Is the title ''Brony'' deteriorating?

[Concerto Dusk 240]

What do you want to call us then?

 

The Society for the Preservation of Aesthetic Appreciation for a Television Show for Little Girls that Coincidentally Contains Small Horses?

 

Brony is fine. People need thicker skins.

lol, yes, we should change to that jk, seriously people chill were bronies, so what?

[Windseeker 546]

That's technically not a fallacy because it makes the point perfectly. If someone is going to hate you for having ties to a certain group they're going to hate you regardless of what you try to call it. 

You totally get it, and seemed to be the only one who does. This post is a shortened version of my previous statement.

 

Have some cookies for your effort, and don't share them as you totally earned it.

Edited March 11, 2014 by Windseeker

[SveciaDash 364]

I just think alot of people have different opinions on what the term brony means. When I say Im a brony thats me saying i watch and like MLP FIM, pretty basic. 

[RockinRarity 1,605]

I really appreciate your post. I think you bring up a pretty valid point. But I have a question regarding this part:

 

 

 

That is the part alone that is the target of vitriol from haters, the beginning of falling outs from friends or haters seeing you mention the show, or anything else.

 

How, in your opinion, would you respond to the kind of people who are convinced, based on "bad bronies'" actions, that people in the brony community are perverted, creepy, neckbearded losers, etc?

 

I mean, I know that it is impossible to have a real conversation with some of these people. Haters gonna hate.

 

But when you add in the fact that there are bronies who have done bad things, and those things can catch public attention, it complicates things. The people who already have that pre-established negative bias towards bronies now have proof that they're just a bunch of messed up creepy losers. To the haters, it just solidifies their opinion.

 

Generally, the people who aren't just out to insult bronies because they can, usually relate back to experiences with them - whether they know one personally who is obnoxious, or they have encountered a few online and didn't like interacting with them. The bad experiences with bronies stick. So the people tell their stories, others who have heard their stories believe them, they generalize bronies, and the list goes on...

 

I just think that if we have more "good" people who are not afraid to call themselves a brony if the subject ever comes up, maybe some minds can be changed, and the way that people look at bronies as a whole can change.

 

Instead of conversations about bronies being like this:

 

"What? A grown man who likes a little girl show? Oh, so you sit on your computer all day and talk about the show incessantly to people who don't care, and you get all weepy when someone who doesn't like the show tells you off on it. I see, you're just a man-child who is contributing to the downfall of the Internet."

 

The conversations can start like this:

 

"What? A grown man who likes a little girl show? But you are cool to talk to, you have really good opinions about controversial subjects, you don't care for petty arguments, you hang out with your friends on Friday nights, and you're writing a novel in your spare time? So... why do you like this show?"

 

Of course, that latter line depends on whether or not the person you are talking to is decently reasonable and open-minded.

 

Do you think that people knowing to be a good example is enough? Or is there no hope for our kind? Or is there, and it takes some other form?

[Remi 1,309]

Perhaps this controversy started on 4chan, or it has simply started off by any other member of the fandom. Brony, on /mlp/ board, is scarcely used to speak of oneself, and is more commonly use as a form of comic use and/or insults to those who claim themselves bronies. The reason for this is because they mock [hard-core] bronies, whom are commonly associated with being hypocrites, and being very 'loud' and making the fandom look bad. I no longer title myself brony, to not be associated with that, and also partially because I have little interest in the show. The title is deteriorating only depending on what you associate it with, however, people outside the fandom associate bronies with the ones described above, and those inside the fandom use the term as a generic term.

I find it deteriorating, but I have been influenced greatly by /mlp/ board.

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

Perhaps this controversy started on 4chan, or it has simply started off by any other member of the fandom. Brony, on /mlp/ board, is scarcely used to speak of oneself, and is more commonly use as a form of comic use and/or insults to those who claim themselves bronies. The reason for this is because they mock [hard-core] bronies, whom are commonly associated with being hypocrites, and being very 'loud' and making the fandom look bad. I no longer title myself brony, to not be associated with that, and also partially because I have little interest in the show. The title is deteriorating only depending on what you associate it with, however, people outside the fandom associate bronies with the ones described above, and those inside the fandom use the term as a generic term.

 

I find it deteriorating, but I have been influenced greatly by /mlp/ board.

 

Anyone who browsing 4Chan(or horrifying enough, Tumblr because it's getting to be 4Chan with a self-righteous coat of paint) your going to think bronies suck, along with the rest of the human race in general.

 

That second site wasn't a lie. I can see Tumblr becoming about as infamous as 4Chan is now in the next few years.  

[Remi 1,309]

Anyone who browsing 4Chan(or horrifying enough, Tumblr because it's getting to be 4Chan with a self-righteous coat of paint) your going to think bronies suck, along with the rest of the human race in general.

