What do You Think about these Racist MLP "Fans"

[nami438 90]

I was searching Youtube for promotional stuff for Rainbow Rocks, and came across this video, a commercial for the new movie (the video is safe for work):

 

Basically a commercial showing real girls dressed up like their favorite characters from the movie, pretending to play in a band. The comment section is filled with people asking why the girls pretending to be Rarity and Rainbow Dash are not white. Lot of comments like "I Am Not Racist but Why is the Rarity girl black when Rarity has a pure white coat" and "Rariti no esta negra" and calling Rarity a n*gger. There are a couple about Rainbow Dash too but I can't find them right now. The girl pretending to be Rarity looks to be half-white half-black, and the girl playing Rainbow Dash may be a quarter Asian (I can't see her face well).

 

So What do You think? Should Rarity only be played by a white person because she is white? Is inserting a mixed race girl into a pastime only for white people just inserting them into everything even where they don't belong?

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

Personally, I always saw Rarity as being a white girl if she were to be human, tied with Applejack as the most likely to be white of the group. She's such a white girl

But I don't see why people would care about that. It's not like this commercial has any significance on anything at all. No effect on the movie, no effect on the series, and hardly any effect on the fandom, given that commercial is obviously aimed at the younger fans of the series.

 

I guess it can just be chalked up to ignorance.
 

Edited May 12, 2014 by ghostfacekiller39

[Megas 27,569]

These kind of things make me glad they gave the characters the color of the ponies. Race, for some reason, is always a huge deal among humanized pony discussion

[nami438 90]

Personally, I always saw Rarity as being a white girl if she were to be human, tied with Applejack as the most likely to be white of the group. She's such a white girl

 

But I don't see why people would care about that. It's not like this commercial has any significance on anything at all. No effect on the movie, no effect on the series, and hardly any effect on the fandom, given that commercial is obviously aimed at the younger fans of the series.

 

I guess it can just be chalked up to ignorance.

 

But when it is significant, it is a problem yes? If they made the sequel Equestria Girls with real skin tones and Rarity looked like the girl in the commercial, it would be wrong to put this not 100% white girl in her spot because Rarity is not a drop black right?

These kind of things make me glad they gave the characters the color of the ponies. Race, for some reason, is always a huge deal among humanized pony discussion

People always have a problem when they see a picture not drawn to their standards. They don't just draw their own how they want it or commission how they want it.

Edited May 12, 2014 by nami438

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

But when it is significant, it is a problem yes? If they made the sequel Equestria Girls with real skin tones and Rarity looked like the girl in the commercial, it would be wrong to put this not 100% white girl in her spot because Rarity is not a drop black right?

It isn't significant in the scenario at hand, for one, and that's what the nature of this topic is about; the scenario of the racist remarks made in the comments section of the YouTube video of the commercial you posted.

 

In any case, I'll provide an answer to your hypothetical scenario; I'd make Rarity white, and I'd be surprised if she wasn't white, but that's the most I'd feel towards it. In the end, it's still the Rarity I love so dearly, and that's what matters. Sorry if I sound corny, but it's true. Black, white, yellow, red, or if she had stripes like a zebra, it's still the Rarity I know and love on the inside

[nami438 90]

It isn't significant in the scenario at hand, for one, and that's what the nature of this topic is about; the scenario of the racist remarks made in the comments section of the YouTube video of the commercial you posted.

 

In any case, I'll provide an answer to your hypothetical scenario; I'd make Rarity white, and I'd be surprised if she wasn't white, but that's the most I'd feel towards it. In the end, it's still the Rarity I love so dearly, and that's what matters. Sorry if I sound corny, but it's true. Black, white, yellow, red, or if she had stripes like a zebra, it's still the Rarity I know and love on the inside

You are a true fan, and I can see that your love for Rarity shines clear and strong! Thank you.

[NomDeSpite 452]

While it is in poor taste to say that non-white people can't dress up as Rarity "just because", the fact of the matter is that Ponyville basically is a White European society. How do we know this? Because the characters who are meant to be non-white, like Chief Thunderhooves and Zecora, aren't portrayed as ponies. They're, respectively, a buffalo and a zebra. Also, the architectural styles seen in Ponyville, Canterlot, etc. are basically pan-European. And it's okay that things are this way. Just pointing that out.

[Jamaican Jam 112]

That's racism for you, I guess.

