Compared to the previous topic, this is significantly less controversial in definition, but being a brony yourself isn't. As far as what a brony is, it is as simple as this: a fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Some would limit the term to nonchild fans, but they might as well be too. However, for the purpose of discussion, we will primarily focus on the aged bronies, as no one wishes to hear a rant about people watching a show in their demographic. So from this point forward, when I refer to a brony, they are not a little girl.
So, concerning bronies. Unsurprisingly, this fandom is largely composed of nerds, geeks, denizens of the Internet. Not entirely surprising, considering that all three of these groups are often social outcasts and wouldn't flinch at another instance of social deviance. There is also the factor of the high percentage of hipsters in these groups, and anything ironic is fair game for them. In fact, the brony fandom began and lives on the internet, without which it would be massively crippled. But however did MLP come to the attention of these socially awkward penguins, to reference the internet meme?
The answer is this article, the End of the Creator-Driven Era in TV Animation by Amid. It attacked modern cartoons and animation and one of the first things it mentions is this: My Little Pony. While it is mentioned only once in the article, this is where it started, though it had nothing to do with the reference of MLP. The reason the article came to prominence was because it so deeply offended many members of 4chan's cartoon board. However, the specific mentioning of MLP in the article piqued the curiosity of some of those on 4chan. They found that Amid had chosen the worst possible evidence to make his case, and the brony was born. Soon, ponies became a culture of 4chan. But, being 4chan as it is:
But the Internet was tainted with the Dark One's own touch, it's magic made foul - What Robert Jordan would say if he went to 4chan
The newly found group of bronies quickly gained the antipathy of non-bronies, with a number of components resulting in this. First, 4chan is a collective of trolls, they fight and bicker as second nature (which is why one must NEVER go to 4chan, you will never be safe from then on). Second, bronies had found a very effective way to derail threads and stop discussion (the primary pastime on 4chan) in image macros. They would spam a thread with so much ponies that normal operation was impossible. This quite reasonably brought ire upon them. Finally, there is the fact that a lot of people simply hated on it. Candy-colored ponies make easy targets for trolls (though in actuality a seasoned debater could dissolve any arguments made against it, but then again, most people aren't debaters). Here, one of the many internet wars began. Bronies spammed pages with ponies, haters spammed it with things that should not be mentioned, and the ban hammer came out. All pony-related content was finally banned from 4chan. While this era is long past, bronies now with their own board on 4chan, this period served as a trial of fire to the bronies- if they could survive this, they could survive anything. Less significantly, it created a few common phrases such as:
In their exodus from 4chan, the brony culture began to propagate and expand its boundaries. Sites such as Equestria Daily and Ponychan were created to permit the continuity of the brony cause. Likewise, people from outside 4chan (such as myself) now became aware of the phenomenon. Youtube, DeviantArt, Facebook, the bronies found new homes all across the internet, forming groups, uploading content, etc.
At this point, the brony culture is alive and kicking, enjoying popularity throughout the web, with many fairly-well known names now holding the tag of brony, such as Weird Al Yankovic and Powree of the webcomic Sandra and Woo. Bill Clinton himself was once asked questions about MLP on Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me and answered all three correctly (he may have simply deduced it, but there's a healthy chance).
One of the defining traits of this culture is its quality- of individual and content. The core of the brony fandom is the idea of love and tolerance- these are their supreme values. The brony community has repeatedly been remarked on for its extraordinary camaraderie and unity, as shown by this very scientifically accurate graph:
In fact, the community is what many find most attractive- people's lives have been absolutely reversed by joining the bronies. Suicides have been prevented, depressions ended, vices undone, friendships and even marriages made, simply because this one show has brought so many people together in a non hostile environment- something which some bronies had never known before. There are instances of bronies being kicked out of their homes and quickly finding help among the community.
WARNING: LARGE WAVE OF EVIDENCE INCOMING
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Click Moar
Continue Clicking
No one man should have this many links
Le Click
Keep Calm and Click On
You don't have to click if your eyes are good
I felt this one deserved extra notice. Pessimism is such an easy trap to fall in.
Quite right, sir
Clicking is definitely necessary
Very scientific.
Almost done clicking.
Last Click
The short of it is: MLP has had a massive effect on its fans, improving lives, providing a general good time, and creating a fundamental and compelling advocacy for something all too rare: harmony.
What's wrong with that?
Also, my primary source on the historical bit, by Saberspark once again:
Here we are, at the beginning. Ultimately, this is what first needs to be addressed: why is My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic worthy of its fanbase?
There are a few key points to examine. First, the cultural expectation.
This issue has longed plagued bronies. The first obstacle surmounted in the creation of bronies is the inevitable threat to their maturity, manliness, and whatnot they feel. Let me open with a quote from C.S. Lewis, renowned Christian apologetic, writer of Mere Christianity, the Screwtape Letters, and the Chronicles of Narnia:
"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."
If your maturity is threatened by the mere viewing of a children's show, one has to wonder how strong it was in the first place. Ultimate maturity can transcend these prejudices- they see past the bias and judge on the actuality. In retrospect, there have been many historic occurrences where the manliest, most violent, etc, has a love of ponies. This phenomena is found in Tangled:
One would hope not.
In Toy Story, Sid says in his dream: "I want to ride the pony." Or something like that. Red, a one episode character, (and quite likely Madame Foster) from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends liked ponies.
