So, Apparently I'm A Brony Now...huh. Well Ok Then.

[Justin_Case001]

Brace yourself for an impenetrable wall of text. I realize that in terms of flammability, this post is probably a pile of dead pine needles soaked in gasoline. Oh well. Fingers crossed. Here we go.

 

 

So, I hadn’t really heard about this brony thing up until, um, about six months ago, I think. There’s several military bases in my city, and there was an article in the newspaper about local military officers who are openly bronies. I forget if it was written by one of the military guys, or just about them. Not important. It was a fascinating article. It was the first I’d heard of this phenomenon. I was pleased to see people who are unafraid to like what they want to like, stand up and say it with pride.

 

I am a very open-minded, tolerant person. I typically like anything that challenges gender roles. I hate racism and sexism. I hate prejudice and stereotypes. I hate unfair double standards. That said, I think I’m a pretty regular, 28 year old guy. I do have pretty varied interests, and I’ve never been afraid to like things that are sometimes deemed effeminate or just for kids. For example, I’m a figure skater, and I still enjoy classic Disney movies as an adult. But I also love stuff like God of War or GTA. If I were to pick a couple movies for a double feature night, I might go with The Little Mermaid and The Boondock Saints. Like I said, varied tastes. I will say that I have never had any interest in the stereotypical “guy” stuff such as cars, tools, or ball sports.

 

Anyway, after reading that article, I started noticing pictures and clips here and there of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, and I would find myself thinking, “Who wouldn’t like this? It’s beautiful, adorable, and endearing.” It looked appealing, but I still wasn’t particularly interested in watching the show. I didn’t think much of it. Then, a few days ago, I was watching an episode of Good Mythical Morning, in which the topic of discussion was bronies, and what’s your opinion. It was fascinating, and it made me search out a few more youtube vids about the subject. I started wondering why I had never seen the show. I mean, I watch a lot of TV, and I’ll typically watch at least a few minutes of any show that looks like it might have appeal for me. I’ve always loved cartoons. Hell, I even liked the Power Puff Girls, which I understand was made by the same people as MLP. So if I ever saw MLP on whilst channel surfing (or rather, guide surfing), chances are I would click it just out of curiosity. Turns out that it’s only on in the mornings here, and I only watch TV late at night. They’re not gonna air that show at ungodly hours. So that explains why I had never really looked into it. But after that Good Mythical Morning episode, I started thinking, why not give this a whirl? I might actually like it, but if nothing else, it would be a fresh and fun little piece of rebellion. So I pulled up some episodes on demand and watched a few. It’s really not bad. I like it. Unfortunately, the stories seem like they might often be a little simplistic for my taste, which is to be expected, and I could do without some of the more unnecessary, forced musical numbers, as well as the way they baby-talk the word “pony” in the opening theme song and make it all cutsie. (Come on, really? Why do they gotta do that?) (Having watched more since I wrote this, I have changed my mind about that part.  I love the stories, the songs are great quality, and the way they say "pony" in the main theme has even grown on me.)  But hey, what the hell? I love the show. I love the endearing messages of the magic of friendship, and, simplistic or not, it’s addictively adorable, but in a way that can have appeal for all ages. Wait...according to the dictionary, “addictively” is not a word? What do you do when you need the adverb form of the word? I swear, our language is missing some necessary word forms. Whatever. Moving on.

 

The question is, would I bother watching it, would I be interested at all if there were no such thing as the brony community? Well, probably not. I probably wouldn’t have noticed it, wouldn’t have had a reason to notice it. Part of the appeal of it is simply that there actually are a lot of adult males that like this. I love progressive stuff that challenges gender roles and redefines masculinity and femininity. I love anything that challenges unfair double standards. There is a certain appeal to just being able to say I’m a part of that community.

