My Little Pony Friendship is Magic - Is it possible to dislike this show?

[DashieInTheDark]

Note: If you are a person who reads a title, and begins posting, please leave. It is very important that you read the context of this post ot fully understand my view on all of this, so you are fully informed.

I have been a "brony" for several weeks now, actualyl panning in to the several months category. I have been a fan of this show since late October, and already I get a nostalgia feeling when watching the first episode. How times change, huh? I had been a very, well, "strongheaded" person when I first watched the show. I am usually open minded ,and won't change the channel unless something specifically does NOT appeal to me.

A few good examples would be that I had left a program on, because it just started. It was some special "movie-episode" for a show I hadn't heard of. It was clearly directed toward kids 6-8, but I enjoyed it all the same. The morals are there, the animation is spot on, and it was an enjoyable watch. If a show is "pink" and very clearly directed toward a little girl, involving "tea parties" and the like, I will not watch it. I won't change it immediately, but that does NOT appeal to me at all. Much as Lauren Faust was the same with her childhood experience of My Little Pony. I am not one to watch many girly shows, if any, but if a cartoon is good, it's good. I watch The Powerpuff Girls, Fosters Home For Imaginary Friends, Courage the Cowardly Dog, and some older ones. (Hey Arnold, Doug, Cow and Chicken, All that, etc.) Some can argue that these are only because of "nostalgia" but what the ywould miss, is that you can't get nostalgia off of things you've never seen or watched before-hand. As I watched these shows a long time ago. Cartoons may not appeal to many, but for those that do, you can agree with me on this. Now, let me get around to my point here.

A show that is new(er), has a great, large community, and a loving cast, can you really hate it? The shiws' animation is superb, and yet it keeps an older-cartoon feel at the same exact time. At first sight, this show INSTANTLY reminded me of some of the shows I used to watch many moons ago. The brony community is great, friendly, and has really brought this world together. Hasbro, who owns the rights to My little Pony, isn't a greedy company whose only thoughts are to shove the shows' merchandise in your face. The hub, who also really loves the brony community, is great too. Holding their "events" for the show, almost "catering" to us bronies, it's all a great feeling. Knowing, we, as a community have an actualy impact on the show. The shows' characters will appeal to everyone some way or another. Be it you're "cool" like Rainbow Dash, a book nerd like Twilight Sparkle, caring for animals like Fluttershy, fashionista like Rarity, crazy like pinkie pie, or loyal (and southern?) like Applejack. All of these are natural "personalities" of life, and you're at LEAST a bit like one of these. There really isn't a way around that. The show didn't MAKE the personalities, they just adapted them. There are no two episodes the same, and there isn't really a repetitiveness to the show, as of yet. Everything is here, in one, great big package. You've got your adventure stories, legends, deep character development, watching characters grow, friendship, fights, "cuteness" for those that love cute things, and awesome-suspensful things for people that are into that.

The first two episodes, as they may not "seem" appealing, are the two that most get you hooked on the show. The development, the story, the adventure, and the suspense at the end. The first two episodes alone let you "pick" your favorite Pony ,and maybe you can even relate to her? Each Pony is NOT lacking, and are treated equally by the producers .One may not get as many episodes (Fluttershy?) but they will eventually.

After the first two episodes, I found myself only wanting more, and more, and more. Since I started watching this in late October, I didn't have to worry about not being able to finish season 1, so I could watch as many as I wanted, as often as I wanted. By Episode 3, "The Ticket master". I found myself very drawn into this show, and their adventures. The bright colors, cheerfulness, and fun that this show is, is what also makes me feel a lot better after watching some episodes. Either I'm upset, depressed, happy, or just neutral, this show easily brings a smile to my face. I believe it is difficult NOT to feel this way. Episodes like "Dragonshy" and such gave me that realy depth to the show that I haven't felt in other shows. Showing an adventure to the top of a mountain, and how they got there really let me get brought "into" this world known as Equestria. The humor in this show is great, and enjoyable for all ages. It's not vulgar, and it's a very clean show, which is refreshing with todays' programming. There is no racism, and there is no dirty puns. There is only episodes like "Griffon the brush-off" which teach kids a VERY good lesson about friendship. Not even just kids, but adults too. (God knows how adults are these days..) There is no religious debates, and there is no swearing. It's really refreshing, and that's about it.

