(I didn't, largely since I've never watched a single episode, but the psychic damage and whiplash of Wholesome Pony Show having said this line was too fuckn much for me)

EDIT: More replies than upbears now. It’s probably an official struggle session now (although most of it is that one person). One must imagine SisyFEWs happy.

  • LGOrcStreetSamurai [he/him]
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    The hatred of My Little Pony's was the precursor to modern online fandom discourse. People's online response to this show (good, bad, or indifferent) warped how the internet talks about fandom in a major way and online culture as whole in a lesser extent.

    • pooh [she/her]
      ·
      1 year ago

      People's response to this show (good, bad, or indifferent) warped how the internet talks about fandom and online culture.

      On a positive note, though, I think it was also legitimately a gateway to questioning gender norms for a lot of people.

      • Erika2rsis@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        ·
        1 year ago

        If the My Little Pony fandom was your gateway to questioning gender norms and eventually realizing you're a trans woman...

        ...Does that mean you got horsefemmed?

      • Zuzak [fae/faer, she/her]
        ·
        1 year ago

        The MLP fandom died because all the people who liked it because they were closeted eggs realized they could just be trans and all the people who liked it because they were closeted furries realized they could just be furries and all the people who liked it because they were closeted fascists realized they could just be fascists.

      • LGOrcStreetSamurai [he/him]
        ·
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        I think it was also legitimately a gateway to questioning gender norms for a lot of people.

        It was a weird path to a win, but a win regardless! Living one's truth because a cartoon helped get one there is just as valid a reason as any other in my book.

    • BeamBrain [he/him]
      ·
      1 year ago

      I think a lot of the backlash was rooted in misogyny. "Oh no, how dare men like girl thing"

      • KobaCumTribute [she/her]
        ·
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        Remember that a big chunk of the historical fandom was weirdo fascist edgelords who wanted to fuck the ponies and wrote horny violent fanfics about them. One of the longest fanfics about anything (FOE:PH) is basically "Made in Abyss but it's ponies and set in a post apocalyptic wasteland."

        • BeamBrain [he/him]
          ·
          1 year ago

          FOE:PH

          Oh God, I remember hearing talk about how terrible this was and having a peek out of morbid curiosity. I made it maybe a quarter of the way through the first chapter before I had to dip out at the exhaustively described fever dream of what MRAs imagine a society run by feminists would look like.

          • UlyssesT [he/him]
            ·
            1 year ago

            Wasn't there also a Fallout crossover fanfic that completely missed the humor aspect that was always present in Fallout and was sort of edgy for edginess' sake? I never read it, but its fandom was pretty scared-fash at a glance.

            • KobaCumTribute [she/her]
              ·
              1 year ago

              The most infamous of those is the one I mentioned, Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons, but the original Fallout Equestria was also pretty bad just much, much more tame than FOE:PH was.

              • UlyssesT [he/him]
                ·
                1 year ago

                You said it's related to Made in Abyss so I take it there's a lot of libertarian-alert factor too. lea-why

                • KobaCumTribute [she/her]
                  ·
                  1 year ago

                  It predates it, but it is similar in tone and grotesqueness. Although thinking about the full depth of the problems with Made in Abyss that I covered exhaustively in a post last night, FOE:PH isn't as bad. It's a gratuitous, edgy spectacle that handles problematic themes poorly, but it's merely making an exploitative spectacle of them while Made in Abyss is even worse. AFAIK most of the characters in Project Horizons are adults though, though I think there's some nonce stuff in there too.

                  • UlyssesT [he/him]
                    ·
                    1 year ago

                    I have no idea why you read it, but I assume it was something like this as a situation.

                    dead-dove-1

                    dead-dove-2

                    dead-dove-3

                    • KobaCumTribute [she/her]
                      ·
                      edit-2
                      1 year ago

                      I compulsively consume problematic slop, and was even worse about it a decade ago when I was in the process of rebuilding my schema from the ground up after dismantling twenty years of calcified repression brainworms, which is around when I read part of the then-incomplete FOE:PH specifically because of its reputation. Made in Abyss has to be the only thing that's actually made me sick to watch, however. I can't emphasize enough how even the people who condemn it undersell just how vile it is; it's in a league of awful all of its own. Like I feel even my "Made in Abyss is the worst thing anyone has ever made" rant is too soft, because I couldn't stomach really dredging up the specifics.