[nami438 90]

While it is in poor taste to say that non-white people can't dress up as Rarity "just because", the fact of the matter is that Ponyville basically is a White European society. How do we know this? Because the characters who are meant to be non-white, like Chief Thunderhooves and Zecora, aren't portrayed as ponies. They're, respectively, a buffalo and a zebra. Also, the architectural styles seen in Ponyville, Canterlot, etc. are basically pan-European. And it's okay that things are this way. Just pointing that out.

But then that makes me wonder, what are cows and donkeys?

 

imho ponies are human, and sentient non-ponies are other sentient apes. But there aren't as many types of us as there are equines, hm. Then again buffalo aren't equines.

That's racism for you, I guess.

Rarity is white, so she should not be played by person with brown skin, she should be played by a dead person to be truly accurate

Edited May 12, 2014 by nami438

[Teabee 59]

I don't have any issue with portrayals of Rarity as being not white, any more than I have issues with crossplaying.  Sometimes you just want to do something that's out of the ordinary and taking the attitude that a character can only have one skin color in fanart or even in official works spits in the face of the volumes of humanized Mane 6 art that portrays them as dark-skinned.  I know that Purple Smart is a common target for this and if that's what people want to do then let them do it.  Yes, I am a Rarifag and yes, I will have my own preferences as far as how I like my waifu to look in fanart but they're just that - personal preferences.  If I don't like it, I'll be a big boy and go look at something else.

 

My real issue with that video (I loved the idea of a rock version of EG Stomp when it first hit the interwebs) is that you can't just reuse "rainbow-fied" when you can't think of anything else to say!  It's like rhyming a word with itself.  It's so awkward!  Whoever wrote these lyrics needs more practice, or else needs to read a wider variety of literature.  It will help expand their vocabulary.

 

Rarity is white, so she should not be played by person with brown skin, she should be played by a dead person to be truly accurate

 

Edited May 12, 2014 by Teabee

[Avatar tag: shipping 299]

Barring the racist comments, I can understand why some people prefer certain characters to be portrayed by a certain race. It's human nature to feel more at ease and relate better with people that look like you. Babies and young children are uneasy around strangers and tend to stick close to family. They aren't being racist or discriminatory, it's just instinct. As we grow older we realize that actions and character, not color, that defines someone. But we still have that instinct that we relate better to people that look like us. For instance: I am white. The important characters in the show are well fleshed out and I can see a little bit of myself in each of them. Since I'm looking at different parts of me, is it wrong to view them all as white like me?

 

This commercial isn't targeted at a specific race. It's meant for all to enjoy. So why wouldn't they include other races so everyone has someone they can relate to better? I think the bigger issue is that having different races in your commercials is now a selling point for the product. Look at Cheerios, Oreo's, and Coke. Do you think they did those commercials because race and sexual orientation issues don't exist? Or that they know they'll get good press and people will throw money at them? I'm not saying that's what Hasbro did here necessarily, but there is a precedent.

Edited May 12, 2014 by FMStorm

[nami438 90]

Barring the racist comments, I can understand why some people prefer certain characters to be portrayed by a certain race. It's human nature to feel more at ease and relate better with people that look like you. Babies and young children are uneasy around strangers and tend to stick close to family. They aren't being racist or discriminatory, it's just instinct. As we grow older we realize that actions and character, not color, that defines someone. But we still have that instinct that we relate better to people that look like us. For instance: I am white. The important characters in the show are well fleshed out and I can see a little bit of myself in each of them. Since I'm looking at different parts of me, is it wrong to view them all as white like me?

 

This commercial isn't targeted at a specific race. It's meant for all to enjoy. So why wouldn't they include other races so everyone has someone they can relate to better? I think the bigger issue is that having different races in your commercials is now a selling point for the product. Look at Cheerios, Oreo's, and Coke. Do you think they did those commercials because race and sexual orientation issues don't exist? Or that they know they'll get good press and people will throw money at them? I'm not saying that's what Hasbro did here necessarily, but there is a precedent.

I can't say that I've seen or heard about the Oreo or Coke commercials, but the Cheerio's commercial, assuming you're talking about the one with the biracial kid and her parents, I see where you're coming from, but I'm not sure it's fair to assume that that casting choice was made to be PC. What if the casting director is half white half black, and he saw himself in that girl?

 

Don't get me wrong, there are people that only insert minorities to make a buck, but seeing as green is the most important color for all the American companies mentioned so far in that capitalist nation, makes sense to reach out for the minority dollar.

 

I still find it funny that some people have an issue with this Rarity, when it's plain as day that she is at least half white, maybe even 3/4.

