I have seen the avatars - I know there is some of you amongst us. The documentary is on netflix at the moment
I was going to use the tag LOL but then I realised that might offend some people hehe - I'm out too bro, but I'm always up for furthering my understanding of things I don't understand
Watch it. It is a fantastic documentary. I actually became a bronie after watching it. Well, not exactly, I'm not in to the show that much, but I'm happy to identify as one in solidarity. What I took away from it is that bronies value an emotional literacy that is normally socialized (read humiliated or beaten) out of males, besides, after watching it I am now at least 20% cooler.
My plan for this evening was to watch the doco! so watch this space, maybe secretly I am a bronie too I just haven't realised it yet
It's an OK documentary. If nothing else it gives a peek into the more involved parts of the fandom, which aren't too dissimilar to other fandoms out there. I doubt it will have the cultural staying power of something like Star Trek or Star Wars, but people are having fun with it while it lasts and there's nothing really wrong with that.
Basically. Do we want men to be emotionally aware and literate (and, incidentally, respectful of women's feelings), or do we want them to behave like testosterone-driven macho dicks? Society's choice. The thing people forget is that all these shows, from My Little Pony to The Powderpuff Girls are written, drawn and produced by adults, many of them male. There are a lot of adult, geeky in-jokes woven into the episodes. Just like Pixar's films are children's animation films that also work on an adult level, these shows may be too.
Some of that is partly due to one of Walt Disney's strongly held beliefs. Disney knew that long-term success meant not simply creating stories for kids. The real power was in creating stories that kids would love, but to which adults could also relate. Granted there was a monetary factor in this - kids don't buy merchandise, adults do. But he also understood that if adults enjoyed a cartoon, they were more likely to pass that enjoyment to their children. The net result is fans (and potential consumers) for life. Good animators have learned from that idea. This also relates to the general history of 'fairy tales.' They weren't always simple stories that people told children. Many of what we consider children's fairy tales today began as adult fairy stories (or mythologies). As more women - specifically, a greater number of older women - spent more time caring for children, they would often relate those same stories to the kids. Fast forward a couple hundred years and we have the modern animated feature performing essentially the same function.
Urgh no just no. Walt Disney was brilliant animation and modern computer animation is far too good to dismiss as only for kids but my little pony as with most tv animation is cheaply made crap. The old warner bros cartoons were brilliant but they were made for theatres. Well it's obvious what your bias is but most girls do not want some wimp, so someone like this better start getting into guys.
And therein lies the brainwashing. It takes courage for kids to defy cultural conditioning, you on the other hand seem to have submitted to it, wimp
I think you misunderstood my point. I wasn't talking about the perceived quality of the actual animation. I was talking about the stories themselves and the method Disney employed to tell the story, as well as Disney's approach to character design. Modern animators understand this very well, whether or not the cartoon itself is drawn well. You might dismiss My Little Pony because in your opinion the cartoon is not drawn well, but there is no denying the fact that adults have embraced the show's themes and characters, and a real secondary market has emerged in which adults have taken to expanding on the art. As others have pointed out, you're giving into tired stereotypes here. I enjoy watching the show with my daughter, and while I recognize that the show is aimed for children I can appreciate the themes and characters themselves (hence my avatar ). In addition to my enjoyment of the show, I played hockey in college and I use hand tools to build furniture. Oh, and I'm married with a child. So who exactly are 'most girls' and how do you define 'wimp.'
Thank you for this input. It saves the effort of attempting to describe the social attitude which bronies are reacting against. They have formed a fandom centered around acceptance, joy and, you guessed it, friendship. There's more appeal to being a brony than simply enjoying MLP:FIM, and it's certainly not alone in creating such an environment. I'd go so far as to say most only became involved because they saw a desirable community which they wanted to be a part of.
I'm curious about erratum1's definition, because he obviously sees men experiencing and expressing feelings, tenderness and friendship as wimps. We all know who the real men are: the guys who get into drunken pub brawls, who get into fights at football matches, who show their wives and girlfriends who's boss and who will shag anything in a skirt but will not take responsibility for the resulting offspring. They will drive fast and reckless and fly into road rage, they will not flush toilets and will not turn off the tap and treat other people with absolute disdain, 'cause they're Alpha's, right? Except that they're not men; they're boys, all Lord of the Flies-style. Schools are full of misbehaving problem boys who cannot find stable role models in fathers who have the emotional maturity of a ten-year old. Real men are providers, protectors, builders, carers; the guys who uncomplainingly and without narcissistic fanfare go about their responsibilities towards their families and treat others, men and women, strong and weak, with decency and respect because that is a basic tenet of having your **** together as a human being and as a man. They are not afraid to experience feelings and express tenderness, because that does not diminish them; it makes them stronger.