It really depends more on how much you agree with their views, not automatic capablity of relating to it. Most people here would not agree with /mlp/, seeing how taboo 4chan is on this site.

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

It really depends more on how much you agree with their views, not automatic capablity of relating to it. Most people here would not agree with /mlp/, seeing how taboo 4chan is on this site.

 

I know they wouldn't, /MLP/ is a shithole and that god-forsaken hellhole encompasses the worst of the fandom 90% of freakin' time. If /x/ didn't exist I'd deem 4Chan as a whole borderline-useless because I grew out of that shit around the time I turned 16.

 

If I want immature bullshit I'll go to Newgrounds because at least that's entertaining immature bullshit.   

Edited March 12, 2014 by Shoboni

[Remi 1,309]

I know they wouldn't, /MLP/ is a shithole and that god-forsaken hellhole encompasses the worst of the fandom 90% of freakin' time. If /x/ didn't exist I'd deem 4Chan as a whole borderline-useless because I grew out of that shit around the time I turned 16.   

 

Depends on which end of the fandom you're viewing it from. Does /mlp/ show the worst of the fandom, or does MLPF show the worst of the fandom? It's all perspective, really. Remember, that maybe everyone on /mlp/ may look like a shithead to you, but all in all, it's just an opinion.

 

Congratulations on expressing it so strongly.

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

 

Depends on which end of the fandom you're viewing it from. Does /mlp/ show the worst of the fandom, or does MLPF show the worst of the fandom? It's all perspective, really. Remember, that maybe everyone on /mlp/ may look like a shithead to you, but all in all, it's just an opinion.

 

Congratulations on expressing it so strongly.

 

I have every-right to call the place that allows freakin' foalcon threads and talks about wanting to screw underage characters a bunch of shit-heads. Just get Gamer Twilight in here and they can tell you all the horror stories of that sinkhole far better than me. It may not be all bad and I know they've done many good things, but they need a major clean-up job. 

[Remi 1,309]

I have every-right to call the place that allows freakin' foalcon threads and talks about wanting to screw underage characters a bunch of shit-heads. Just get Gamer Twilight in here and they can tell you all the horror stories of that sinkhole far better than me. It may not be all bad and I know they've done many good things, but they need a major clean-up job. 

Yes, you do have every right to say that.

 

But remember, people have different interests, thus have different views on sites such as 4chan.

 

Now, let's cut this before either of us get warnings for being 'off-topic.'

[aoEAF2FBvC0MIo2Q 3,673]

Doesn't life seem so much easier when you see the whole matter of the image of our fandom as irrelevant? As someone who does see things that way, I would say so. I just enjoy the show and interact with some of the good people I've come to call friend in this fandom. That's kinda all I need, really.

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

Yes, you do have every right to say that.

 

But remember, people have different interests, thus have different views on sites such as 4chan.

 

Now, let's cut this before either of us get warnings for being 'off-topic.'

 

I'm going to say one more thing, then this will be over to stop a fight.

 

Defending pedophilia as "just a different interest" is the exact reason people think we're a bunch of creeps. I'm normally a very open-minded person but it disgusts to me to my very core because I've had to stand to-face with scum like that in real-life and have never felt anything more shameful than what I felt having to treat them like people for the sake of human decency.

 

I can't imagine what seeing that kind of monstrous behavior defended is like for someone who was actually molested as a child.   

Edited March 12, 2014 by Shoboni

[RockinRarity 1,605]

I'm going to say one more thing, then this will be over to stop a fight.

 

Defending pedophilia as "just a different interest" is the exact reason people think we're a bunch of creeps. I'm normally a very open-minded person but disgusts to me to my very core because I've had to stand to-face with scum like in real-life and have never felt anything more shameful than what I felt having to treat them like people for the sake human decency.

 

I can't imagine what seeing that kind of monstrous behavior defended is like for someone who was actually molested as a child.   

 

*nods*

 

It's all well and good to try to be understanding of other people's beliefs and actions... but tolerance can only go so far.

 

There are beliefs, fetishes, and actions that genuinely hurt other people, sometimes including the people who have/do them.

 

It does the fandom no favors to be tolerant of the actions of those who are willing to hurt other people for their own gain.

[LordDiscord 289]

Perhaps this controversy started on 4chan, or it has simply started off by any other member of the fandom. Brony, on /mlp/ board, is scarcely used to speak of oneself, and is more commonly use as a form of comic use and/or insults to those who claim themselves bronies. The reason for this is because they mock [hard-core] bronies, whom are commonly associated with being hypocrites, and being very 'loud' and making the fandom look bad. I no longer title myself brony, to not be associated with that, and also partially because I have little interest in the show. The title is deteriorating only depending on what you associate it with, however, people outside the fandom associate bronies with the ones described above, and those inside the fandom use the term as a generic term.