[Spartan 433]

Racism only lives if you allow it.. Ignore it and it will eventually go away.. maybe..

 

I personally dont care about the persons skin color, if youre good to me, ill be good to you..

[Adorkable 2,737]

These kind of things make me glad they gave the characters the color of the ponies. Race, for some reason, is always a huge deal among humanized pony discussion

 

YES!

 

This is the exact reason they made the humans their counterpart pony coat colors, it's so much easier to deal with, and makes everyone happy.

 

I actually think putting actual people in the commercial could stir up the same amount of trouble, but I always trust Hasbro, they know what they're doing.

[multifacetedbrony 88]

So What do You think? Should Rarity only be played by a white person because she is white? Is inserting a mixed race girl into a pastime only for white people just inserting them into everything even where they don't belong?

 

I think that's like saying Twilight should only be played by a purple person. The colours of the ponies don't have anything to do with race.

 

Suggesting that there's such a thing as a past time only for white people or that a person of a different race can't "belong" comes across as a bit offensive to be honest, but I do realise context can get lost on the internet and I might have misread your meaning. I'm not denying that there might be a bit of political correctness going on on Hasbro's part, but at the end of the day I find the racist video comments disgusting. Is anyone in those comments seriously trying to suggest that someone can't play at being Rarity because they're not white? That's both racist and ridiculous.

Edited May 12, 2014 by multifacetedbrony

[SasQ 1,376]

Lot of comments like "I Am Not Racist but Why is the Rarity girl black when Rarity has a pure white coat" and "Rariti no esta negra" and calling Rarity a n*gger. There are a couple about Rainbow Dash too but I can't find them right now. The girl pretending to be Rarity looks to be half-white half-black, and the girl playing Rainbow Dash may be a quarter Asian (I can't see her face well).

Racism is when someone does something offensive towards some race. I don't see anything as such in the comments you quoted. These are just people's preferences about how they imagine the Mane Six's skin colors as fitting the originals from the show.

 

Imagine a movie being made about Barrack Obama. You're making a casting for his role. And then some white guy comes in and wants to play Obama. Would you agree on that? I guess not, simply because he doesn't match the original Obama's skin color, and it would be weird for your viewers to see white Obama in your movie. So you say to him: "Sorry, dude, Obama is black, you're white, this doesn't add up to." Would you agree with him if he started yelling at you that this is racist and you're discriminating him by his skin color?

[nami438 90]

Racism is when someone does something offensive towards some race. I don't see anything as such in the comments you quoted. These are just people's preferences about how they imagine the Mane Six's skin colors as fitting the originals from the show.

 

Imagine a movie being made about Barrack Obama. You're making a casting for his role. And then some white guy comes in and wants to play Obama. Would you agree on that? I guess not, simply because he doesn't match the original Obama's skin color, and it would be weird for your viewers to see white Obama in your movie. So you say to him: "Sorry, dude, Obama is black, you're white, this doesn't add up to." Would you agree with him if he started yelling at you that this is racist and you're discriminating him by his skin color?

"I think Rarity should be xxx" is not the same as "Why doesn't Rarity fit my specific headcanon, you're wrong for not making her xxx".

 

Also calling someone a n*gger? Not in the buddy buddy way either.

 

In that case he would be right, I am not being fair to him, especially considering that Barack Obama is half white and raised in white culture. The main issue would be his skintone, just as it would be if a dark African tried out too. Maybe if the white guy was southern European with a tan, he could nail it.

I think that's like saying Twilight should only be played by a purple person. The colours of the ponies don't have anything to do with race.

 

Suggesting that there's such a thing as a past time only for white people or that a person of a different race can't "belong" comes across as a bit offensive to be honest, but I do realise context can get lost on the internet and I might have misread your meaning. I'm not denying that there might be a bit of political correctness going on on Hasbro's part, but at the end of the day I find the racist video comments disgusting. Is anyone in those comments seriously trying to suggest that someone can't play at being Rarity because they're not white? That's both racist and ridiculous.

I was talking from their mindset. On either this video or another, someone commented that he's tired of seeing non-whites inserted into tv shows for white eyes only, when it's obvious that the unicorns are Britain, the Earth are southern America, and the Pegasi are Greece, because everybody is white in Britain, USA and Greece. He then compared it to putting a white guy as a samurai in Japan.

 

Decent analogy?

YES!

 

This is the exact reason they made the humans their counterpart pony coat colors, it's so much easier to deal with, and makes everyone happy.

 

I actually think putting actual people in the commercial could stir up the same amount of trouble, but I always trust Hasbro, they know what they're doing.

