I recently got into a conversation with a friend of mine, who has verbally voiced his distaste for bronies for a while now, and I, knowing this from before I became one, never brought it up with him. But today casually I said I was doing research on popular internet groups, and bronies were one of them. I asked him why does he dislike them so much, and he responded with the classic "It's a show for little girls, and it's creepy for older guys to watch it." I proceded to point out that if older woman watched Transformors (the cartoon) no one would say anything about it. He grunted and mumbled but still insisted that he was somehow right. It brought to my attention the idea of masculinity, and what society wants their men to be like. In the teen's react to MLP video one of the girls said she wouldn't date a brony because she wanted a guy that was 'tough.' Who says bronies can't be tough? Who says we are gay for watching a show about ponies? Society. Society that wants their men to be tough. When people see a show that was intended for younger girls they don't view the show as tough, or manly, instead as soft, and girly.

And those tags stick to those who watch it.

Then he brought up a point I've never thought of. He talked about those who use the show in a more... "adult" way (rule 34), and when I mentioned this was mearly a subgroup and it was unfair to generalize like that, he shook his head and said. "You just proved my point, bronies want to 'love and tolerate' but I've seen them rip into those who view the same thing as them, just in a different way." And that made me stop and really think, and the first thing that came to mind, was a personal favourite quote of mine.

"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."

Friedrich Nietzsche

In our struggle to love and tolerate our haters, and in our desire to be loved and tolerated by them, have we become like them? Have we singled out those who like things that are different form ourselves, and laid judgement upon them? I would have to say yes, I personally have, and I know of other who have. When we stand by the pledge to love and tolerate, we can not single out those who use the fandom differently then us, and become the monsters we are trying so desperatly to fight. Toleration should not end and the 18+ rating, and I've noticed that on this website, we seem to be a bit more accepting of that form of expression, art and writing. And for that I am proud. But still things like this, make me cringe when I realized, I thought like that, and was being a compleat hypocrite.

Anyways that was just a rant I wanted to put down, I don't need to be comforted, or anything like that. But rather, I would be greatful if you could read it and just take a moment to think about it.