The brony community amazes me, too. They're (you're..) all very accepting, nice, and friendly. You won't find that in ANY other fandom nowadays, either. Sure, you've got your Rule 34, clopfics, and such, but those can EASILY be overlooked by the amount of positive material floating around. The remixes, the fan art, and the fact that Hasbro as of now, isn't pulling it off the internet, is also very nice. If you're into Rule 34, there's plenty of that, too. Although I personally don't like it, you might. Sure, you've got your "infighting" within the fandom but if you stay out of it, generally things cool themselves off. The outside world looks into what this is, and generally doesn't understand what it is to be a "brony." You don't have to be a certified sex offender, pedophile, or child molester to be a brony. Which is REALLY contrary to the general publics' belief. This isn't a "girly" show, and it isn't all pink and tea parties. The shows' animation, story, characters, and meaning behind the morals is what makes this show what is it.

Amazing.

And with that, I conclude this novel thread, with a positive note. We're a part of something great. So enjoy the ride, because it only gets better.

Can you really, REALLY hate this show?

Of course, you've got ot WATCH it before forming an opinion.

Otherwise, your opinion is invalid, and it doesn't count.

Dashie~

[DosEquus]

I understand what you're trying to say and have read everything, but if you're literally trying to find out if a single person, that could form thoughts and opinions, on Earth could dislike the show, it's obviously yes. It's only human, afterall. Sometimes others can be fans just because, and others would dislike it just because, even if they watched a couple episodes.

Pleasant read.

[TTX]

That..post. Wowity. Giant wall+ Makes good sense+ Grammar checked+

Damn though. You really thought about every last part of this. It is obivously possible to dislike the show. If something exists something has to exist that is against it. Someone might actually have a valid reason out there.

This feels like a good time to say, I never watched past episode 15 of this show. I enjoyed it but my brain is probably coming up with excuses not to watch it that often, alia procrastination.

Great wall anyway. Have my like.

[Halide]

Counterpoint : People like Twilight, Jersey Shore, the Young Earth Theory, and a whole slew of other atrocious things completely lacking in any sort of redeeming value. Simply because you have a counter-arguement doesn't mean everyone will listen to it, no matter how accurate or factual or thought-out it may be. That is simply how humaniy works. They can decide to not change their opinions whether they watch or read something, they can just skim over it and pretend they understand, or they can simply fall back on apathy.

Also, gonna point out that not every character gets the same 'treatment'. Fluttershy has had the fewest episodes by far out of everyone, and when Rainbowdash gets an episode, she's as boisterous, egotistical and overconfident as ever, even if she 'learned' that she should behave otherwise in a previous episode, while twilight seems to be getting fewer lines whenever she isn't playing the standard 'party leader' role.

As for Hasbro's apparent generosity, they're going against what faust and other wrters have clearly states previously with some of the toys, and are pretty awful at letting users outside of the USA get at my little pony. I mean, the hub isn't avaiable in any other country, and the youtube uploads keep getting taken down, that's not helping anyone!

That aside, the fandom for MLP is just as capable of containing bitter, disrespectful individuals as any other; the difference is that the friendly, welcoming ones are actually more prominent in this fandom than most.

Don't get me wrong, I love the show too, but some of your points are kinda flimsy.

Besides, Animaniacs was funnier.

[DashieInTheDark]

Hm, instead of multi-quoting, I might as well just read all of your guys' posts, and go from there.