 

But why the controversy? What makes it so strange for adult male to like MLP? Let’s look at a specific case; the stark opposite. Let’s suppose a 7 year old girl loves to watch football. Nobody is going to care. Or at least, they won’t have a problem with it. People will probably think it’s neat and interesting. Maybe even cute. Certainly nobody will say she’s a freak or has problems or is doing something bizarre and socially unacceptable. It’s kind of unusual, sure, but still acceptable. But the opposite case, the 28 year old guy watching MLP has a completely different reaction. Why? There are two reasons I can think of. The first is sexuality. The 7 year old girl watching football is not going to be accused of liking it for sex appeal. She’s just likes the game. She’s not going to be accused of being a socially unacceptable sexual deviant. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the 28 year old guy. The implications of sexuality are often going to pop into people’s minds. It’s unavoidable. It’s also unfair. Sure, there can be a certain sex appeal to the show from an adult perspective. I admit it. But that doesn’t mean that that’s the only, or primary, reason to like it. They're just harmless, passing thoughts. It doesn’t mean that a guy who likes the show is a creepy weirdo, a pervert. Anyone should be able to like and appreciate something cute and innocent, regardless of their age or sex. And just because some thoughts of sex appeal may be present doesn’t mean that a person is terrible, creepy, or downright dangerous. It doesn't mean that they are sexualizing the show. The appreciation of innocent beauty can still exist. I love the show because of the indescribably beautiful messages of friendship and inspiring morals that can still be useful, even in our adult lives.

 

The second reason is the fact that a child being interested in something more mature is, I believe, more socially acceptable than an adult being interested in something marketed for kids. If a child wants to watch a more mature TV show, it may be perceived that he or she is very mature for their age, wise beyond their years, if you will. These are desirable traits. We're all suppose to grow up, mature, and put away childish things. So when an adult wants to watch a children's cartoon, it's perceived that he is immature and childish—a manchild than doesn't want to grow up. This double standard is untrue and unfair. Liking MLP has nothing to do with, nor does it affect, one's maturity. In fact, I think an opposite argument can be made. I say that it takes a great deal of maturity to be comfortable liking the show as an adult.

 

This is all related to unfair male/female double standards in general. Throughout history, it seems that it’s much more socially acceptable for women to do masculine things than vice versa. Think about it. It’s much more socially acceptable for a grown woman to love football than for a grown man to love ballet. Women care wear anything. They can dress in men’s clothing and nobody cares. A man can’t do the opposite and expect it to be socially acceptable. But why? I think the answer lies in the dominance of males throughout history. Typically, women were the ones denied rights. Women had to fight for the right to vote, to work. There was no men’s suffrage, no fight for male equality. Furthermore, it's almost always the females who are the victims of abuse. Therefore, I think that when a woman likes, wears, or does something that is typically thought of as masculine, it is subconsciously perceived that she is bettering herself, fighting the power, becoming more like the dominant sex, and therefore stronger. Conversely, when a man tends towards the effeminate, it may be subconsciously perceived that he is becoming weaker, moving down towards the meeker sex. This is just my theory as to why these unfair double standards exist. Obviously, this thought process is completely wrong and unfair. There is no dominant sex. There is no weaker sex. Women and men alike should be able to like, wear, and do what they want without ridiculous prejudices and silly gender roles.

 

Circling back to the example of the 28 year old guy watching MLP versus the 7 year old girl watching football; both cases challenge maturity, and masculinity/femininity. Unfairly, it always seems to be more socially unacceptable, more taboo, for a male to challenge masculinity than for a female to challenge femininity. In this example, the child seems to be more masculine and more mature at the same time, so it is, perhaps subconsciously, thought to be positive. The adult male appears to be more feminine and more childish—two traits perceived as negative for an adult male. It's challenging two social norms at the same time. Going one direction is always less acceptable than the other direction. It's like the child is going up and stronger, and the adult is going down and weaker. Obviously, this way of thinking is flawed. As I said, there is no weaker sex. Moreover, liking or not liking a show has no affect on maturity or femininity/masculinity.

