#mylittlepony - #A New and Unpleasant Stereotype Concerning Bronies

A New and Unpleasant Stereotype Concerning Bronies

Let me preface this by saying that I have no intention of engaging in political debate with anyone, nor do I encourage political debate in the comments. That type of thing is better left to the r/MLPLounge or other boards that have a focus on political discussion.

Having said that, the core of this topic does involve politics, and for that reason I was compelled to seek permission from the mods before posting this. I am fully aware that things might get out of hand in the comments, and that they may feel the need to step in and remove this submission or lock it down.

With that out of the way, lets get into why Bronies are all hateful, racist, misogynist members of the Alt-Right.

Sound ridiculous to you? It does to me as well... And I'm a brony who has unashamedly been forthright about my right leaning views when it comes to politics. I was completely unaware that this had become a stereotype about Bronies until my wife brought it to my attention. Now, my wife may be the person who got me into MLP in the first place, but she has drifted away from the fandom over time. (She'll still watch new episodes with me and things like that, but she has nothing to do with Equestria Girl, the Comics, or the Fandom itself.) So you have to understand that I was somewhat taken aback when she informed me that bronies in general are being labeled as Nazis by those outside the fandom.

I had to look into this myself.

Low and behold, it seems this idea is built on an even older stereotype; namely that none of us are actually fans of the show in any way other than the ironic fashion, and that we're just doing it to troll everyone else. Only now there is a darker twist... apparently we are doing this to hide our hate-filled, white nationalist agenda.

It seems the going theory is that we are intentionally appropriating MLP from women and young girls as as a form of ironic worship of kitsch and meme culture. It also serves to allow us to falsely claim a minority (victim) status in society to justify our 'sense of persecution' as white males and to give validation to our grievances with society.

Why, do you ask, does this stereotype exist in the first place? It does seem to, in fact, tie largely into the recent election in the united states of america and the persistent story about how the victory of the current incumbent was a "white-lash" or 'Primal Scream" of angry white straight male voters. Unfortunately, the demographic breakdown for bronies (and furries, I'll get into why that matters in a minute) is that the fandom is predominately white, straight, and male.

To be sure, there are members of the fandom that have fanned the flames of this particular new round of brony hate. There is the somewhat popular nazi pony OC Aryanne, depictions of the new potus as a glorious alicorn, and the pervasive joke about the unicorn master race. Harmless jokes you say? Well, not everyone seems to see it that way.

It has gotten to the point that if you are remotely sympathetic towards right-leaning political views you are at best 'giving them a platform to spread hate speech' and at worst as vile and evil as the many groups that suddenly find themselves under the label of the deplorable 'alt-right' (deserved in some cases, but in many not).

Beyond that, of course, there has to be the understanding that we aren't a hive mind. We are individuals who happen to share a hobby. There are, indeed, bound to be some bronies that do hold views that are nationalistic, racist, and even misogynist, despite the show teaching the values of love, tolerance, and friendship and a very balanced and fair brand of feminism (despite my own complaints about the treatment of male characters in earlier seasons, I can admit that.)

None-the-less, we find ourselves as a fandom lumped together with the a sub-fandom of furries (who are also, surprisingly, predominately white, straight, and male) the so called 'Furred-Reich'. A truly absurd situation given the show and fandoms ethos, but it is that very ethos that seems to be under attack.

So what I want to know is what do you think about this? How does it make you feel? Do you think that calling into question the fandoms devotion to the messages of friendship, love, and tolerance are justified in light that some fans most assuredly did vote for the current administration in the united states? Do you think that the current vogue of labeling anyone with right leaning views as a fascist has anything to do with this development?

Finally, is it worth it for us as a fandom to try and stand up to these stereotypes? Is it enough for us to merely persist as we have up until now, and let the current rancor slide off our backs? Or do we need to take a more pro-active approach?

Submitted March 09, 2017 at 05:34PM by TheKnackerman
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