Why take the show seriously?

[ChoroChii 284]

This is probably going to seem typical and I pretty much don't care. I've always been highly open-minded and have defended this fandom in the past but at this point, I think it's time I about gave up. Why does everybody take this show so seriously? It seems every time something a bit upsetting happens, it's all over the internet and sometimes even on the news. Do you not see how ridiculous this is? Of course not because you're bronies. 

 

I understand fandom and popularity but a 90 page statistical report on freaking bronies? and a 2 hour documentary? Then we get our own con - fine, that's great but there's a limit to this insanity. People are actually worshiping this show and wanting to make a pony religion. This is where I draw the line. This is proof of people seriously needing to be cut off from technology and getting lives. Of course there are several creepers who think they're married to ponies and go around threatening people about it, just of course.

 

Doesn't help the brony image any that about 90% of them are desperate men, yearning for female attention. As seen with Bronysquare, how most of the community there are men who flirt with every women they see and think they're entitled to sex because they're "SUCH NICE GUYS" but women are bitches for turning them down and having different opinions, right? Then seen again with this site with it's "Special somepony" threads and such. Want more evidence? There is a brony dating site. 

 

It doesn't stop there either, there are plushies made specifically for boning the ponies and there are MLP fleshlights. This means that there are enough people out there who demand these products and they are selling well enough for them to continue to be sold. It's not just a matter of clopping to your pony porn that floods the internet anymore.

 

Speaking of which, why do we have our own terms for things? We're not just the MLP fanbase, we're bronies. We don't masturbate, we clop. [Or, you do.] We also need specific gender nouns to refer to ourselves, such as pegasister and then some people wanted to make an equivalent for tomboy and femboy. 

 

It's clear bronies don't understand copyright either because otherwise, they wouldn't be making such a big deal out of things being taken down. I'm sick of explaining this, I really, really am. If Hasboro were such a big, evil company wanting money as you say, why do you think they would remove something promoting them? That's right, obviously they had no choice or they'd lose their license to MLP permanently and we'd have no more FIM. However, I think that's what you guys want, as you send them death threats all the time. They have plenty of money to afford to just cancel the show. 

 

Then there's the whole social justice that bronies keep bringing up, how it's changing how the world views gender roles and such. Yeah, maybe it is but why does that mean people can't think you're a piece of crap fandom? You guys have your own social justice warrior bull going on and get irrationally mad at haters. Most people who don't like bronies or MLP are hated by bronies, it's very evidential with all the hater threads on this forum. 

 

Furthermore, I have to view the newest MLP episodes the day it comes out or else I'll be bombarded with spoilers, so that's fun. Also, the fact that everybody hates the other gens is annoying. *Rolls eyes* I'm sure this'll just be locked and I'll be hated or banned for it. That would be the typical brony response. Bring on the memes, poorly constructed potshots, and video games references. 

 

//Not sure where to post this, will just put it in general discussion, since I regular here.//

 

 

 

[Ribbonfree 2,383]

I heard an excellent point from a friend that for a lot of young males this is their first fandom period. Ponies, being such a huge meme, attracted a large crowd of people who probably wouldn't have been drawn into the evil glory that is internet fandom. As a result, all the things that veteran fandoms take for granted like being looked down upon by the mainstream media, obsession over fictional content, fan fic, fan art, internet drama... It's all new for a lot of guys. Since it's new they vastly over-inflate everything when it doesn't deserve to be over-inflated.

 

The memetic status of ponies definitely doesn't help either, it draws a lot of external attention that feeds the fire.

[Zhortac 1,475]

What you just described, it just the bottom of the barrel shit, that plagues every fandom. They're not as big as you might think, and they fall off when things die down a bit. They never stick around, they find something else to go nuts over. Happens to everything.

[Teller 360]

You could literally replace the word "brony" with "weeaboo" in that post.

[lighting flash 207]

Oh well. Different experience, different thoughts. Never had problem with other bronies. (they are in fine relationships with wives, husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends, fiances, etc. And it seems like ponies is a hobby more than "life" if even that) But just to let you know. This does not change the things those people do. And it makes the people who don't do it insecure. But yeah, i see where your coming from.