 

I find it deteriorating, but I have been influenced greatly by /mlp/ board.

And this right here is why I made this thread. I understand that you don't want to be associated with those people, but they don't define the title and should not be left to define it. Also if you don't like the show, then what part of MLP do you like?

[Nine 707]

If "brony" just means an adult fan of the show (which is all it ever meant to me) then it can't degrade any more than any other word .. to me at least. A chair's a chair. A pen's a pen.

 

Words pick up negative connotations when some ill-behaved people they apply to get a lot of attention, but running from those connotations by playing word games doesn't really change anyone's minds. You can only choose to be a good example yourself. It doesn't matter if someone who's never met a fan has heard a hundred nasty things over the internet. If you are the only one they meet and you're better than all the things they've heard, it'll make a world of difference.

 

That said, I've been to the /mlp/ board and .. I wouldn't send anyone there to get a good impression of the fandom.

[Concerto Dusk 240]

If "brony" just means an adult fan of the show (which is all it ever meant to me) then it can't degrade any more than any other word .. to me at least. A chair's a chair. A pen's a pen.

 

Words pick up negative connotations when some ill-behaved people they apply to get a lot of attention, but running from those connotations by playing word games doesn't really change anyone's minds. You can only choose to be a good example yourself. It doesn't matter if someone who's never met a fan has heard a hundred nasty things over the internet. If you are the only one they meet and you're better than all the things they've heard, it'll make a world of difference.

 

That said, I've been to the /mlp/ board and .. I wouldn't send anyone there to get a good impression of the fandom.

ya, honestly its just people who have nothing better to do than make fun of others so they feel good about themselves when they fail at life who ruin everything for others

[Nine 707]

 

 

ya, honestly its just people who have nothing better to do than make fun of others so they feel good about themselves when they fail at life who ruin everything for others

 

 

I .. don't think I'd tar everyone with that brush either. I've met people belonging to groups I take objection to on principle, as a whole, who I know wouldn't ever see or feel that they were doing anything notably bad, and not because I just wanted to bash them.

 

I'd sooner avoid personal examples, but if you imagine people like white supremacists, or something along that line, they don't see that their views are ignorant and harmful, though they are, and my saying as such isn't really to make me feel better.

 

I know you're talking about harmless groups though, like us bronies, or people who like stamp collecting or soccer. There's no harm in that, we know, but the accusations leveled at bronies can be severe. Some people worry about the mentality of "adults who like shows for little girls", so I can see where the fear comes from. It's just as ignorant, but not necessarily about hating for fun.

 

If after asking someone *why* they don't like bronies and I get a lousy answer, I'd be more willing to judge a person as a twit then.

[MrHaru 217]

How, in your opinion, would you respond to the kind of people who are convinced, based on "bad bronies'" actions, that people in the brony community are perverted, creepy, neckbearded losers, etc?

I simply do one of two things.

 

1) talk to them. Figure out where the heck all of the anger is coming from. Most of the time I get people to back down or completely reverse their thoughts in enlightening them what the deal about us as a fandom is....but on the times when it's a teen that's, for example, just repeating shit he reads on 4chan and hating simply to put up a front and is absolutely not in any way open to the convo or what I have to say as a person?

 

2)...then I simply ignore them. It's a hard thing to do, I admit but it works. Pretend their words on their internet post are as feeble to you as the rambling a of some incoherent drunkard.

 

There are some people that simply won't change their minds no matter what, but for most cases ACTUALLY TALKING TO THE HATER on a private conversation away from public eyes helps a lot because you get to see what makes them tick and if they are legitimate about it or are just repeating the "popular" opinions they heard.

 

 

This includes telling the haters that bad eggs exist everywhere. Singling them out in the MLP fandom just means it's an easy target for a "see? Bronies are bad people" comment to surface but once you ask them "Have you done bad things before being in a fan of ____? Does that make you a bad person, or do you think you're more three dimensional than that?" I'm sure they will have a hard time coming up with a response.

 

We are a fandom constantly trying to better itself, and honestly with how open it is with itself and how generous it is to the community I'm gonna stand by it.

I have every-right to call the place that allows freakin' foalcon threads and talks about wanting to screw underage characters a bunch of shit-heads. Just get Gamer Twilight in here and they can tell you all the horror stories of that sinkhole far better than me. It may not be all bad and I know they've done many good things, but they need a major clean-up job.

 

Yknow, 4chan is the reason this fanbase exists.

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

I

 

Yknow, 4chan is the reason this fanbase exists.

 

Yes, I'm aware of that. I'm also a Creepypasta fan(which came from mostly /x/) and I consider the site a necessary evil because while it does to some good, it doesn't excuse that the absolute worst of the internet collects there as well. /b/ is the site's gutter, and most of the /mlp/ came from /b/ (/b/ronies). Shit, I lurk /x/ myself to try and dig up some good content while it's still fresh. 