                      • UlyssesT [he/him]
                        ·
                        1 year ago

                        From what I know about it, there's a blurry line between "presents and does not condone, and maybe didn't read the room and has hogs eating the slop now" to "presents and claims it does not condone and it's clear the makers are also the hogs." yea

                        • KobaCumTribute [she/her]
                          ·
                          1 year ago

                          I think there's generally three fuzzy categories problematic content can fall into in mainstream works: presents [bad thing] and condemns it, clearly establishing that it's bad; presents [bad thing] and shows that it's harmful but takes no overt stance, leaving the audience to infer for themselves that it's bad; and presents [bad thing] and really revels in how the spectacle of it being awful in a crass and gratuitous way.

                          Made in Abyss is a fourth category altogether: presents [the worst shit you'll ever see] and revels in it, and narratively treats it as normal and ok. It transcends the whole "showing things are bad vs making a crass spectacle" spectrum by becoming a de facto endorsement of what it's showing off.

                          Fuck, I really need to find something to take my mind of this and hope the brain poisoning from engaging with it wears off soon.

                          • Cromalin [she/her]
                            ·
                            1 year ago

                            you mentioned watching utena, did you ever finish it? it handles a lot of the stuff that you described in made in abyss but like. it is good at condemning the way children are groomed and exploited in patriarchal societies, and never sexualizes them, and has all the characters grow and change over time

                            • KobaCumTribute [she/her]
                              ·
                              1 year ago

                              I have not gotten back to it yet, I'm still working my way through Sailor Moon and nearly through the third season.

                              • Cromalin [she/her]
                                ·
                                edit-2
                                1 year ago

                                how is that? i remember the 3rd season being my favorite, but i'm a very different person now

                                sailor moon might be better at washing away the made in abyss, so that might be smart

                                • KobaCumTribute [she/her]
                                  ·
                                  1 year ago

                                  It's ok. The earlier half of the season was better, I think, because Haruka and Michiro are more interesting characters when they're being people instead of standoffish edgelords without a fraction of the conviction they claim to have, and they get worse about doing that after the season's turning point. The fact that the story's being driven along by poor communication on all sides is also more frustrating than anything and brings the story down a bit - the back and forth between Haruka's "grr I'm so edgy and brooding, no one has my strength of conviction! I would sacrifice anyone and anything to save the world!" and Usagi's "Noooo that's bad actually!" just feels kind of hollow in the context of the main characters all literally dying in the first season and Usagi in particular having sacrificed her life no less than three times already by that point (well, I think she actually only died twice and the other time she just nearly died, but still). Chibiusa is also just an extremely grating character, though Usagi's character growth in starting to actually act like her mother is sweet and the one redeeming part of her inclusion in the story.

                          • UlyssesT [he/him]
                            ·
                            1 year ago

                            Fuck, I really need to find something to take my mind of this and hope the brain poisoning from engaging with it wears off soon.

                            Aggretsuko is a good time and may work like brain bleach with a bit of cathartic rage. sicko-wholesome

        • BeamBrain [he/him]
          ·
          1 year ago

          Mario and Pokemon are for children too and nobody gives a shit if you like them as an adult

          • Currently_on_Nitrous [comrade/them, any]
            ·
            edit-2
            1 year ago

            Mario is the tale of a union man taking mushrooms and rescuing his side piece from a human trafficking dinosaur. Pokemon is about a kid winning a series of cockfights and taking down the mafia. For kids? Hardly. morshupls

            • BeamBrain [he/him]
              ·
              1 year ago

              MLP is literally for babies that barely comprehend language and operates as such.

              You clearly don't actually know anything about the show and you're just going off of either your own assumptions or what other people have told you. I'd explain why you're wrong, but I've dealt with enough people like you to know you'd just double down. You don't have any good reason for believing what you believe. You just want an excuse to feel superior to other people.

                • BeamBrain [he/him]
                  ·
                  edit-2
                  1 year ago

                  Histerical

                  There's the misogyny! Thank you for helping prove the point of my original comment Care-Comrade

                  • UlyssesT [he/him]
                    ·
                    1 year ago

                    As @LGOrcStreetSamurai@hexbear.net already put it in this thread, the response to that show in retrospect does say a lot about the people making that response.