 

But the fact remains, a grown man watching MLP by himself still raises controversy, and seems to be a little bit of a taboo. And maybe that’s part of the appeal of it. Rebellion can be very appealing and exciting.

 

I’m here to help tear down the double standard. I believe it was Gandhi that said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” I love that quote. There are a lot of changes I want to see in the world, but unfortunately I’m too afraid to be most of them. I typically want to be as inconspicuous as possible. I don’t want to invite criticism, intolerance, or hate. I’m not strong enough. But I’ve always wanted to do something, just one little thing to help make this world into the world I dream of. So here I am, giving a shout out to all of the other bronies and saying it’s ok to like it. F*ck gender roles. F*ck unfair double standards. If you wanna like it, then like it. Don’t be afraid to like what you want to like, do what you want to do, and be who you are.

 

DE, I throw myself at your mercy. I expect this topic to be locked, if not deleted, and I expect warning points. Please be kind.

 

 

TL;DR: I like clem, but what sort of clem?

Edited April 12, 2014 by Justin_Case001

[Boatsniper]

You're allowed to like MLP; just don't shove it in my face.

[Arceus255]

You're allowed to like MLP; just don't shove it in my face.

And I, as an MLP fan, would like to apologize for the pony version of the Jehovah's witness.

 

"Hello, do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior, MLP?"

[LoopStricken]

Umm... well done, OP?

[LukeAura]

I feel the Brony tagline has been blackened by a few bad and notorious individuals within said community.
Cause a couple Bronies out there have done some real. real. disturbing things. 
It's like saying you're jewish and someone accusing you of being a member of the Lev Tahor cult, that is kind of loosely based off judaism, but is most certainly not and isn't even recognized as one. 
I'd still suggest not calling yourself a Brony though.
Being a man who enjoys MLP, is probably a safer description.

 

[RyojinOrion]

You're allowed to like MLP; just don't shove it in my face.

 

This, so very much this.

 

I have no problem with MLP, or with anyone at all liking it. I just hate having it shoved in my face all the damn time.

[Hawk_of_the_Reborn]

You're allowed to like MLP; just don't shove it in my face.

This, so very much this.

 

I have no problem with MLP, or with anyone at all liking it. I just hate having it shoved in my face all the damn time.

I doubt the mature ones of us don't do that to intentionally antagonize those of you who don't really care too much about it, but I've seen responses like yours end up as the cause of said face-shoving pony stuff. Just as you don't want US to go around flaunting that we like a cartoon, that's admittedly, for young girls, I'm sure there's some of us that find it a bit grating to see people telling us what to do or not to do about our particular hobbies.

Also, here's for the OP:

#Vauban4President2014

Edited March 28, 2014 by HawktheHeavy

[Papa_Nuk_Nuk]

Well now, I'm glad you feel that way, OP.  I myself am a fan of the show.  I'm not nearly a "brony", as my connections with the fanbase are near nil, but I do enjoy the simplicity, escapism, and values expressed in the show.  Also, the animation is spectacular.

[Hawk_of_the_Reborn]

Well now, I'm glad you feel that way, OP.  I myself am a fan of the show.  I'm not nearly a "brony", as my connections with the fanbase are near nil, but I do enjoy the simplicity, escapism, and values expressed in the show.  Also, the animation is spectacular.

What dictates one as a brony? 

By how much merch of it they have?

by how obsessed they are with it like nerds over a D&D session?

WHY DO SO MANY PEOPLE NOT CALL THEMSELVES AS SUCH WHEN THEY CLEARLY AND OPENLY ADMITTED THAT THEY LIKE SAID SHOW AND THEY WATCH IT?

 

/headscratching

[Krjal]

While I have no interest in MLP, I admire your open-mindedness and sense of equality and social justice.

[Papa_Nuk_Nuk]

What dictates one as a brony? 

By how much merch of it they have?

by how obsessed they are with it like nerds over a D&D session?