If something exists, something has to exist against it? Is this ACTUALLY true? I'm sure I can find an example where this is false, but i'm not worried about that right now. I know it is kind of hard for you guys to understand, including myself. Because simply, we DO like it. However, with the amount of conversions that goes on, at this rate, I'm quite literally convinced it IS difficult, if not impossible to ACTUALLY dislike this show. It's years and years of practice, learning from mistakes, and now, perfection. Everything is top-notch, and just, simply, perfect. The way I see it, too, is that, do YOU dislike it? Or is it your (generally) manly side "taking control" and telling you not to like it. You're with a group of friends, and you see a puppy playing around in the grass by someone's house. You don't stand there and go "Aww. :3" because you're "afraid" that your friends will dislike it. Of course, fi ALL of your friends are like you, there isn't a problem. I think it's more of our mental "manliness" that takes control, and disallows us to like these 'girly" shows. This is especially enforced when you're around other who are the same way. As many there are converted by bronies online, there are those who also are convinced it is bad by an equal number. Don't take anyones' word forr it, ever. You're not them, so you don't know whether or not you will like it. Which is EXACTLY why I watched this show in the first place. I cut off my internet connection, and I sat down, and watched it. I didn't let anyone influence my opinion in either direction, which is how it should be. I was not "converted" into a brony, I simply became one. The only "opnions" you should take from others, is simply "you must watch it!" otherwise, your opinion on the show IS invalid.

If one is to "dislike" this show, they need a valid reason, a good arguement, and be able to support their claim. So far, I haven't met anyone able to do any of this. It's mostly them keeping their "manlihood" intact. Which, truth be told, it almost ALWAYS is. With your example of people "liking" Twilight, Jersey Shore, and such. Yes, I understand your point. However, you've got some flaws there. As with Justin Bieber, the amount of "dislike' as compared ot "likes" is overwhelming to some, and it is now general for the series / singer / show to be hated. Yes, I generally "hate" all three, but i've (and most of the general public) got reason to back it up. Jersey Shore? Fake reality drama with terrible actors, and it doesn't appeal to me. Justin Bieber? His voice personally annoys me, but his lyrics themselves can be okay, but nothing speical at all. Twilight has pretty much ruined the image of Vampires, and I'm not one for romance. If you like any of these, that's fine. But I personally don't.

Now, if you are to apply this to My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. You'd need actual reasons for disliking it. DO you not LIKE the animation style, voice actors, episodes, or what? So far, nobody has given real reason, and this is where my point still stands. Can you REALLY legitamately HATE this show? Until I'm given a good example and reasoning, I will continue to think that it is not possible.

Of course, this is a bit biased, as I am not only a fan, but posting in a fan community. So for us, we all agree that it is good, but this is mainly for outsiders, and anyone reading this that HASN'T gotten hooked (yett.)

~Dashie

[WilyKit]

I am sorry, but the argument you are trying to make, while passionate, is flawed. You come across as one who is attempting to force your own standards onto others, and that is something I simply cannot agree with.

If one is to "dislike" this show, they need a valid reason, a good arguement, and be able to support their claim.

This, for example, is a terrible state of mind to live with. People do not and should not have to justify their personal choices to anyone else. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, regardless of the principals upon which they are founded. You may not agree with these opinions or the reasonings behind them, but to simply dismiss said opinions because they do not meet your idiosyncratic expectations is rather silly.

[ChancellorPuddinghead]

I am sorry, but the argument you are trying to make, while passionate, is flawed. You come across as one who is attempting to force your own standards onto others, and that is something I simply cannot agree with.

This, for example, is a terrible state of mind to live with. People do not and should not have to justify their personal choices to anyone else. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, regardless of the principals upon which they are founded. You may not agree with these opinions or the reasonings behind them, but to simply dismiss said opinions because they do not meet your idiosyncratic expectations is rather silly.

Right - Love and Tolerance - If people don't like the show then - They just don't like the show.

