

 

An example. one of the guys I worked with was wearing a fluttershy hoodie and derpy shirt. I was a major asshole because of how I understood the fandom also spouting quotes from Howard Stern. thankfully after joining the herd and watching the show he forgave me in the end.

Edited August 28, 2013 by QuirkyUsername

[~StatesTheOblivious~ 1,795]

Well, we're certainly bad in the eye of some parts of the public. It's just that it's always difficult for most people to have their own opinion on "new" or unfamiliar things like a fandom that is dedicated to a cartoon intended for children. How a group is presented in media is - sadly - affecting the way how people think about that group quite strong.

 

The problem is that this is also how humans often work. It's easier to accept other's opinions and feel as a "part" of the allegedly "stronger/better" group than to make up your own opinion; and then stuff like "collective hate" happens. Rather complex, though. Not forgetting the stuff about gender roles...

 

I know it's partially pretty bad in the US, but here in Germany, the few reports on bronies and the show as an internet phenomenon have been more nice.

 

But there are also silver linings. Sometimes, articles like this here appear, so our public image is not overall bad.

 

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Bronies-My-Little-Pony-Friendship-Magic-1068692.aspx

 

I know, it's not exaggerative positive, but definitely less onesided than rants...

Edited August 28, 2013 by StatesTheOblivious

[Faulty Roze 200]

So my question is; are we really that bad in the public eye?

 

Well, sort of. I think one of the main reason for the bad Rep is because of what the internet has branded us, "cloppers". I know some people do that sort of thing, but isn't that a small portion that represents the whole group? 

[Bronyette 835]

I can't believe people still are so judgemental of people who aren't completely conformant of 'gender roles' or 'society'. I don't understand why he thought that we were bad, was it his business what people do in their spare time. Plus I think he was trying to mock a physically disabled kid by saying he said he was a brony and made him out to be a stereotype.

[Nightmare Night 151]

nope he's just a piece of worthless trash not worth turning a ear too. just continue on with life and be glad your not that guy.

[Nilkad_Naqadah 144]

Yes, we absolutely are that bad, according to the general public. In fact, my stepfather believes that the fandom started due to a smaller group of fetishists and that ordinary fans who just like the show because it's good didn't start happening until later. This idea is, in my opinion, utterly ridiculous and based far too much on assumption and generalization, not to mention that it ignores the fact that fetishistic type material isn't any more a part of this community than in any other fandom, and the only difference is the media never decided to focus on it in most other fandoms like they have in this one. 

 

By the way, this is a petty correction but it would bother me if I didn't voice it, the end tag should be </rant> rather than </endrant> because the / implies the end of the rant.

[Bronyette 835]

By the way, this is a petty correction but it would bother me if I didn't voice it, the end tag should be </rant> rather than </endrant> because the / implies the end of the rant.

  

 

Oh, man. I'm so rusty in HTML. Whenever I think of ending a statement I think of <endrant> instead of the correct way. Simple mistake. XD thanks for correcting me though.

 

Honestly, being bad in the public eye can be anything.

You're a girl who likes boy things? LOL DAT'S HOT

 

Sadly this is not always true. I was made fun of in high school for a long time because I liked D&D and Magic. So not always is it 'cool' to like guy things, only if said guy things were 'cool' beforehand.

[Thrashy 2,800]

Honestly, sounds like guy's logic is so rage-rooted, incoherent and full of holes that I don't think any non-brony with a brain that works at least halfway decently will take any of it seriously. And speaking of Howard Stern, anyone who takes him seriously...well, they've got bigger problems than we apparently do, to be sure.

 

I know that people generally misunderstand the furry culture as people who put on fur suits and have orgies, but then again, that furry culture isn't based around any TV show in particular, so it's harder for people to understand what they're all about. Anyone who's really that curious about bronies, on the other hand, will have the show to turn to for an explanation...so already we're a bit better shielded from mindless hate than furries. Not by much, but it's something, anyway.

 

At any rate, you probably did the right thing by not bothering to correct him. It's one thing to debunk ignorance from someone who's casually talking about bronies, but it's altogether pointless to try and argue with someone who's in rage-mode about the whole thing as they'll just end up getting the last word with "WEL UR A PONY-LOVING FAGOT NOW GO CLOP IN HELL".

 

Simple ignorance can be corrected, but you can't fix stupid.

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

Honestly, some people think so little of themselves that looking down on others is the only they can feel good. I think it also comes down to them wanting dearly to believe that "a little weird" is as bad as the human race can get. 

[Sylentmana 271]

It's people like that who allow the media to form their opinions for them. They are mindless drones who are too dumb or lazy to properly research a topic in order to form a well informed opinion of their own.  It's these types of people who believe all nerds are virgins and that Wiccans worship the devil and sacrifice babies.  In other words, they're ignorant. -_-

[~Silver Essence~ 2,625]

No.

 

However, keep in mind that we fans of MLP have been ridiculed and ranted upon since we existed, many just don't understand no more...