I was hoping putting girls in the commercials would be fine, since they're just playing and dressing up like the EQ girls, like I'm sure Hasbro wants its viewers to do by buying toys and making costumes to wear.

Edited May 12, 2014 by nami438

[Dattebayo 2,850]

Why is "fan" in quotation marks?

 

In my head, all the ponies in Equestria are white.

I'm Hispanic. I'm not being racist, it's just the way they sound, ESPECIALLY Rarity and Dash.

 

Other than the N word being used, none of the other comments are racist.

It's all personal preference.

[Vedana Purity 221]

Why the hell do people care about this?

 

This is just so...stupid.

[SasQ 1,376]

I have no idea if "nigga" is offensive or not, it perhaps depends on who says it, to whom, and with what intent. I saw black-skin people calling that themselves or each other, or joking about it. I also saw people being offended by it. Theoretically it shouldn't be offending, as it comes from the word "negro" which literally means "black" (the color). I, for one, I'm not offended if someone calls me "white", "pale", even "white-ass" or whatever, since this is my actual skin color and I don't see anything wrong about it. But I guess if one has some self-esteem problems, he could be easily offended by almost anything. It's perhaps as with that definition of antisemitism: "Anti-Semite is a person whom Jews don't like" :J

 

Matching an actor's skin color to the requirements of the character being played by him is not racist or discriminating, since no one is saying "You can't play because you're black, and I don't like black people", but "You can't play because you're black, and this character is supposed to be white" (or the other way around). In the same way as a woman couldn't play Conan the Barbarian, which I don't see being sexist. It would be sexist if it were some background character which can be played by any gender, and the director said to a woman "No, you cannot play this character, because who would clean the dishes?"

 

Don't get me wrong. I'm far from being racist, I have nothing against black people, yellow people, red people, green people, whatever. Their skin color is irrelevant to me, I respect all of them as long as they're nice and friendly. If they're not, their skin color wouldn't matter to me too when kicking their whatever-the-color asses

 

@@Vedana Purity, I like your avatar. Do you have a bigger version somewhere? Did you draw it yourself?

Edited May 12, 2014 by SasQ

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

This is why I'm so glad they gave the skin color the same as the fur color. It's Hasbro who's sparking all of this stuff. 

[multifacetedbrony 88]

 

I was talking from their mindset. On either this video or another, someone commented that he's tired of seeing non-whites inserted into tv shows for white eyes only, when it's obvious that the unicorns are Britain, the Earth are southern America, and the Pegasi are Greece, because everybody is white in Britain, USA and Greece. He then compared it to putting a white guy as a samurai in Japan.

 

Decent analogy?

 

 

Thank you for clarifying, I appreciate it.

 

I don't honestly think the show creators have ever given any indication that the ponies are "supposed" to be British, Greek etc. Equestria is its own world with its own rules. The only races mentioned are unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies, all of which come in a variety of colours. So to my mind that analogy is totally flawed. White is Rarity's coat colour, not her race. Also, the video in question is of a little girl role playing her favourite character, which I don't think anyone should object to her doing based on the colour of her skin.

[nami438 90]

Why is "fan" in quotation marks?

 

In my head, all the ponies in Equestria are white.

I'm Hispanic. I'm not being racist, it's just the way they sound, ESPECIALLY Rarity and Dash.

 

Other than the N word being used, none of the other comments are racist.

It's all personal preference.

By no means was I implying that people who see the ponies as xxx color are not fans. I refer to the ones who get in a tissy fit when there is any hint that some other person does not agree with their head canon, considering that the show is about accepting and befriending others, even when they are different and see things differently from you.

This is why I'm so glad they gave the skin color the same as the fur color. It's Hasbro who's sparking all of this stuff. 

Every time I see someone whine about the pastel people, I think of this. This is much better than the alternative, since there's no way they would make all of the people one race.

[Castle Bleck 19,333]

While it is in poor taste to say that non-white people can't dress up as Rarity "just because", the fact of the matter is that Ponyville basically is a White European society. How do we know this? Because the characters who are meant to be non-white, like Chief Thunderhooves and Zecora, aren't portrayed as ponies. They're, respectively, a buffalo and a zebra. Also, the architectural styles seen in Ponyville, Canterlot, etc. are basically pan-European. And it's okay that things are this way. Just pointing that out.

 

Except ponies like Sapphire Shores are also pretty ethnic.

[nami438 90]

Why the hell do people care about this?

 

This is just so...stupid.

The colors or the comments?