"Because you're a Pegasister?"
No, Pinkie, I don't call myself that, either.
"Oh."
It's because Brony is one of those words that seems to have lost it's meaning. Let's take a step back a bit. First of all, why does anyone mock people who enjoy 'a kids show'? Batman: The animated series was a kids show. I see plenty of people talking about Spongebob Squarepants and turning him into memes. Spongebob is aimed at children as well. Why is Spongebob alright to watch but not My Little Pony? I think the answer isn't so much that 'adults watch it' but that adults make a big fuss about watching it. And mostly, the type of things you see are a lot more tame. There is a lot more porn of ponies than there is of Spongebob.
That I know of. I will not be doing research on this.
So when someone draws a picture of Twilight Sparkle doing something that would never occur in the cartoon, people nod and go 'Bronies'. And yet, that's not 'Bronies'. That is one specific person that drew that. One assumes an entire fandom is based around the actions of some. The simple truth is that people are people and everyone does their own thing. It sounds basic, and yet people seem to forget it. Is there even anything wrong with drawing art like that? It's not hurting anyone, even if some people find it weird.
I was reading an article on Cracked. The article doesn't matter, merely the comments section. Of course, the comments section at Cracked is a bigger hive of scum and villainy than Mos Eisley spaceport.
There is pony art for every occasion.
So someone made a comment about the article. Without a single comment about my little pony, yet their icon was a picture of Rarity. Someone responded with 'Die brony.' Why would someone's icon create that kind of a reaction? It's due to the way information spreads. Most people are not doing research on My Little Pony. This is not a shocking thing. So all they hear is the weird stories and end up assuming that everyone is like that. I can tell you that 95% of the my little pony fans do not want to have sex with Twilight Sparkle. Fluttershy on the other hand...
Alright, so all pony fans are not perverts. Another problem with the My Little Pony fandom is how in-your-face they tend to be. You can easily get sick of seeing and hearing about the show when you don't care about it. Once again, this isn't everyone. How many shows have monthly conventions around the world? There's not even anything NEW happening, what the heck is there to have conventions ABOUT?
I think it's less about the show and more about the people. A show about friendship.. is bringing people together. People go to the conventions to meet others and spend time with friends. There isn't anything wrong with that, I think it's a nice thing. If a show about friendship is actually bringing people together, that's one of the biggest successes of a message I've ever heard.
I have not gone to any of these. I do not write fanfiction, I do not draw art, I do not live my life around the show. Does the base idea of 'I like the show' make me a Brony? It's a term that makes me uncomfortable to associate myself with, and it's not fair, because most of the fandom is doing nothing to make it an embarrassing term. The small part that is insane about in the show, in various degrees, is what everyone sees. Because quite simply, the people who are quietly enjoying the show.. are doing nothing to make themselves seen.
I have encountered people who have taken 'I am a brony' as a way of acting superior. Sort of.. 'look, I can watch a cartoon and not be embarrassed, because I am secure in myself! And when you make fun of me I love an tolerate. I am a better human being than you.' Watching a TV show does not make you a better human being. It doesn't make you a better pony, either.
"I can't believe you went there!"
But it doesn't make you a WORSE human being either. It just makes you someone who enjoys a fandom. While yes, going overboard because someone has a Rarity icon is their fault, the people who are 'tolerating' you annoyingly is their fault. Sometimes bronies bring it on themselves and sometimes they don't.
There's no easy map for this, but people simply need to behave like mature individuals. Don't make assumptions about someone merely because they like a TV show. Don't make assumptions about people because they DON'T like a TV show. No one should have to be embarrassed that they like a show that teaches proper values and friendship. I know there is a 'mods are asleep, post ponies' section who enjoy shoving them in peoples faces. This is part of the reason there is so much hate. There are MANY websites devoted to the show, like Equestria Daily. You do not need to force it on other people when you can find people of like mind.
If you think you can expand peoples minds about what they are missing, feel free to make a suggestion. But don't be pushy if they say it's not their sort of thing. As for all the pony porn. Frankly, if that's what you like, more power to you. Just post it where it belongs. If, however, something is posted to a Deviant Art account, and someone specifically goes to find it, just to hold it up and show that bronies are weird, well, you're the one browsing pony porn. If you look for it, you can find perverted art of ANYTHING. This is something else I will not be doing research on.
"Whew."
I rather doubt that my little blog that no one visits is going to make a mass change on this subject. Like most of my posts, this is something that I had on my mind. Now it is something that is out there on the web. Now then, everypony hug and get along.
I agree and I like the stance you take here. Most of what you say can apply pretty well to most fandoms, since they have many of these things in common. Most fans of something are just normal people who like it and want to celebrate their like of it with other fans. Unfortunately any fandom, being made up of actual people, is going to have a small corner of it made of up people who get weirdly extreme about it, or obnoxiously elitist, or any number of other undesirable things. That tends to be what people outside the fandom then run with for their image of what the whole group is like, sadly. It's an annoying cycle, and one you have to put up with in any fandom.
ReplyDeleteI try hard to keep sight of the friendly and reasonable majority and let them guide my enjoyment of things, be it furries or bronies or trekkies or any other group I may or may not be associated with, but making the choice to be a 'glass half full' person doesn't make the internet suddenly stop being full of stupid, alas. It can get to be a lot to wade through!