Brony stands up to stepdad because of MLP:FiM.

[pepperminty]

Since the whole thing is too big to fit here, i'll just post the link.

http://www.ponychan.net/chan/arch/res/1.html

[Apolline Allura]

That was...incredible.

[FIM Fan]

WOW this guy is an inspiration to us all.

[Ancre]

Answer #87 is Lauren Faust herself !

[Remedy]

Amazing! Behold the power of ponies!

[BaconofChaos]

Ah yeah, I remember this. Truly inspirational.

[MyLittlePonyTales]

I think we might already have a topic for this, since it's pretty old.

[PIJIN]

My god, simply brilliant, lightly putting it.

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Very old, but, Ponies Change Lives.

[kal413]

Good.

Ponies have helped me overcome stuff as well. If it wasn't for FIM, I don't know where I'd be right now.

[AznAxis]

First time I've seen this story and...honestly I don't know how I feel. I mean, no one should have to endure abusive parents, or abuse of any kind for that matter. But at the same time, 12 years is a long time. I just got the impression while reading that it was the stepfather who was reaching out for a second chance asking for forgiveness, and the stepson denying that chance. Granted, to each their own. However there is a chance (a small chance) that the stepfather could have sought out help and healing over the past decade. Family is the most important thing in my life right now, and it is my firm belief that when it comes to family, everyone deserves a second chance.

For ones who are supposed to love and tolerate, I did not see much of it in that story.

[Car0t]

I think I almost cryed.

[MyLittlePonyTales]

First time I've seen this story and...honestly I don't know how I feel. I mean, no one should have to endure abusive parents, or abuse of any kind for that matter. But at the same time, 12 years is a long time. I just got the impression while reading that it was the stepfather who was reaching out for a second chance asking for forgiveness, and the stepson denying that chance. Granted, to each their own. However there is a chance (a small chance) that the stepfather could have sought out help and healing over the past decade. Family is the most important thing in my life right now, and it is my firm belief that when it comes to family, everyone deserves a second chance.

For ones who are supposed to love and tolerate, I did not see much of it in that story.

I was thinking something along these lines too. I mean, people CAN change. He could've said he didn't want to see his father again... but he could've at least forgiven him, y'know?

I went to a recovery thing for several weeks. Basically, it's a program for "hurts, habits, and hang ups." I remember this one women who had been into like, alcohol and drugs, let her life go and that jazz. Now she's getting help, but her kids, now grown up... don't want to see her anymore. She can't see her grandkids because of mistakes she made. She knows it's her fault, but she's better now. She's changed. She went and got help, something not everybody does or even tries to do.

It doesn't happen all the time every time... but I think forgiveness is the very least a person could do. Nothing can heal that... but I think that some people deserve second chances.

[FrankT]

Disturbing, to say the least... but I can see that it's of historic importance..

[Apolline Allura]

Sometimes, when the damage is done, the damage is DONE. And time can sometimes hinder as well as hurt. Just as the elements of harmony, the elements of discord can sometimes be everlasting.

[Dunes]

I was thinking something along these lines too. I mean, people CAN change. He could've said he didn't want to see his father again... but he could've at least forgiven him, y'know?

I went to a recovery thing for several weeks. Basically, it's a program for "hurts, habits, and hang ups." I remember this one women who had been into like, alcohol and drugs, let her life go and that jazz. Now she's getting help, but her kids, now grown up... don't want to see her anymore. She can't see her grandkids because of mistakes she made. She knows it's her fault, but she's better now. She's changed. She went and got help, something not everybody does or even tries to do.

It doesn't happen all the time every time... but I think forgiveness is the very least a person could do. Nothing can heal that... but I think that some people deserve second chances.

I don't know how easily I'd forgive someone who beat me or my mother. Especially my mother. I'd certainly never trust them again.

If he truly has changed, then he needs to work frickin' hard to prove it; not just show up for a lunch, say sorry, and expect his family to welcome him back with open arms. He should have to face the damage he caused. And if his son never wants to see him again, he should respect that. Leave an open invitation for the kid to come talk if he ever changes his mind, sure. Leave the ball in his court. But I don't think anyone actually owes anything to their abuser.

Forgiveness would be very, very big of the kid, and accepting any healing the man has done would be a nice outcome... But to say the father deserves a second chance effectively places his needs over those of the family he once abused, in my opinion.

EDIT: Re-reading, I feel I should clarify. This is not to say I think the father is irreparably a horrible human being and actually deserves to be shunned forever and ever because of what he did. Just that, in a reconciliation over physical abuse and that inherent abuse of power, all of the power should, by rights, go to those who were abused. Even if it doesn't result in a satisfactory outcome for him. Even if it means they opt never to see him again.

Once someone crosses those boundaries, and breaks that fundamental trust between parent and child (or spouse and spouse) with violence, you shouldn't feel obligated to give them the time of day if you don't want to. Victims of abuse have been controlled quite enough already - any interactions with their abuser should be entirely on their terms.

[DJpinkypie]

To this man ive had my share of problems, but nothing like this i know what its liketo have to stand up for myself when ur scared to, but ive never had anything like this. Sir whoever you are were ever you are i salute you my man.

[Astalakio]

Well I've never been as scared of anything as this guy was of his dad (never had a reason to be, thankfully), so I can't imagine the bravery it must of taken to do what he did. All I can do is join the rest in congratulating him and wishing him the best.

