My Little Pony Friendship is Magic Thread

[Tianna]

See, that's something I don't get. If you're ashamed of yourself that you like something and there's nothing actually wrong with it (like murder/rape/incest/pedophilia are widely considered to be morally bad) and it doesn't hurt anyone, why hate yourself for it? I can get being worried about being judged, as I've been there, and I'm surely not the only one. If you hate yourself for liking something, either don't do it, or don't be so hard on yourself about it. :< Self-abuse only hurts you, and you are the only one who can stop that.

(I mean that as a general "you", for the record.)

[DarkPhazonElite]

(I mean that as a general "you", for the record.)

Aw come on Tianna, I didn't intend to make you paranoid with my other post!
Also I agree with what you said in the rest of the post that I didn't quote.

[Remnants]

See, that's something I don't get. If you're ashamed of yourself that you like something and there's nothing actually wrong with it (like murder/rape/incest/pedophilia are widely considered to be morally bad) and it doesn't hurt anyone, why hate yourself for it? I can get being worried about being judged, as I've been there, and I'm surely not the only one. If you hate yourself for liking something, either don't do it, or don't be so hard on yourself about it. :< Self-abuse only hurts you, and you are the only one who can stop that.

Funny that you brought murder up, it made me think about violence. If there's anything elementary taught me, it's that one is to defend himself with his fists rather than call an authority figure for help. That's one of the insanities of today's (patriarchal) society; that violence is something expected of men and backing out means "you have no balls". So yeah, watching shows that are about violence and murder and the more grotesque, the more you'll be respected among other guys.

A personal example would be when I was in my early-to-mid teens, I was watching an animated show and my older brother walked in. Very smugly he criticized me still watching those "kid's shows" and that when he was my age he already watched "adult" shows and movies.

[doc O. Mire]

@Remnants

Which brings up an interesting question of what is "adult". Psychologically speaking, there are two things that really separate a child from an adult: 1) Additional knowledge from longer experience and 2) the ability to understand abstract concepts (which, for the record, is learned around age 12).

So technically, something including copious amounts of blood, gore, sex, etc, etc... isn't "adult" because those are all concrete ideas that children usually find out about by the time they're age 10. Still, having those things doesn't remove the capability for something to be adult either. The Witcher games have all of that, and they are still very much adult because they force you to make difficult moral decisions based off of your values and how you would apply them to a certain, theoretical scenario. And one of my favorite films, The Dark Knight, poses interesting questions about the concepts of good and evil while still having plenty of good fist-fights and car-chases every few scenes. So I'd say what makes "adult" is having the kind of abstract depth that only an adult would be able to understand were they to search for it, as opposed to say, Mario or a Dr. Seuss book which have little depth to them.

And to tie this back to the topic, because of my definition, I would see FiM as being at least somewhat adult as it uses knowledge only one with quite a few years on them would likely possess, and it pulls up several abstract issues, heck, the main characters are even labeled by them: Benevolence, Truth, Loyalty, Generosity, and Mirth. And each of those concepts can be looked at, and has been, by the adult fanbase of the show. For example: the fan-fic, CRISIS: Equestria, which does an excellent job of raising the question of what each concept represents, what weaknesses it gives each character, and how being confronted with the anti-thesis of each trait would effect each character.

So basically, long rant short, society seems to have mislabeled "adult" and "childish" and by my definition, FiM can easily be argued to exist firmly in the former category.

[Naner]

Great points, doc. Despite clearly being targeted at young audiences, the show features some references that are obviously there for the other watchers. Or do you think girls aged 6-12 know about The Big Lebowski or Escape From LA? Heck, I barely knew about them before watching the show.

And, like I quoted on the previous page...

Critics who treat 'adult' as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development. When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.

So what if you like something originally targeted at kids?

[Tianna]

Doc O. Mire and Naner once again said things better than I could.

And once again, Naner, you rock.

A truly mature person would respect another person regardless if they agree with the likes or dislikes of that other person. And there is nothing wrong with a person likes something that is a little outside of the social norm. Except, like I said before, if it is illegal or widely considered inappropriate/morally wrong. An adult male watching My Little Pony that is simply enjoying it for what it is (as opposed to having a fetish for children, per example) and is well adjusted and comfortable with who he is as a person is a lot more mature and adult than a 16 year old male who involves himself in sex and violence and makes fun of others for not being like him.

So, Remnants, if your older brother had come in (were I a male in your position), and said that to me, I would have told him to fuck off and go back to watching my cartoons. Or else, "don't knock it until you try it". My girlfriend's boyfriend, Shane (who is well into his thirties and does metal work for a living and is comfortable with his straight sexuality) loves FIM. His roommate, about the same age and does the same sort of work, also enjoys it. "It's really well written and very good and enjoyable even if it's wrapped up with colorful ponies." Kelly, my housemate, again about the same age, male, etc. will watch it, but he just doesn't enjoy it. That's okay, too. He also doesn't judge anyone who likes it, regardless of what gender, age, sexual orientation, or whatever.

I find the social expectations of boys and girls to be hilariously hypocritical. If a girl is tough, likes video games, or other things that are generally regarded as masculine, she is more widely accepted socially than a boy who likes things generally regarded as feminine, even if it isn't to as strong of a degree. A woman can wear pants and nobody blinks, but if a guy wears a skirt, he gets laughed at. That is, unless you're dealing with someone who is very misogynistic.

[Infinity's End]

Not a MLP fan, and definitely don't watch the show. (I already feel icky just posting here)
I just saw this in my inbox today and thought I'd share, as I'm sure some will appreciate it.

http://transfuse.deviantart.com/art/My- ... -305384738

[Naner]

Thanks for that, man. As a Shinesparker Metroidian Brony, I love it.

EDIT: If you use Facebook, click this. Just do it.

[DarkPhazonElite]

Yup, I'm an official undercover brony! My husband is a brony too and I always have fun quoting it with him.

[doc O. Mire]

The only thing I can to describe how great this video is is this.

[Naner]

And how about this?

[doc O. Mire]

Touché....

[DJ Trancetronica]

This is so hilarious! All the clips came from the episode, Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000.
Man, those cider does look like beer.

[doc O. Mire]

Season three teaser:

[Tianna]

Lol, Spike. He's such a goofball.