RE: Terrifying new trend: Grown men who dig 'My Little Pony'

Ladies and Gentlemen, before I begin this reply, I figure you should all take a look at This Link before I go any further.

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My name is Darren. And I am your typical 19 year old male. I work, I like to hang out with friends, I play video games. Sound familiar right? Of course it does.

But then, not all 19 year old males like My Little Pony. Or to be more precise, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. And I will agree. I'm not the everyday run of the mill male that goes off wishing he could join the army and fight off terrorists. But I will support them, because they're supporting us, and supporting us all equally, as equal beings.

When I saw this article "Terrifying new trend: Grown men who dig 'My Little Pony'" Written by a man called Kurt Schlichter, I thought of it as yet another person who hadn't really gotten to know anything about the show or the fans, and as I read it, it became clear as day, that this man had no idea what a "Brony" was, or even what show he was even talking about. So, I think I'll fill in the missing gaps, that this man has either ignored or failed to mention.

The first thing I notice from the article Schlichter has written, is the picture, shown above. Would you believe me, if I said that this wasn't the My Little Pony that Bronies are interested in? Because this is the truth. We're not interested in that. I don't even know what the hell those ponies are, but I can tell you that they're not "our" ponies. Our ponies are very different. To name the most commonly known ponies, we have Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. There are notable differences between the Generation 4 series (Friendship is Magic) and the previous generations of My Little Pony. If it isn't already blaringly obvious, the drawing styles are as different as they possibly can be. In fact, I'd go so far as to call them entirely different shows, based on the drawing styles alone. In fact, lets emphasise this. I couldn't find the original opening for Generation Three, but lets take a quick look at this rather amusing video, showing the clear difference between Generation Three "Rainbow Dash" and Generation Four Rainbow Dash - VIDEO

Not convinced? Maybe Rainbow Dash DOES "Dress in style" in Friendship is Magic? Well, let me squash that. Lauren Faust (The original developer of Friendship is Magic) Had originally planned for her favorite pony, Fyre Flye (Wild Guess as to how I figured that out) was meant to be in the Friendship is Magic version of the show. However, due to copyright concerns, Fyre Flye was unable to be put in. So Faust took Rainbow Dash, an Earth pony, and gave her Fyre Flyes wings, and personality. Now, I'm sure that if Schlichter has indeed done his research, he will have done it on the wrong generation of the the pony TV show, and watched Generation Three, with this Pink coloured pony, Fyre Flye. Let it be known, that I am yet to come across a brony, who likes that generation of My Little Pony TV show and toys. I'm being serious. I call myself a brony myself, but I honestly do not like the previous generations. For lack of a better way to describe them. they're just way too girly.

Does it sound hypocritical? From first glance, yes. Yes, you could say it looks very hypocritical.

Or is it? VIDEO

Did you guys know, that that particular episode, was in Season One, Episode Two. What do we see? Rarity, who in the show is the glamour queen and makes tons of dresses, kicking a GIANT MONSTER IN THE FACE and saying "Take That, You Ruffian!" Yes. This was aimed at young girls. Does anyone see why that 3 second clip could even remotely pique a males interest? Its not guns and death, but it is violence nonetheless.

But thats just one small clip. Surely that can't be it. VIDEO

Again, you're right. It is one small clip. But thats not all there is. This clip was from Season Two, Episode One. And its simple what this one is. Its a character in a cracking statue, laughing evilly. Evil Laughter. For a show targeted at little girls!

Alright, but he got beaten, and nothing truly bad happened. Discord just liked to cause chaos, not harm anyone. LONG VIDEO

Again, You're right. But if you take a look at that episode, The "Mane 6" (That is to say, Twilight, Rainbow, Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack and Fluttershy) are fighting against a massive group of "Changelings" in the finale of Season two. Here, we see a two minute long fight sequence. 6 on seemingly an infinite amount of monsters, that have taken over the appearances of the Mane 6. All out brawls are meant for Eight year old girls? I'm sorry, I don't see how that is possible. Prior to this fighting scene, we had Queen Chrysalis overpower the ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia. Before that, we had three ponies that were being mind controlled by Chrysalis. Wouldn't you say that would scare most girls? I would say so. Using the argument of "My Little Pony is only for little girls" is null and void, when you are talking about Friendship is Magic.

Allow me to quote Schlichters own article

"Yeah, some will say it’s unfair to compare a bunch of harmless fem-boys who stopped maturing at age seven with the heroic men and women facing death or dismemberment on all our behalves every day.  People who say that are wrong. These perma-virgins ought to be ashamed of themselves, but if they had the capacity for shame, this disgusting obsession would be a secret they guard almost as closely as a Harvard faculty member might guard the fact that he’s a registered Republican."

I have another VIDEO to counter this, as well as my own rebuttal. Because I feel it deserves it. Lets compare bronyism, to being a homosexual. I can't help but think that this person has only had a first impression. So, lets pretend for a moment, that the quote above, is targeted at not the brony community, but the gay community. Still think this guy is pretty right? I don't think so. We ought to be ashamed of ourselves because of who we are, and what we like. I could go so far as to say that this very mentality was used by Hitler, thinking that Jews shouldn't exist, and be secretive, and where did he end up? What right did Hitler have, forcing his opinions on others? What right did Hitler have, to say "You shouldn't be like this."

The answer is simple: He didn't. Hitler thought Jews were shameful. Clearly, so does Schlichter. And frankly, ideals like those are simply not respected in the 21st century anymore. Wake up. Women are equals now. You can make your own sandwiches.

But lets go out for a moment. Lets say, for just a moment, Schlichter is right. That he has every right to force his ideals onto everyone, and we should all listen to him and agree.

Perhaps now it’s time for Hollywood to get a bit more judgmental. Perhaps it’s time to say, “Hey, glad you like the show, but it’s for little girls and maybe you man-children ought to find something better to do with your lives. Which would be anything.”

Let me go fetch my bong and start sniffing cocaine. Because everyone has to be the same, right? Because being a brony is so sickeningly wrong, that it is worse that smoking pot, or going out to a bar just to get into a punch on? Taking drugs like heroin is perfectly fine in his book. 

Mister Schlichter? You're an idiot. Let me ask you, what is wrong with being a brony? What is wrong with a group of people, liking a TV Show? What is wrong, with a group of people who stand by the idea of "Love And Tolerance?" What is wrong with people thinking that there could be more happiness in the world? A group of people, that believe people shouldn't be judged, based on race, gender, clothes, whether or not they like to eat chocolate, buy as many shoes as they can, or watch a cartoon with a different demographic target? Come on. Lets be realistic. Society, and the world, is changing. Honestly? We could all do well with a little more understanding and care for one another, instead of attacking a group of people for what they like to do.

My name is Darren. I am a brony. And I couldn't be prouder.