[M'aiq the Liar 5,804]

The world in general is negative like that m8. And alot of it is marketing towards a group that has the cash. Need to make a living, and you are good at silicon molding? Well, there is now a group that will buy your "molds" for $300 a pop. Now you have a job. And as for hater threads, have you ever been on any other fansites? They have entire subsections devoted to "haters". What you are describing can be used to describe any fan group in the history of mankind. were there is money there is a way. 

[Neon Fire 473]

I agree with you here.  It can get annoying when people complain about every little detail in the show.  Sure, I can understand if an episode is bad (there's some eps I don't like) but people go ooooooon and oooooon about it.  And their own religion?  Pretty dumb if you ask me.

[Clarity 3,094]

You're generalizing. Not everyone in the brony fandom is a porn star looking for women to satisfy their urges. You're free to disassociate yourself from such a disgusting group of people if you so wish.

[Sugar Cube 4,843]

This thread appears to be related to the My Little Pony franchise and/or the Bronydom in general. Thus, it has been sentenced to Sugarcube Corner.

[ChoroChii 284]

I heard an excellent point from a friend that for a lot of young males this is their first fandom period. Ponies, being such a huge meme, attracted a large crowd of people who probably wouldn't have been drawn into the evil glory that is internet fandom. As a result, all the things that veteran fandoms take for granted like being looked down upon by the mainstream media, obsession over fictional content, fan fic, fan art, internet drama... It's all new for a lot of guys. Since it's new they vastly over-inflate everything when it doesn't deserve to be over-inflated.

 

The memetic status of ponies definitely doesn't help either, it draws a lot of external attention that feeds the fire.

 

That actually makes a lot of sense. I've never even considered that, to be honest. 

 

What you just described, it just the bottom of the barrel shit, that plagues every fandom. They're not as big as you might think, and they fall off when things die down a bit. They never stick around, they find something else to go nuts over. Happens to everything.

 

I would have never posted such a thing if that were the case. It's far worst than any fandom thus far.

Did you just ignore all the examples I gave? There has never been 90 pages of statistics, a 2 hour documentary, fleshlights, sex plushies. a dating site, or a whole language for one fandom. 

 

You could literally replace the word "brony" with "weeaboo" in that post.

 

That would imply weaboos aren't a problem as well. You literally just looked at the dark side of your fandom and placed another infront as a shield to defend your own ego.

 

Oh well. Different experience, different thoughts. Never had problem with other bronies. (they are in fine relationships with wives, husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends, fiances, etc. And it seems like ponies is a hobby more than "life" if even that) But just to let you know. This does not change the things those people do. And it makes the people who don't do it insecure. But yeah, i see where your coming from.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm aware that there are plenty of sane people in the fandom and that's why I've stayed here for so long.

I just thought it was finally time I spoke up and if I get kicked out for it, I guess I made my point.

 

And as for hater threads, have you ever been on any other fansites? They have entire subsections devoted to "haters". What you are describing can be used to describe any fan group in the history of mankind. were there is money there is a way. 

 

I've been on MAL but those forums pissed me off so much that I don't even bother with them anymore. Yes, I have seen hater threads but not to this extent.

 

 

I agree with you here.  It can get annoying when people complain about every little detail in the show.  Sure, I can understand if an episode is bad (there's some eps I don't like) but people go ooooooon and oooooon about it.  And their own religion?  Pretty dumb if you ask me.

 

Yeah, they also tend to freak out whenever you say you didn't like something about the show. I once got attacked for not liking an episode. 

 

 

You're generalizing. Not everyone in the brony fandom is a porn star looking for women to satisfy their urges. You're free to disassociate yourself from such a disgusting group of people if you so wish.

 

The point of this thread was to generalize the fandom as a whole. If you feel the need to defend yourself, that's your problem.