WHY DO SO MANY PEOPLE NOT CALL THEMSELVES AS SUCH WHEN THEY CLEARLY AND OPENLY ADMITTED THAT THEY LIKE SAID SHOW AND THEY WATCH IT?

 

/headscratching

Is based on our definition and connotations associated with "brony"

[billthebetta]

Off-Topic post.

The Powerpuff Girls.

Holy hell. That show.

Kicked total &#!.

Guy or girl, who didn't like that?

[Yazyflame]

What dictates one as a brony? 

By how much merch of it they have?

by how obsessed they are with it like nerds over a D&D session?

WHY DO SO MANY PEOPLE NOT CALL THEMSELVES AS SUCH WHEN THEY CLEARLY AND OPENLY ADMITTED THAT THEY LIKE SAID SHOW AND THEY WATCH IT?

 

/headscratching

 

1. Nothing?

2. From none to A LOT.

3. Most of "nerds" don't like "D&D sessions", that's a stereotype. And you don't need to be obsessed with MLP to be a "brony"?

4. Let me put myself as an example: I'm a lesbian, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to walk down the street screaming "I'm a lesbian! watch out girls, I might hook up with you!". You can do it if you want to, but noone can tell you to do so because is NOT an obligation.

 

And yes, I like MLP too. *shrugs*

 

P.S: *thumbs up OP*

[Hawk_of_the_Reborn]

3. Most of "nerds" don't like "D&D sessions", that's a stereotype. And you don't need to be obsessed with MLP to be a "brony"?

 

That proves my whole point on which I was trying to make. Just because one is a brony doesn't mean that they're one of those bad-eggs that everyone likes to associate MLP and bronies with, know what I mean?

Also your lesbian comment is slightly irrelevant to my topic. I was responding to a quote that I had made from the person on whom I was asking about who said he isn't a 'brony' yet he obviously and openly admitted he does watch it and likes it enough to watch it. 

It's like saying that you like women but saying you aren't a lesbian, it just doesn't make too much sense.

[djentlemenBehold]

I am a very open-minded, tolerant person. I typically like anything that challenges gender roles. I hate racism and sexism. I hate prejudice and stereotypes. I hate unfair double standards. 

 

Congratulations, you've met the base standards of being a decent human being. Here's your gold star and cookie.

 

I'm going to quote someone as to why bronies are an insufferable plague of knuckle-dragging, possibly fedora-wearing neckbeards that needs to be eradicated. Mind you, I like to draw a distinction between an MLP fan and a brony. I'd like to think it's perfectly fine to be an MLP fan, but it's not okay to be a brony.

 

 

 

I hate bronies because they took a show for little girls, a show that embraces and celebrates femininity, and twisted it into a cesspool of misogyny and discrimination.

 

I hate bronies because I can’t look up something MLP-related without finding @(*()$ porn. I hate bronies because i know that if I can’t search for anything without finding porn, then neither can the little girls who are looking stuff up about MLP. 

 

I hate bronies because Princess Molestia exists. (NSFW, cw for #sexual assault and #rape)

 

I hate bronies because they have forced themselves into the fandom so much that a recent epsiode had a @(*()$ Brony-inspired character in it.

 

I hate bronies because it means that when I cosplay MLP, as a woman I do not feel safe being alone because I know there are a disturbing number of disgusting men at cons who would attempt to force themselves on me in some way without a second thought. I hate bronies because it means that when I cosplay MLP, I have more disgusting dudes ogling over me than little kids who are excited to see one of their favourite characters.

 

I hate bronies because they have essentially destroyed a safe space for girls - LITTLE @(*()$ GIRLS - because they decided that a @(*()$ show about @(*()$ cartoon ponies needed to be catering to men instead of little girls.

 

Would you like me to go on?