Hmmmm or I could lead a Brony army on a crusade of fan driven fury against all the non belivers? Yeah let's do this!

Wait wait wait

new episode tomorrow

*cancels war*

[LordEternal]

I agree,

Through remember there won't be a show that will ever be to interest of the whole world and there will always be haters. Some people like dark fantasy some like cute and funny stuff.

[DashieInTheDark]

I am sorry, but the argument you are trying to make, while passionate, is flawed. You come across as one who is attempting to force your own standards onto others, and that is something I simply cannot agree with.

This, for example, is a terrible state of mind to live with. People do not and should not have to justify their personal choices to anyone else. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, regardless of the principals upon which they are founded. You may not agree with these opinions or the reasonings behind them, but to simply dismiss said opinions because they do not meet your idiosyncratic expectations is rather silly.

Not quite, as you are missing the point. If someone blatantly says "This show is terrible" then wouldn't you like to know WHY they don't like it? I'm not FORCING this on to people, and really, it's quite psychological what I am doing.

No matter how much people decide NOT to voice their opinions, after reading this, the thought is still there. "Do I really hate this show?" You may not have to tell anyone, like you said. As you said people should not have to justify reasons for not liking something. HOWEVER. Do NOT forget that you HAVE to have a reason for EVERYTHING. I don't like brocoli. I am not fond of the taste, but I will eat it when presented to me. I have a reason as to why I dislike it. You may not have to voice your reason directly to ME, but you NEED a reason for disliking everything. There really is NO way around that. So even if you thin kpeople don't need to justify it to others, they still need a reason, even if only for themselves, to dislike it.

[ZeroHero]

I've got one friend who dislikes the show because of the mass amount of fans with the whole "if you don't like it, you just haven't watched it yet" attitude. There's one reason to dislike the show, even if it isn't the show itself but a result of the show.

[weesh]

The primary thing that makes the world interesting and survivable is that you are not all exactly like me. <shudder>

I am glad that there are people with different opinions, and that there are people that like and dislike FiM. I don't like throwing the word "Hate" around, but it doesn't take much imagination for me to come up with reasons that people would despise the show. For instance, I know a parent whose daughter is a huge fan, and she wishes the show didn't exist (or at least that her daughter had never come across it).

[DashieInTheDark]

The primary thing that makes the world interesting and survivable is that you are not all exactly like me. <shudder>

I am glad that there are people with different opinions, and that there are people that like and dislike FiM. I don't like throwing the word "Hate" around, but it doesn't take much imagination for me to come up with reasons that people would despise the show. For instance, I know a parent whose daughter is a huge fan, and she wishes the show didn't exist (or at least that her daughter had never come across it).

I completely get that. But the thing is, WHY does she wish it never existed? DOES she actually have a reason?

[Lux]

I find trying to explain why someone dislikes something to be maddening. Ultimately, who cares why someone dislikes something? All that matters is that they dislike it, no need to go further. And even that doesn't matter. What matters to me is who likes something, who shares a common interest, not what disinterest they have.

[weesh]

Her biggest beef is that it fails the rewatch test (her most important criteria). She has happily put on Pixar's "Cars" for her kids until the disk was too scratched to play, at which point she immediately bought it again!? But MLP was too much for her, and she had to hide the DVDs.

[DashieInTheDark]

See? That's fine. There is REASON to back up your claim of "disliking it". That is what I am after, really. I don't mind that someone dislikes it, but as I said earlier. Once you read this, you will begin to ponder the question. "Do I really hate it?" Even if nobody is asking you. I'm not over-thinking this, but it has been on my mind recently.

[weesh]

I don't think you need to be able to enunciate a reason though. If you do not enjoy something, that should be enough. I cannot explain why I don't like mushrooms, but that doesn't mean I should keep trying them until I can give you a reason.