[Something Floaty 1,334]

Replace the My Little Pony references and this could be about almost any fandom. Fandoms have thousands or even millions of members. Statistically, there are going to be married people, single people, straight people, gay people, pedophiles, asexuals, criminals, mentally disabled people, psychopaths, liberals, conservatives, libertarians, white supremacists, Neo-Nazis, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, atheists, and a thousand other categories of people. You can't blame this on the show, or on the fandom itself. As far as the crazies, if MLP hadn't come along it would have been something else. The only way to avoid these things is to cease creation of all new entertainment, and even then there would be a huge group following of something else. Penguins, maybe, or shiny rocks. It never ends. The people who take MLP seriously to the point of threatening others are always going to be around, MLP is just what they focus on. As for everything else...welcome to the Internet. It has changed the world in many ways for the better, but it has also given a public voice to the deranged, and it's long past time we all got used to the fact that there is little we can do about it. Freedom is like that.

 

Don't make any of this about MLP. It's not. It's about human psychology, one of the things we will likely never fully comprehend.

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

What does it matter?

I'm sorry, but shouldn't people be allowed to enjoy something the way they please? It's not hurting anyone, so why not leave it alone?

This same old "stop taking the show so seriously and relax" song and dance has been played out enough time to make my head spin. Is it really enjoying something in a laid-back way if you're telling people to do as you do? I'm sorry, but I think people should have the right to enjoy this fandom, and any other fandom, as they please, as long as they're not causing harm with it.
 

[Zhortac 1,475]

I would have never posted such a thing if that were the case. It's far worst than any fandom thus far.

Did you just ignore all the examples I gave? There has never been 90 pages of statistics, a 2 hour documentary, fleshlights, sex plushies. a dating site, or a whole language for one fandom.

 

Anime, Star Wars, and a few others are far worse. Either way, this will die when those bandwagon jumpers get tired of it.

[Something Floaty 1,334]

EDIT: I'd also like to add that as far as the "special somepony" threads and dating discussions go, 99% of these online relationships started through sites like this are between teenagers under the age of 18. By and large, they won't last, and it's a natural thing when you combine teenagers and the freedom of the internet. In ten years the 15 and 16 year olds who are "deeply in love" with their online significant other from across the country and swear they will never love another person as long as they live will look back on this and thinK "what a silly kid I was". Not to say that all online relationships will end like that, but in most cases, such is the folly of youth.

[M'aiq the Liar 5,804]

What I wonder, is if you really despise bronies so much, why are you here? 

[aoEAF2FBvC0MIo2Q 3,673]

 

Well, a similar thing can also be said about people in general except for the customs part. Anonymity has some part to do with it but not quite.

 

There are two things that come to mind.

 

Number one: people are very diverse. You know about that paradox? The one that goes: "You are unique. Just like everyone else." Well, that just testifies to how diverse people are but even so, certain groups are going to have certain things or certain combinations of things in common, If that were not the case, cultures and fandoms wouldn't exist, would they?

 

Number two: crowds. I'm willing to bet that if I randomly pluck out one "rabid" brony and have a conversation with him or her in isolation, the odds are good that one can have a sensible conversation with that person. But when people get in crowds, it messes with our psychology and those studying this occurrence see crowds as being like singular organisms or singular minds. It's as though the individuals are no longer individuals. Crowds tend to have characters of their own but common patterns tend to be along the lines of bullish, highly charged, simple-minded and very fickle. It's almost as though we as individuals are getting so overwhelmed by being overloaded with social cues that we just lose our minds.

 

 

Speaking of crowds, as I've been reading new comments that popped up as I wrote this, I'm personally sensing a little tinder here... Be careful, ponies, if reading through all of this is making you feel a little overwhelmed and emotionally charged, maybe it's better that you take a little time off because you might be getting close to doing or saying something you might regret when you regain your own senses. Just saying.

[Something Floaty 1,334]

That actually makes a lot of sense. I've never even considered that, to be honest. 

 

 

I would have never posted such a thing if that were the case. It's far worst than any fandom thus far.

Did you just ignore all the examples I gave? There has never been 90 pages of statistics, a 2 hour documentary, fleshlights, sex plushies. a dating site, or a whole language for one fandom. 

 

 

That would imply weaboos aren't a problem as well. You literally just looked at the dark side of your fandom and placed another infront as a shield to defend your own ego.

 

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm aware that there are plenty of sane people in the fandom and that's why I've stayed here for so long.