[ASocialyAwkwardPony 299]

While this guy is obviously a moron who don't realize that not everybody need to be a normalized cliche, I can't help but also understand that some people would think this about the fandom when people like Tiarawhy are running on the loose and is making unspeakable things involving kid characters with very little protest against it (from what I have seen). If someone tries to research the fandom and the first thing they stumble over is underage rape porn then yeah I can see why they would be disturbed and why they wouldn't want to research further in fear of finding more, even if the reality is that it is just a very small minority of a otherwise fine fandom and community.

 

So yeah, I think bronies are pretty much seen as something bad by outsiders in general, which is why it is important to try and represent positives of the fandom in public rooms while still making sure to not push it into somebody's face.

[Neon Fire 473]

No matter what you do, there's always going to be those idiots.  I've learned that myself.  I go out and wear Halo shirts or wearing my Civil Air Patrol BDUs (only if I go out after CAP), and just be who I am.  There will be people who despise you for that, but then there's others, true friends, who like you for who you are.  

 

Although I'm the kind of person too, that when I hear something, I'll go argue to them about it.  I can't stand when people are like that.  But make sure you have facts and aren't just spouting random rage things, like I sometimes do when I'm mad! XP

[Dsanders 5,747]

No.

 

Nothing he said is anywhere close to being true about the majority of us bronies. There is so much more good in us than most haters, like him for example, can even realize. 

 

One of the countless examples of the good in our brony community comes from how caring we are for one another and how we devote a lot of money and generosity to many charities out there. 

Edited August 28, 2013 by Dsanders

[Nah 3,182]

Well considering the fact that many haters think the fandom is comprised of nothing but overweight, misogynist, fedora worshipping basement dwellers that spend all their time on reddit.

 

Or think that we're all furries in denial when a pony fursuit picture gets popular on the internet.

 

Or when a bunch of rabid Bronies make a complete ass out of themselves when a character gets a voice change, or turns into an alicorn, or gets a movie with human/anthtro counterparts starring in it, and many petition for change because it isn't going their way.

 

And of course the, you like the usual shit of u watch a shoow 4 little gurls u gay weerdo, play Cawadoody XD.

 

This is just typical of society today, all fandoms get this crap, some fandoms are worse off, like the Sonic fandom, or the Homestuck, or this one.

 

It's completely asinine that people act that way, but I just get used to it because people are completely stupid today, so I don't shove my interests down their throats and I respect their opinions when they aren't being a total asshole to my opinion.

[Kulstor 254]

Such things will fade over time as they fous on the next new thing that they can see as strange or put forward to the public as strange & weird to up their ratings by focusing on a small aspect or group of fans.  Other things were where the MLP:FIM fandom is now, star trek role playing games especially d & d, and other things.  As time passes it'll fade and the media will go to the next new thing, and the cycle will continue.  The same sorts of folks will allow media and others to tell them what the think and feel.

[Nilkad_Naqadah 144]

  

 

Oh, man. I'm so rusty in HTML. Whenever I think of ending a statement I think of <endrant> instead of the correct way. Simple mistake. XD thanks for correcting me though.

 

 

Well, like I said, it was pretty petty anyway. It's just when I see things like that, my petty douche mode activates and I have to correct it, lol.

[Discordian 6,015]

I'd like to point you to Jack Thompson and his misguided crusade against violent video games. He and a lot of other people often create false presumptions of what certain types of entertainment media are "doing to our children"

 

More often than not they only attack the most extreme side of things no matter their relevance to the people involved but they don't bother to find other points to use as an argument. They don't want to understand because "they shouldn't have to" and that's where a lot of the problem lies. It's common sense that people will only find extremes if they don't look very hard.

 

In the case of violent video games, people often look at games like Grand Theft Auto and the fact that you can kill hookers after using them. They seem to forget the fact that that is the least important thing in the game and has no relevance to gaming in general and I've seen news reports trying to condemn video games based on an entirely optional feature in a game that most gamers won't even pay attention to for longer than a few minutes.

 

How this relates to MLP: All people see is colorful ponies which they believe to be something men shouldn't associate with under some misguided definition of what makes a man, especially when there is no correlation between a gender and a cartoon animal. Often bronies are considered to be perverts because of cloppers but they fail to realize that there's also a large portion of the fandom that is against clopping entirely or even the humanization of ponies because it has the potential to add a sexual connotation to a character.

 

Furries get the same bad rap as bronies for often the same reasons and also the same misconceptions.

 

My point: Screw the public. They refuse to see anything more than they want to and there's little we can do to change that. It's no different for MLP than it is for anything else. MLP is just the big thing to hate on right now because it got real big, real fast, and continues to grow and people don't (and as I said: refuse to) understand how or why this happens.

[Oblivion 20,268]

Fear of what? getting yelled at or getting in an argument? Hell I would of walked up to the guy and just started ripping his ass! I mean just because we are supposed to "Love and tolerate" doesn't mean we have to be abused in the process! Stand up for what you believe is right, there is a difference between having an opinion and just being an ass to a fandom!

 

    haha, sorry that kind of turned into a little mini rant but ignorance just drives me crazy!