[Rosewind]

There are several different angles you can come at this. The initial founding of the show was initially graced with negativity, and it's possible that the chan brony "precursors" probably watched the first episodes so they could make fun of how bad they thought the series would be. This was, of course, based on the expectation that FiM was just another version of the last three generations. To a parent that possibly grew up on older ponies, this notion has not changed, and they might be hesitant to expose their kids to a 25-minute-long toy commercial -- hence the unreasonable initial dislike.

This paradigm and expectation is part of the enigma that perpetuates the brony culture. I would even go so far to call it a surprising sort of counter-culture, because I never in my wildest dreams expected a huge group of older, predominately male people to get so passionate and hyped about My Little Pony. If you told me this surge in popularity would happen two years ago, I'd have called you a liar and laughed. This occurance sets an exciting benchmark for other creative projects to try to match: even if something is specifically designed for a target audience, if the quality and design are good enough, everyone can like it, even the most unlikely of groups.

People are allowed to dislike this series. Maybe they don't like cartoons. Maybe they don't like the characters or the bright characters, or the stories -- but they are allowed to dislike the series if they wish, and it doesn't really matter if they give it a chance or not. Maybe they choose to dislike it because of its community aspects that celebrate it, and they don't want to be seen as part of that. Maybe they're embarassed about liking it, watch the episodes in private, and denounce the show in public. Or, maybe they say nothing at all. It's their loss, yes, but if they choose to dislike it, what does it matter to you, or anyone else for that matter?

[DashieInTheDark]

There are several different angles you can come at this. The initial founding of the show was initially graced with negativity, and it's possible that the chan brony "precursors" probably watched the first episodes so they could make fun of how bad they thought the series would be. This was, of course, based on the expectation that FiM was just another version of the last three generations. To a parent that possibly grew up on older ponies, this notion has not changed, and they might be hesitant to expose their kids to a 25-minute-long toy commercial -- hence the unreasonable initial dislike.

This paradigm and expectation is part of the enigma that perpetuates the brony culture. I would even go so far to call it a surprising sort of counter-culture, because I never in my wildest dreams expected a huge group of older, predominately male people to get so passionate and hyped about My Little Pony. If you told me this surge in popularity would happen two years ago, I'd have called you a liar and laughed. This occurance sets an exciting benchmark for other creative projects to try to match: even if something is specifically designed for a target audience, if the quality and design are good enough, everyone can like it, even the most unlikely of groups.

People are allowed to dislike this series. Maybe they don't like cartoons. Maybe they don't like the characters or the bright characters, or the stories -- but they are allowed to dislike the series if they wish, and it doesn't really matter if they give it a chance or not. Maybe they choose to dislike it because of its community aspects that celebrate it, and they don't want to be seen as part of that. Maybe they're embarassed about liking it, watch the episodes in private, and denounce the show in public. Or, maybe they say nothing at all. It's their loss, yes, but if they choose to dislike it, what does it matter to you, or anyone else for that matter?

It's not that it particularly matter to me if they dislike it, but rather, CAN they legitimately dislikeit? I started this topic to talk about the situation, and to get different point of views on it. Which, of course, you guys are really grat at that.

I can understand that people "can dislike it" but i'm just having trouble grasping that because if someone I know hasn't heard of it, I'll show them, and they will love it. So I haven't met anyone who doesn't like it. If they haven't heard of it, of course their initial thoughts are generally negative, but that changes after a few episodes. It's not that there AREn"T people that dislike it, but that I haven't met or heard of anyone that dislikes it legitamately. It doesn't MATTER to me if they dislike it or not, nor does it affect me. This topic has just been on my mind for the past week or so. I'm trying to fully graps every point of view on this, and keep this "debate" if you will alive as long as I can. I'm not arguing, but making sure EVERY point of view on this topic is seen. Maybe I'm just this way because I don't LOOK for the negativity on this show. I don't visit 4chan often, if at all, Even if people made "clopfics" and things like the fanfic "Cupcakes" the ydevoted enough time to it to put that muc hdetail into it. Which leads me to believe that there are Haters, and Bronies. No inbetween. Haters just attempt to "fit in" and be "hipster" for hating it. You can see this a lot with a lot of jockeys from schools. (Using real examples, not TV either) and generally, their hatred is not out of actual hate, but trying to fit in with the crowd. Like I said, I KNOW there are people that dislike this show ,but right now, the brony part of it is REALLY taking over, and the "haters" number is decreasing rapidly daily.