I just thought it was finally time I spoke up and if I get kicked out for it, I guess I made my point.

 

 

I've been on MAL but those forums pissed me off so much that I don't even bother with them anymore. Yes, I have seen hater threads but not to this extent.

 

 

 

Yeah, they also tend to freak out whenever you say you didn't like something about the show. I once got attacked for not liking an episode. 

 

 

 

The point of this thread was to generalize the fandom as a whole. If you feel the need to defend yourself, that's your problem.

 

 

You can't generalize a fandom that consists of this many people. You can't generalize any fandom, because they are made up of people from all walks of life. 

 

As far as "90 pages of statistics and a documentary" "sex toys" "dating sites" and "a language" for only this fandom...I, as a Trekkie, cordially invite you to visit a Star Trek message board, where discussions about things can reach the length of novels and many of us speak not only fluent Klingon but basic Vulcan and Romulan as well. 

I should point out that there have been about 10 documentaries on Star Trek fans. 

[Misty Shadow 7,956]

What time is it? Poetry with CloudMistDragon. This is a poem that I like to call, "Why".

 

Why.

 

Why did you write this.

 

Why did I read this. 

 

Why do you care.

 

Why do I care.

 

No...I don't even understand it anymore.

 

What's the point of threads like these.

 

What's the point of replying to them.

 

?

 

Why.

 

I've written thousands just for threads such as these. They are all about "why".

[The Blades Shadow 444]

You can't generalize a fandom that consists of this many people. You can't generalize any fandom, because they are made up of people from all walks of life. 

 

As far as "90 pages of statistics and a documentary" "sex toys" "dating sites" and "a language" for only this fandom...I, as a Trekkie, cordially invite you to visit a Star Trek message board, where discussions about things can reach the length of novels and many of us speak not only fluent Klingon but basic Vulcan and Romulan as well. 

I think you've made your point buddy... Just sayin...

I mean, I agree with you completely but three posts seems like a little much for something simple like this...

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

This type of thread pops up every now and again, and nothing is accomplished by it. 

It all comes down to trying to change people's perspectives to the way you see fit isn't right. That's all. I'm just going to drop this pretty little ditty right here, because it accurately describes this thread, tip my hat, and bid you all a good day.

 

Edited April 15, 2014 by ghostfacekiller39

[Ribbonfree 2,383]

I'm going to make a quick addendum to my earlier point, I was explaining the reasoning behind the phenomenon of pony. Is it a bit annoying? Yes. But as others have already said, it's best to let people live as they will. The only arguments I see worth picking are against the millitant bronies who try to convert others and see fault in other fandoms, because that does start to reek of hypocrisy. But beyond that, I feel it's best to ignore the isms of brony culture. Sure a lot of them are overzealous. But as long as they're not outright deplorable, it's fine.

[ChoroChii 284]

@@Something Floaty,

 

 Yeah, 3 text wall posts really says how dedicated some people can be. This is an MLP board, so I will be posting my most recent thoughts on the fandom here and the only other thing I can say about your original post is that I knew there would be people using memes to take potshots at me. The replies I'm getting are the exact replies I expected.

[Something Floaty 1,334]

I don't recall using any memes against you...all I remember posting is an explanation of how the behavior you are so disgusted with is common among a portion of all fandoms. 

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

@@Something Floaty,

 

 Yeah, 3 text wall posts really says how dedicated some people can be. This is an MLP board, so I will be posting my most recent thoughts on the fandom here and the only other thing I can say about your original post is that I knew there would be people using memes to take potshots at me. The replies I'm getting are the exact replies I expected.

So...you wanted to stir people up and create drama? Because if these were the replies you were expecting and you went through with it, it's sorta hard for me to take that in any other context.

Which song is it? My computer is too potatoish (Yes that's a word) to be able to watch the video

"Same Old Song and Dance" by Aerosmith  

[Teller 360]

 

 

That would imply weaboos aren't a problem as well. You literally just looked at the dark side of your fandom and placed another infront as a shield to defend your own ego.

 

 

I have nothing to defend, I just figured I'd point it out because it's funny.