Not only are there many more examples, but countless more of masculine individuals loving small animals, like the Abominable Snowman from Bugs Bunny, dozens of cartoons, books, and so on. The gentle giant idea fundamentally fits this, from Fezzik in the Princess Bride to Ham in Mistborn (though he was admittedly more of a philosopher). These characters are loved, not scorned.
One notes that they are never mocked for this- they still retain their full popularity and role in whatever story they are a part of. To pull this point to a close, I quote Jayson Thiessen, Season 2 director of MLP:FIM: "Good has no demographic."
If you have extra fears for the fact it's for girls, Lauren Faust, the key figure in the revival of MLP into its current form stated this:
The evidence against writing off on the principle it's for 7-year old girls is overwhelming. However, that by no means prove this show is good- these biases had to have had their base somewhere. That's where MLP: FIM is spectacular- it is one of those few cartoons that retains quality. It is story-driven, with diverse plots and plentiful characters, each with their own personality. Lauren Faust, the director for season 1 (and still onboard in season 2, if to a lesser degree) previously worked on such hits as Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends and the Powerpuff Girls, both of which had popularity past its demographic. She also compiled a team of highly skilled artists, and we got the result we have.
One of the biggest things that stands out for MLP is its animation- it's not afraid to be unique. It's excellent but retains its originality. These days, most animators are drifting towards realistic animation, in what I believe is a mistake. Nothing is better than an original but creative art. Bugs Bunny, the Pink Panther, all the great cartoons were atrociously unrealistic, but it gave them style, a feel to them, and the art of MLP syncs with its mood masterfully.
Another thing that is remarkable about MLP is the songwriting. For most shows, songs are an add-on, thrown in to please little girls. However, the songs in MLP are brilliantly written and have universally catchy tunes. Produced by Daniel Ingram, there is a reason that much of brony culture is centered on music (more on that in part 2).
Here's the first song: Giggle at the Ghosties, and then fan favorite, Winter Wrap-Up.
One also finds a certain sophistication in these songs, such as in Art of the Dress, where the line "a stitch in time saves nine" can be found. This is an homage to 1930s politics, when part of FDRs New Deal was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, only to have FDR threaten to increase the amount of justices on the SC, rendering the opposition harmless. Ultimately, the decision was undone, saving nine justices from being appointed.
Such references are another of the prevalent features recommending MLP. In episode 19, the main antagonists are the Diamond Dogs, often likened to Gollum from the Lord of the Rings and kobolds from DnD. In the 4th episode of season 2, a background pony is dressed as a character from Mortal Combat. Another prominent background pony is an homage to the BBC television series Doctor Who (a personal favorite). Doctor Whooves, as he is called, is found in multiple incarnations of the Doctor, though the most prominent is that of the 10th.
Allons-y!
Even MLP's advertising contains referencing, such as this ad, the Ponygeist, after the movie the Poltergeist:
and the TV spot Equestria Girls, referring to California Girls:
Others include the Mysterious Mare Do Well in S2 E8, with the hero being likened to Batman in paraphernalia and references to Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland.
Finally, the writing itself is of high quality. While it uses some common themes, it spins them to become original. For example, instead of evil doppelgangers/clones/twins, the main characters are corrupted by the villain to be evil themselves. Each character has there own strengths and weaknesses, from kindness and shyness to generosity and vanity. They are not black and white- they suffer from moral quandaries. In the most recent episode, Hearth's Warming Eve, there is even a political commentary on the proper performance of leaders.
Likewise, there is an overabundance of great one-liners. Here are some fan favorites:
"The fun has been doubled!" -Luna
"It needs to be about 20% Cooler." -Rainbow Dash
"10 seconds flat" -Rainbow Dash
"Muffins" -Derpy Hooves
"She's speaking fancy!" -Applejack
"Can you do that? Can you explode twice?" -Spike
"Oatmeal? Are you crazy?" -Pinkie Pie
"YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE ME!" -Fluttershy
"Don't use your fancy mathematics to muddle the issue!" -Applejack
"Um, I'm just wondering if it's okay if I hold you down against your will for a little bit?" -Fluttershy
Plus all the others that are best in context: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLTZctTG6cE -Fluttershy
-Luna
However, the one thing that is really spectacular in this point is when it reminds you that these can be overcome- it does not fall into pessimism but retains its realism- life is tough, but doable, and ultimately pretty much great. And when one gets right down to it, we are never to old to learn about friendship.
The cumulative result is: you can't just say it's bad. Societal dislike is baseless, and it is abounding in quality, from the animation, to the writing. Adults can actually enjoy it more than kids, as they pick up the subtle humor and references, and everyone enjoys the songs.
Found in MLP is a fundamental advocacy to improve, to make great things, to take action. Be a good person, don't hate: appreciate, and above all, LOVE AND TOLERATE. And today, with the bombarding of media and society to the contrary, anything that makes people want to be good is worthwhile in my book.
Here's a 20-minute video by Saberspark that also covers a lot of this, plus some other points. I'll be posting one of these at the end of most of these, but this one is all about the show. I have some things he doesn't mention, and he covers things I don't. If you're up to watching it:
This will be the first of a series of posts, devoted to proving the legitimacy of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Over the course of this series, I intend to establish what a brony is, why we exist, why we're relevant, what the brony fandom has done, and address common arguments. It will be composed largely of evidence, but contain some original argumentation.
Part 1: What is so special about MLP:FIM?
Part 2: What is a Brony?
Part 3: Why is the Brony culture legitimate?
Part 4: What has the Brony culture done?
If I gain a following at some point, I will use this to settle disputes/debates/etc on all matters pony.