[Solaria]

I'm going to say exactly what everypony else has, that of course it's possible to dislike anything. That includes FiM. Some people even dislike things for the simple reason that others like it. All for the sake of being cool or hipster or something I don't understand. Reading your post above me, it's true that I've shown some people and it hasn't been their cup of hot chocolate. They may have liked what the show represented or taught in an abstract sense, but they didn't like the show itself. I pitied them and moved on. While

I'm not going to do it here, but one of these days I'm going to be unable to resist the urge to make musical references in every post I make for a day.

P.S. Ya caught me, Dashie. I only read the title and the first few sentences before I was going to post. Entertaining disclaimer.

[SeanMirrsen]

I also like to search for reasoning behind things, very much. I like to ask other people the question "why" to the point of aggressive retaliation. That said, I entirely understand not being able to find a reason for a specific reaction. I, for instance, have no actual, certain, answer to the question of "why I like this show". If you asked it of me, I'd only be able to sit there in thought and mumble some nonsense about parallel universes. Sometimes, you get a very strong, defined reaction to something, but fail to find the underlying causes for this reaction when you try to look for them, because you don't know enough about yourself, or refuse to acknowledge having some qualities that would permit the reaction you're having, for instance.

And it's definitely possible to dislike anything, just like it is possible to like anything. Seriously. The internet is a testament to the variance of the human personalities. Not all people are rational, either, so finding even a shred of reasoning can be outright impossible sometimes.

As for hating this show specifically, a lot of may come from the Animation Age Ghetto (look it up on TVTropes), but I suspect that rather many people simply refuse to like it, on a logical level. They do not immerse themselves in the events, they look at it through the slits in the tank armor that surrounds them and repeat to themselves, "This is a cartoon for little girls, I am not a little girl and therefore I have no business liking or watching this.", reinforcing their own belief, actuvely refusing to even acknowledge the possibility that colorful magical ponies can appeal to them. From that point of view, they come to the logical conclusion that all the other people that are like them, but somehow still like the show, must be crazy, and deserving a negative attitude. I have this point of view because this is exactly how I view certain parts and genres of this very fandom, like for instance "shipping". But I guess that since I've also allowed the core message of the show itself get to me, I do not have actual negative reactions to it, or even stuff that should by all rights digust me, like grimdark and gore-fics. Instead of forming this impenetrable barrier of logical denial and resultant negativity, I simply allow for the possibility that there are humans that are like me, and yet like completely different things. Maybe this effect, this invoked desire for harmony and tolerance is the actual reason I like this show? I don't know, but if it is, then that's all the more reason to like it.

[Dessa]

Shoed it to my mom. "Lesson Zero." She didn't get it. Didn't make her laugh. Why? because she's just not a big animation fan. I know another person that doesn't like flash-style animation, even in cases like this where it's well done. Some people I know actually watched 2-3 episodes and really gave it a chance, but just didn't like it. It happens, and trying to come up with a single reason "why" is pointless. There are as many reasons as there are people.

But I'm more interested in something else you said, that the show isn't "girly." I hear this said from time to time by some bronies, and I feel like it's a rather odd thing to say. IMO, this show is thouroughly girly. Almost all of the speaking roles are female. Most of the characters are feminine in mannerism, personality, and color. The whole tang pastels+brights color palette is feminine. The whole show is about solving problems without aggression, which often thought a feminine virtue. Although not all of the episodes are "tea party"esque girly activities, plenty are, including modeling, trips to the spa, sewing & trying on dresses for the big ball, babysitting, slumber parties (including makeovers), and so forth.

