brony stood for /b/rony, which is pretty much a lot of why i am uncomfortable with bronies and even honestly watching mlp:fim.
because as much as people tout the friendship is magic and love and tolerance i have only ever encountered bronies telling people who dislike the show or dislike some aspect of it (the ditzy doo fiasco, for example) that they should go kill themselves, that they're retarded, what have you. and then on top of that they seem to add this creepy sexual aspect to a lot of fanart or aspects of the show that just generally makes me uncomfortable because first and foremost, it is intended to be a show for little girls. (fuck i have even seen bronies defending some dude in a toys'r'us drooling over ponies in a sexual fashion, creeping out an under ten child)
you know, there are a lot of things and fandoms i think challenge the idea of masculinity. but i sincerely question whether a majority of bronies do, or continue to be 4chan-esque assholes.
In all honesty, I came to the show with zero knowledge about the fandom or the show itself. I just had my best friend/little sister bouncing around about a kids show that I would've thought was too girly for her. So eventually, I checked out TVTropes, thought it didn't sound too bad and downloaded the two part pilot. Twilight was my audience surrogate in just about every way, almost a purple pony Neku Sakuraba.
Quite frankly, those people piss off the rest of the fans, too. One for giving the rest of us a bad name, and two just on general principles. From my understanding, "love and tolerance" didn't start as a "sticks and stones" retort to non-fans, it was a "sit down and shut the hell up" to fans who verbally abused non-fans. Then again, there are plenty of non-fans who can be just as aggressive (whether they've been provoked by another brony at some point or not, I don't know).
You really can't judge a show or fandom by the more... y'know, there's no being polite about it. The "fans" who either are, or verge on, complete whackjobs. It'd be like judging FFVII by the girls/women who claim they're Sephiroth's waifu, or the morons who go librarian poo-poo if you suggest it isn't 100% perfect.
On the other hand, some of the fans are just freaking awesome. Some of the original music inspired by the show actually has me, as a fan, going "hang on, is this a real song that just happens to fit?" Considering the crowd, the example I'll use has been co-opted into a Homestuck video meme.
And there are at least two
pretty awesome stories about bronies in the army.
Plus, as already stated in this thread, the show is blessed by awesome cast and crew.
I don't mind the documentary on bronies or whatever, but I don't think understanding them requires a Kickstarter with an absurd amount of cash thrown at it.
Again, agreed. If I had disposable income to donate, I'd donate it to a worthwhile cause, like a charity. Or I might donate it here.
Damnit, I was expecting Slipping from
Dr Horrible.