Edited March 28, 2014 by djentlemenBehold

[DoctorEris]

Well is clear that everybody here has seen the show soo...Whos your favorite pony? mines is Vinyl Scratch

[Papa_Nuk_Nuk]

Congratulations, you've met the base standards of being a decent human being. Here's your gold star and cookie.

 

I'm going to quote someone as to why bronies are an insufferable plague of knuckle-dragging, possibly fedora-wearing neckbeards that needs to be eradicated. Mind you, I like to draw a distinction between an MLP fan and a brony. I'd like to think it's perfectly fine to be an MLP fan, but it's not okay to be a brony.

As a fan of the show, I completely agree with this and think that this is the most eloquent way to explain why I'm no brony.

[Livid_Jack]

I'm never been a MLP fan, and lets just say i kinda regret making this my IGN across all games I play XD

[nobucketrequired]

I have no problem with fans of the show since they dont go from door to door handing out books telling you you'll burn forever unless you watch the same show as them.

[Justin_Case001]

I'm going to quote someone as to why bronies are an insufferable plague of knuckle-dragging, possibly fedora-wearing neckbeards that needs to be eradicated. Mind you, I like to draw a distinction between an MLP fan and a brony. I'd like to think it's perfectly fine to be an MLP fan, but it's not okay to be a brony.

I'm very sorry if I offended anyone by saying that I'm a "brony."  From the research I did prior to my post, I was given to understand that the brony community is largely people who genuinely enjoy the innocence of the show, and do not wish to turn it into something sexual or create media that would be harmful if found by children.  If this is not the case, then I will make the distiction of saying that I am an MLP fan, but not a brony.

 

Your quote from the woman who hates bronies saddens me greatly.  It's a shame that there are so many people who ruin something genuinely wonderful.  Ironically, it's people like the distasteful bronies she describes that make me love the show all the more.  In a world full of terrible people, it's nice to enjoy something innocent.  I'm truly sorry that there are bronies like that, bronies that make the show into something harmful and make women who cosplay MLP uncomfortable.  I cannot control what anyone else does.  I can only control what I do, and I can assure everyone that I'm not like the bronies this woman describes.

 

I would also like to thank everyone for the positive comments.

 

 

Well is clear that everybody here has seen the show soo...Whos your favorite pony? mines is Vinyl Scratch

Well, I haven't seen too many episodes yet, so I'm not familiar with anyone except the mane six.  Of them, my favorite is Fluttershy.  Definitely Fluttershy.  I identify pretty strongly with her.  In fact, her speech at the end of "Filli Vanilli" is partly what convinced me to make this post.

[Somedude1000]

tl;dr but....

 

 

You should be comfortable being whomever you want cos anyone who doesn't really don't know who THEY are, will decide to insult you. We all have a unique side, if yours is being a brony, so be it :D

 

Godspeed :D

Edited March 30, 2014 by Somedude1000

[MegaSnail]

Rule number 43 of the internet:

The more beautiful and innocent something is, the more satisfying it is to corrupt it.

There are people out there that just DON'T GIVE A DAMN about other people. They want to see them suffer and they want to see them struggle to get what they want, but they just don't care ABOUT THEM. 

MLP is a fine show, too simplistic for my taste, but I don't watch it. Why? Because I'm into #*($%%@ up S#&$ that makes you detest human beings to the core. I've seen many (not all) perspectives of the world, from the good and from the bad, and over all I just learned to just watch and see what happens. I may step in if I feel the need to, I may not. I do not like to force my ideals onto others unless they ask of me, and I expect for someone else to do the same. I just don't care if you like wrestling, MLP, 4chan, Warframe, or anything ELSE. Just do what ever you want and that's it. If someone insults you, you have the right to talk back. If someone compliments you, you have the right to say thank you. If someone does not agree with you, they do NOT have the right to argue with you UNLESS you ask of it. Simple. 

If you enjoy making people suffer you can do it. If you enjoy making people happy you can do the same. 

BUT IF YOU ENJOY BEING A JUDGMENTAL ASSWIPE YOU CAN NOT DO IT.