This show is thoroughly girly, and I suspect that half the charm for guys who have never found girly things appealing, or never let themselves indulge in such things.

Edit:

OP also seems to be directing all of his stuff at guys, and overlooking the fact that there are many women who aren't fans of the show, even after watching it. In fact, everyone who I have convinced to watch the show, and everyone I know who has rejected it after that, has been female.

[SeanMirrsen]

But I'm more interested in something else you said, that the show isn't "girly." I hear this said from time to time by some bronies, and I feel like it's a rather odd thing to say. IMO, this show is thouroughly girly. Almost all of the speaking roles are female. Most of the characters are feminine in mannerism, personality, and color. The whole tang pastels+brights color palette is feminine. The whole show is about solving problems without aggression, which often thought a feminine virtue. Although not all of the episodes are "tea party"esque girly activities, plenty are, including modeling, trips to the spa, sewing & trying on dresses for the big ball, babysitting, slumber parties (including makeovers), and so forth.

This show is thoroughly girly, and I suspect that half the charm for guys who have never found girly things appealing, or never let themselves indulge in such things.

Here's the thing though - the show takes all these "girly" elements - the all-female pony cast, the pastel colors, the slumber parties and spa activities and such - and mixes them all in such a way that the result is decidedly not "girly". It's the equivalent of baking a tasty, sweet cake out of five pounds of raw beef, three lemons and a teaspoonful of sugar. Whatever things are being done, they are presented in a manner than is interesting and engaging, and are also backed up with good writing and great quality animation. This doesn't actually cause men to like the show, most of the time at least, in my opinion, but rather it removes a good part of the "barrier" that would prevent us from looking deeper and finding great likable characters, interesting storylines (I avoid the word "plot" like the plague nowadays), and all the various memes underneath.

There was, I believe, an analysis of the impact of this show that summarized the effect as "it made girly things look cool". I think that's a fairly accurate description.

[DaBatGuy]

It's not that it particularly matter to me if they dislike it, but rather, CAN they legitimately dislikeit? I started this topic to talk about the situation, and to get different point of views on it. Which, of course, you guys are really grat at that.

I can understand that people "can dislike it" but i'm just having trouble grasping that because if someone I know hasn't heard of it, I'll show them, and they will love it. So I haven't met anyone who doesn't like it. If they haven't heard of it, of course their initial thoughts are generally negative, but that changes after a few episodes. It's not that there AREn"T people that dislike it, but that I haven't met or heard of anyone that dislikes it legitamately. It doesn't MATTER to me if they dislike it or not, nor does it affect me. This topic has just been on my mind for the past week or so. I'm trying to fully graps every point of view on this, and keep this "debate" if you will alive as long as I can. I'm not arguing, but making sure EVERY point of view on this topic is seen. Maybe I'm just this way because I don't LOOK for the negativity on this show. I don't visit 4chan often, if at all, Even if people made "clopfics" and things like the fanfic "Cupcakes" the ydevoted enough time to it to put that muc hdetail into it. Which leads me to believe that there are Haters, and Bronies. No inbetween. Haters just attempt to "fit in" and be "hipster" for hating it. You can see this a lot with a lot of jockeys from schools. (Using real examples, not TV either) and generally, their hatred is not out of actual hate, but trying to fit in with the crowd. Like I said, I KNOW there are people that dislike this show ,but right now, the brony part of it is REALLY taking over, and the "haters" number is decreasing rapidly daily.

