matt0044

I'm just saying that girls have it worse than guys and their problems in society aren't very comparable to something like how My Little Pony portrays guys. This whole thing is like a blip in the system, a drop in the bucket. I'm just not comfortable with this when it feels like a bunch of Men's Rights Activist claiming "MEN R OPPRESSED TOO" when responding to issues on sexism brought up by feminists. With Anita, well, when she gets it right, she gets it right. Otherwise she's wrong like with Twilight becoming a princess.

Again, how is My Little Pony somehow "anti-male" or an advocate for misandry? Especially when the staff is comprised of both male and female writers and directors. The way male characters can be shown as "less than ideal" is hardly an issue and it's hardly like "hahaha, men are all stupid." I'm only saying that we need to realize that the portrayal of male characters in My Little Pony isn't some form of "reverse sexism." We guys have it great when it comes to media representation and cases where male characters aren't ideally portrayed are very disproportionally small compared to the many case with female characters. Even seen Supernatural where every female character and their mother gets offed? Ever seen Shonen Manga where female characters are regularly sidelined or overpowered for the sake of a male character? How about a superhero movie like Daredevil or Spiderman where the girlfriend dies? Ever seen Digimon Frontier where the only female Digidestined spirit evolves into a lingerie wearing fairy? If you really were a "feminist," you'd be glad more how the show advocates girls of different shades and bucks the trends of how female characters are lazily written (Digibro explains it in the video I posted). Sure there are male background characters who are often the butt of a joke but it's hardly sending a message that "men are all dumb compared to girls." Especially when the rest of the media at large says otherwise, drowning that message out. This whole thing reminds me of how Fox complained about Frozen "not having positively portrayed male characters:" http://leftaf.tumblr.com/post/110223981023/theavc-frozen-is-hurting-boysself-esteem-fox We don't get ourselves represented well enough in one piece of media and suddenly society is sexist against men now. I don't want to imply that somehow male characters on the show wouldn't be welcome for me. They would. But some guys need to stop acting like they suddenly know about sexism when their own gender isn't represented well in a certain piece of media. Women have it harder than we'd even like to imagine.

I never said that because it was a kids show, it meant that it was free of criticism. At least, that's not what I intended to imply. And I'm sorry to say but… it wouldn't really be just as bad reversed. With girls, society is often at odds with them with many pressures and expectations being carried over from way back when. General media portrays often portrays female characters as less important than their male counterparts and often have them degraded for the sake of male characters: Heck, even heard of the Smurfette Principle: I'd go into detail here but I think my first post on this thread already did. Please read it if you haven't. Thank you. Also that whole color palette thing and Asian appeal? Really? :/

It just bugs me how guys, obviously not the primary target demographic, complain about male characters being shown in a less that very positive light. What do you think girls have to struggle with when it comes to many other shows?

Okay. I'll admit that Flash Sentry wasn't handled as well as he could and should've been integrated into the film more seamlessly if he had to be there. He also could've been more memorable of a character even if he was a side character there and could've been an honorary member of the HuMane Six too. But I'm sorry to say that you REALLY go overboard with this. First. In regards to Twilight having a crush on him… so what? While I personally would've left them as just friends to quell shippers, crushing on a cute boy is hardly something Twilight is incapable of. I'm sure many have had those sorts of moments in real life (not referring to anyone specific). Now for your claims about sexism. *sighes* Look, when it comes to the media at large, there’s a large representation of males in fictional characters (of the straight and white variety). Almost every show out there is aimed at male audiences by default. By no means does this one show somehow "oppress" guys. Oh, don’t get me wrong. We have a good number of well-done female characters. I love The Legend of Korra for this and I'll defend it until my last breath. Yet even those characters and their shows are often overlooked for the guys. Hell, the show wasn’t green lit until Nick was sure a female protagonist could work for male audiences. In addition, many female characters in the general media are degraded for the sake of a male character far too much. Supernatural, superhero movies and comics, Shonen Anime, the list goes on. Compared to My Little Pony and its "misandry," that's a drop in the bucket. Honestly, girls are lucky to have something like Friendship is Magic to show a variety of female characters. Digibro goes into detail about this: I guess what I have to say is that in terms of how male characters in My Little Pony are portrayed, it’s hard to call it “problematic” when many female characters in the media aren’t treated as well as they deserve to be. From having their agency removed for the sake of a male character’s narrative to killed off in a very cheap way (Women in Fridges, anyone?), we dudes have it good when it comes to being represented in the media. MLP:FiM reverses that and suddenly male fans aren’t pleased with how their gender is portrayed. Also doesn't FiM have plenty of male writers and directors on staff? Lastly, I don't think Flash needed to be anything more than a secondary character. My issue was that he wasn't memorable enough and didn't have much impact as a character overall. That's about it.

So apparently, somebody mentioned me here because I have an opinion that opposes you guys. Well now, how about you say it to me directly (assuming you have deviantart accounts)? Part 1: http://matt0044.deviantart.com/journal/In-Defense-of-A-Canterlot-Wedding-Part-1-349179048 Part 2: http://matt0044.deviantart.com/journal/In-Defense-of-A-Canterlot-Wedding-Part-2-360382581 Part 3: http://matt0044.deviantart.com/journal/In-Defense-of-A-Canterlot-Wedding-Part-3-362084371 Part 4: http://matt0044.deviantart.com/journal/In-Defense-of-A-Canterlot-Wedding-Part-4-update-363859840 I recommend looking at the comments below such as this and this. And don't gloss over them, actually read them, think about what they have to say and then respond. Thank you, Matt