(this is one of the few times I feel the need to jump in)

Edited March 30, 2014 by MegaSnail

[ChileanWarpig]

it is quite pleasant yet disturbing  that even tough this thread is about something so freakin flammable like watchin ponies, there is no flame war or senseless hate towards bronies

actually, i think the b*tch*s that QQ about RNG and any small aspect of the game that got "ruined" get WAY more hate than bronieughiforgothowtotypethisthing

now i will back away and hope your pony-related content stays were they belong

pony-related threads

[djentlemenBehold]

Feminine things are generally considered lesser. It's also considered bad for women to engage in a lot of feminine things, but then a lot of us are insulted for not engaging in feminine things. There's also the fact that girls are relatively alienated in communities centering around nerd culture(which is traditionally considered masculine), bringing up the term "fake geek girl" even though the first computer programmer was a woman, the first sci-fi writer was a woman, 48% of the gaming community is female, and a woman created superheroes. Honestly I think it's easier for guys to like what they want to like because they aren't getting weird mixed messages or going to be alienated and insulted in their own communities just for their gender.

The reason bronies are accused of sexualization is the massive amounts of porn cropping up around the series, and the fact that there was a blog centering around rape jokes that got so big Hasbro had to intervene. There's also the fact that a large portion of the brony fandom threatened a girl with rape, sent letters to her parents, posted her address, and other things as a result of her trying to get that blog taken down because she wanted the fandom to feel like a safer place for the target audience. There's also all the grimdark gore-porn, etc. It's very difficult to search for things relating to the series without finding very disgusting things not even remotely fit for a child, and a lot of these pop up even with filtering. There's also a pretty large amount of racism in the community as far as I can tell.

Little girls don't get many things that they're the target audience for, let alone things that have a diverse cast of female characters, show many different ways to be a girl, have positive messages about friendship between girls, and show women being leaders. The show is really great and endearing, and there aren't very many kids' shows like it around. I think it's perfectly fine for people to like it, and other cartoons too, but it's important to remember that this is a show targeted towards young girls. A lot of bronies seem to not recognize that this is something meant for little girls, and make convention spaces and websites centered around the show continually unsafe for the target audience. They're sexist while watching a show meant to be feminist for little girls, and undermine all the messages put forth by the show. They also make it feel unsafe for girls who grew up with the older MLP series. It's scary and makes trying to enjoy a show I watched as a child difficult, and it makes me wary to introduce it to my younger cousin, because if I do there's a decent chance of her being exposed to something she shouldn't.

That being said, I think there's a pretty big difference between being a brony and just liking the show. Also I'd like to recommend you watch Steven Universe because I think it's a really great, endearing cartoon.

Tl;dr bronies have made trying to find and engage in things relating to MLP unsafe for children and women, watch Steven Universe.

Pretty much this.

 

A bunch of sad, purposeless neckbeards basically invaded a franchise meant for little girls and camped in it long enough to the point where they started believing it's supposed to be for them and then started demanding that the show cater to them instead of who it's originally for while perverting and corrupting it.

 

The sad part is, it's starting to work. This whole "coming out of the stable" crap that they do is undermining the efforts of the LGBTQA community to gain basic human rights that have been taken from them. They take something as serious as that and turn it into a joke. There's even an awful documentary about bronies out there. 

 

I have zero tolerance and no respect for bronies and people who call themselves such, and I will not give someone the benefit of the doubt for claiming to "not be like the other bronies," because that's not even addressing the actual issue. That's just grasping at straws and trying to distance yourself from the problem. And the attitudes I see from people who say that still fall in line with the mainstream bronies, to a lesser degree. They're basically "brony lite," if such a thing exists. It's one thing to like MLP, and it's another to be a brony.

Edited March 31, 2014 by djentlemenBehold

[Rainei00]

Eh, good for you!  As long as you don't

 

shove it in my face.

then I'm fine with you liking MLP.