 

That is where the problem lies, /MLP/ is pretty much a slightly less worthless extension of /b/ because most of it's users are likely /b/tards as well.   

[MrHaru 217]

Yes, I'm aware of that. I'm also a Creepypasta fan(which came from mostly /x/) and I consider the site a necessary evil because while it does to some good, it doesn't excuse that the absolute worst of the internet collects there as well. /b/ is the site's gutter, and most of the /mlp/ came from /b/ (/b/ronies). Shit, I lurk /x/ myself to try and dig up some good content while it's still fresh. 

 

That is where the problem lies, /MLP/ is pretty much a slightly less worthless extension of /b/ because most of it's users are likely /b/tards as well.

 

I dunno, I have often come to some interesting conversations had there on /MLP/ that rival or outweigh those here on this forum in terms of content.

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

I dunno, I have often come to some interesting conversations had there on /MLP/ that rival or outweigh those here on this forum in terms of content.

 

The issue though is that those are far-and-few inbetween and buried in a sea of bullshit. I don't hate them because I know they do some good stuff and Lauren seems to respect them(I blew up at the other guy only because I was in bad mood last night and he defended pedophilia), I just need they need to, as the good book says "remove the plank from their own eye before that tell us about the speck of sawdust in ours" 

[Guest]

 

 

Wrong, little girls who watch the show aren't considered as bronies or pegasisters because most of them don't participate in fandom activity. Including the ones who are fans of the previous generations or simply refuse to adopt the title anyways.

 

Did it ever occur to you that casual fans participate in forums like this simply because there is no real place for casual fans to discuss the show? Bronies have kind of taken over any and all site dedicated to the show. If I made a site for casual MLP fans, it'd probably only take a month for bronies to frequent it and call it a "brony" site.

 

 

 

You are missing the point in my statement by miles and incidentally appear to be suffering from poor English. I bring up one thing regarding a different topic and you respond to my statement twisting logic beyond the comprehension of the terms 'irrelevant bullshit'.

 

Ah yes, insult the other party in an argument. That usually proves you're right... Oh wait, no it doesn't. It usually only proves you hope to provoke an emotional response to give yourself an angry opponent to combat, as an angry opponent is seldom a logical one.

 

 

 

The underline material in your post is the only readable content and I will gladly say that I said nothing about either fandoms having to accept the title, but since MLP (any generation) fans are so generalized with Bronydom, no one is really going to give a shit what you call yourself. The title is mainstream among the outsiders who views MLP fans as 'bronies' anyways, no matter how hard you try to say otherwise it isn't going to be enough to alter their perception entirely (if not even slightly). So the attempt to do so is rather pointless, it will only result in internal strife among our community with no real affect on public opinion.

 

"Accept us... Resistance is futile."

 

Do you understand the major crux of your argument? It in no way creates legitimate reason to not be a brony. It only says "You can't stop people from seeing you as one, so you may as well be one." That's not a very sound reasoning as to why one should accept the title. Just because bronies will get angry if I don't accept the title? And other people may mistake me for a brony? What kind of argument is that? It's essentially saying to don the title to keep the peace and because other people are ignorant.

 

Yeah, that's not going to work.

 

 

Sorry, but you're going to have to create an actual reason why people should don the title if they don't find it fitting to themselves. Otherwise your argument is more or less: "Do it because you're being forced to!"

[MLPForums Phanact 1,374]

The title has so many negative connotations that I just really do not wish to be associated with it. I prefer to say I'm an MLP fan as most people immediately believe that all bronies are:

• Cloppers
• Fedora Wearers
• Neckbeards
• Basement Dwellers
• Overly Obsessed With MLP
• Militant Atheists

I'd rather people just think that I'm a weirdo who enjoys a children's TV show than any of the above.

[Sekhayet 253]

"Accept us... Resistance is futile."

 

Do you understand the major crux of your argument? It in no way creates legitimate reason to not be a brony. It only says "You can't stop people from seeing you as one, so you may as well be one." That's not a very sound reasoning as to why one should accept the title. Just because bronies will get angry if I don't accept the title? And other people may mistake me for a brony? What kind of argument is that? It's essentially saying to don the title to keep the peace and because other people are ignorant.

 

Yeah, that's not going to work.

 

 

Sorry, but you're going to have to create an actual reason why people should don the title if they don't find it fitting to themselves. Otherwise your argument is more or less: "Do it because you're being forced to!"

 

I was going to actually write a legit reply to this but...

 

Your entire post was useless. It's not that we're "accepting the title because of X reason" it's "everyone else is calling us this and we aren't them so whether you accept the label or not, you're a brony".

 

You or I have no say in what everyone wants to call us. Accept it. Get over it. Move on.