That's the problem, simply because you haven't people who didn't enjoy the show doesn't mean they don't exist or that people can't form a negative opinion of the show. Since joining this fandom I've meet many people who have seen several episodes and still don't like the show for good reasons. Some people don't like the flash based animation, some people don't like the that the characters don't really look like horses, some people can't stand the color palette, or were fans of the older shows and don't like that it isn't as simple and innocent as the previous generations. I understand that you are a passionate fan and FiM is an amazing show but it isn't perfect, nothing is perfect and insinuating that people who don't like it are just haters is no different than the insensitive opinion that bronies are just pervs and pedofiles because "there's no good reason for a grown man to like this".

[DashieInTheDark]

That's the problem, simply because you haven't people who didn't enjoy the show doesn't mean they don't exist or that people can't form a negative opinion of the show. Since joining this fandom I've meet many people who have seen several episodes and still don't like the show for good reasons. Some people don't like the flash based animation, some people don't like the that the characters don't really look like horses, some people can't stand the color palette, or were fans of the older shows and don't like that it isn't as simple and innocent as the previous generations. I understand that you are a passionate fan and FiM is an amazing show but it isn't perfect, nothing is perfect and insinuating that people who don't like it are just haters is no different than the insensitive opinion that bronies are just pervs and pedofiles because "there's no good reason for a grown man to like this".

I'm not set on one opinion here, and as I said in another post, I want to see all sides of this. I'm not labeling the two "haters" and "bronies" bluntly, but it seems to appear that way. Much like there are fans, and there are bronies. But the sheer amount of bronies and haters overthrows the "fans" and "dislikers". Much like there is over 500 different colors, but there is only Black and White as the main two. There's an amazing amount in between, but these two are the most apparent.

I really like that you guys are giving me legitmiate reasons NOT to like the show, too. As before this thread, I've never heard any reasons. Which is what drove me to make this in the first place. I'm not arrogant ,and srt on belieng nobody hates this show, but I ALMOST felt that way last night. Like I said before, the "Black and White" is really in your face in this situation, and can be overwhelming. I don't thin kpeople "can't form negative opinions" either, bu rather, they don't try to.

"I don't like it." just doesn't cut it when discussing whether or not something is good. The same can be applied to a child who "dislikes" a food s/he is faced with for dinner. "I don't like spaghetti!" the child exclaims. "Why? " The parent asks, oblivious. "Because I don't!" the child retaliates. This is how a lot of the "Why d oyou dislike it?" debates play out. People fail to reason WHY they dislike it. If you're oging to be super attention-craving, and say it blatantly. "I HATE THE SHOW!" Then you NEED a reason for it. If you're all by yourself, and keep your opinions ot yourself ,that's different. If someone shows you it, and you don't like it, just, ask yourself, "Why?"

This has been a great thread, and a great learning experience for me. TIme to shower, and i hope someone replies by the time I'm back!

[Rosewind]

There's another flaw to your argument though -- not everyone can be defined as a "hater" or a "brony." Some people might like the show, but does that make them a brony? I think it's important to define what, exactly, a brony truly is. Maybe there are different degrees of bronyism. There are the hardcore bronies -- the ones who collect the toys, wake up early on Saturday morning to watch the show, make PMVs, listen to remixes, wear pony shirts, post on forums like this, go to meetups, and check EqD every five minutes. Then there's the "casual" brony -- they watch the series, they might put a pony wallpaper on their phone or PC and watch some videos on YouTube, but that's about it.

After that, I think we're getting into the territory of someone who might have seen a few episodes, and liked what they saw, but not enough to really follow the series. This is the baseline where we move away from brony and more into the term of maybe "show supporter." After that, we'll say the person knows what the series is, and doesn't like or dislike it. They're neutral and could care less. After that, we're getting into the territory of trolls and whatnot -- the ignorant folks that probably never saw an episode, and dislike it simply because they love to hate what others enjoy. Maybe it's against their personal values that a bunch of guys should like a show designed for little girls. Those are your haters.

Not everyone is black and white on this like you're describing. There's a whole spectrum of thoughts, likes, and dislikes for this series, so to truly understand your own argument, you'll have to understand the audience itself first.