[Hippo]

I don't know how easily I'd forgive someone who beat me or my mother. Especially my mother. I'd certainly never trust them again.

If he truly has changed, then he needs to work frickin' hard to prove it; not just show up for a lunch, say sorry, and expect his family to welcome him back with open arms. He should have to face the damage he caused. And if his son never wants to see him again, he should respect that. Leave an open invitation for the kid to come talk if he ever changes his mind, sure. Leave the ball in his court. But I don't think anyone actually owes anything to their abuser.

Forgiveness would be very, very big of the kid, and accepting any healing the man has done would be a nice outcome... But to say the father deserves a second chance effectively places his needs over those of the family he once abused, in my opinion.

EDIT: Re-reading, I feel I should clarify. This is not to say I think the father is irreparably a horrible human being and actually deserves to be shunned forever and ever because of what he did. Just that, in a reconciliation over physical abuse and that inherent abuse of power, all of the power should, by rights, go to those who were abused. Even if it doesn't result in a satisfactory outcome for him. Even if it means they opt never to see him again.

Once someone crosses those boundaries, and breaks that fundamental trust between parent and child (or spouse and spouse) with violence, you shouldn't feel obligated to give them the time of day if you don't want to. Victims of abuse have been controlled quite enough already - any interactions with their abuser should be entirely on their terms.

I understand and comprehend only what I can imagine, as I do not have abuse in my life, fortunately. But I feel that there's a breed of person out there that will make huge mistakes. And these people need forgiveness if they are truly going to change. Sometimes, refusing that forgiveness keeps them from changing. This story, however, I'm sure has a part 2.

[Dunes]

I understand and comprehend only what I can imagine, as I do not have abuse in my life, fortunately. But I feel that there's a breed of person out there that will make huge mistakes. And these people need forgiveness if they are truly going to change. Sometimes, refusing that forgiveness keeps them from changing. This story, however, I'm sure has a part 2.

That's probably true enough. The only abuse in my life is that my friends have experienced, and I've been there for the fallout. My best friend still has nightmares about it that she calls me to tell me about. Every time my roommate's father calls her, she ends up in tears. So I do tend to get very defensive over abuse victims (maybe more vocally than I need to be - most folks in their right minds generally agree abuse = bad ), because far too many of my friends have been on the receiving end. Thankfully, though, all of my experience is second hand.

That guy oughta be ready to do a lot of crawling, though. But if he's serious and he really has changed, he probably knows that. For all I know, he's ready to try to make it up to his family for the rest of his life. And if that's the case, then I genuinely do wish him the best. But eh! It's all pretty much theory from my perspective - I don't know this kid, or his father.

I wasn't deliberately trying to be persnickety at y'all, so apologies if I came off that way!

[Haserman]

Wow that was amazing I love inspirational stories like this I can only wish there were more.

[Nasty]

I agree with Dunes. I'm not saying he doesn't deserve forgiveness, I mean he might genuinely feel sorry, but the kid's been tortured, it was his turn to give some abuse back. Who knows, maybe in the end they did do some reconciliation. But when it comes down to it, I think it's the kid's choice.

Nonetheless, very moving.

[Hippo]

Also, I would say that when done in the right manner, giving forgiveness to someone who has hurt you does just as much healing to the victim as it does to the person who caused the abuse. When someone carries around heavy baggage like that for the large portion of their life experience, it can be a wear a tear on them. And the older someone gets, the harder it becomes to overcome the obstacles and the baggage ensues.

I used to be super insecure about everything that involved either my personality or my body. I hadn't understood why until I later realized that I was notoriously picked on in elementary school and was a very shy kid. I had lost most of the connection I had with my classmates from that time, but I was able to talk to one guy that was in my class that had always picked on me. We were both more mature, obviously, and both happy to see each other. But, I told him what I felt was making me insecure and told him that it's behind me. Even though he didn't admit to anything, I just wanted to let him know that I needed to unload the baggage in front of him and forgive things that had hurt me in the past. Ever since then, I have been way more secure in my personality in who I am as a person. In fact, I'm more confident now than I ever have been, and it would have never happened had I not gotten over the struggles I had as a kid. This is, of course, a minor occurrence compared to the story written in the OP. But it's important to know that we are not slaves to other people and the way they affect us, it's only a physical property. We are slaves to ourselves and the way we think about the way people have affected us.

it was his turn to give some abuse back.

I don't think I could ever disagree more.

[Dunes]

I hadn't thought about it that way. I reckon it depends on the individual situation and individuals involved. A lot of my thinking came from the standpoint of the abused having to wonder, "Can I really trust you to never try to hurt me again?"

... Of course, now that I've had time to stew on this, the kid was older by this point, and presumably wasn't in danger of being put under his father's power again, so that does alter the dynamic. Some of my thinking was along the lines of battered wives/husbands going back to their spouses because they're acting nice again, which isn't totally applicable to this situation from the kid's point of view (though it might be from his mother's). I was thinking very much in terms of the danger of future physical threat, but a 20-something (I think he'd be, if I remember the numbers right - I don't have the article open) isn't likely to move back in with his formerly abusive father. From that standpoint, having a lunch with his father wouldn't hurt, but I still don't think it should be something he should've been pressured into doing.

I think, regardless, it would need to take a considerable amount of effort on the part of the abuser to prove, yes, they have changed, and they're not just acting.

... Also don't care for the idea of it being anyone's "turn" to dole out abuse, either.

[notdeathsongx3]

That was rather sad ):