                    There's plenty of room to criticize its ideology and its political messages, but "X IS FOR BABIES" dogma is just... exhausting. And feeds into so much bullying-adjacent reactionary hog shit. disgost

                      • BeamBrain [he/him]
                        ·
                        1 year ago

                        You know, my trans roommate likes MLP. She used to live with her abusive family who tried to force her to detransition. Among many other ways they abused her was ridiculing her for liking MLP and forcing her to hide her interest in it, and their attitude towards her interest in the show is a lot like what I'm seeing from you right now.

                        • UlyssesT [he/him]
                          ·
                          edit-2
                          1 year ago

                          You know, my trans roommate likes MLP. She used to live with her abusive family who tried to force her to detransition. Among many other ways they abused her was ridiculing her for liking MLP and forcing her to hide her interest in it, and their attitude towards her interest in the show is a lot like what I'm seeing from you right now.

                          I work in a public school where I had seen "mature" kids bully other kids for having MLP flair on their backpacks. Or having the wrong color backpacks. Or for seeming too sensitive. Such "mature" kids tended to go to detention a lot and made teaching a lot harder than it had to be because that "maturity" seemed to compel them to bully people. debord-tired

                          The shows have changed over time, but the "X IS FOR BABIES" brainworms wriggle through, year after year.

                          • BeamBrain [he/him]
                            ·
                            edit-2
                            1 year ago

                            Holy shit the person we were arguing with went into the megathread to passive-aggressively call us out data-laughing

                            It's a good thing we have people like that around to show all the babies what a shining example of maturity looks like

                            • UlyssesT [he/him]
                              ·
                              edit-2
                              1 year ago

                              I just noticed that very mature user has an anime avatar. pathetic

                              Memes about the cointoss chance of chuddery from the anime avatar haver aside, it's pretty rich that ALL CARTOONS ARE FOR BABIES yet apparently anime cartoons are for Mature AdultPeople. morshupls

                            • UlyssesT [he/him]
                              ·
                              1 year ago

                              Holy shit the person we were arguing with went into the megathread to passive-aggressively call us out

                              Maturity intensifies frothingfash

                      • UlyssesT [he/him]
                        ·
                        1 year ago

                        You are a baby. It's why you need the bright colored images of emojis in all of your treat treatises.

                        Your mask has fallen completely off at this point. Are you going to foam at the mouth about Owl House next? frothingfash owl-wink

                          • UlyssesT [he/him]
                            ·
                            1 year ago

                            Actually, please list out every cartoon you've watched and also plan to watch.

                            Please stop namedropping cartoons you watch.

                            WATCHING CARTOONS IS AGAINST HOLY SACRED ADULTHOOD THIS REACTION TO THE VERY IDEA OF WATCHING CARTOONS IS VERY MATURE frothingfash

                            Tell me how good Dragon Tales is next.

                            ... so by your own logic, you watch Dragon Tales? fry

                            Oh! Oh! Is Futurama also FOR BABIES(tm) because it's a cartoon? farnsworth

                          • UlyssesT [he/him]
                            ·
                            edit-2
                            1 year ago

                            Actually, please list out every cartoon you've watched and also plan to watch.

                            Please stop namedropping cartoons you watch.

                            WATCHING CARTOONS IS AGAINST HOLY SACRED ADULTHOOD THIS REACTION TO THE VERY IDEA OF WATCHING CARTOONS IS VERY MATURE frothingfash

                            Tell me how good Dragon Tales is next.

                            ... so by your own logic, you watch Dragon Tales? fry

                            Oh! Oh! Is Futurama also FOR BABIES(tm) because it's a cartoon? farnsworth

                          • UlyssesT [he/him]
                            ·
                            1 year ago

                            It's one of those "for children, but not hostile toward adults that are also present" shows.

                            But apparently it's also rage bait for very mature posters here. frothingfash

                • UlyssesT [he/him]
                  ·
                  1 year ago

                  Histerical baby shit.

                  In one line you managed to present an adolescent-like preoccupation with performative adulthood in a bullying way and added some misogyny! congratulations

                    • UlyssesT [he/him]
                      ·
                      edit-2
                      1 year ago

                      The way you're presenting your "X IS FOR BABIES" dogma could be plucked right out of a grade school cafeteria from about ten years ago.

                      It really does seem immature to be that mad about people enjoying something that has insufficient "mature" blood, gore, or sexual violence for your tastes.

                      EDIT:

                      Oh, you just posted this too:

                      You are a baby. It's why you need the bright colored images of emojis in all of your treat treatises.

                      THAT KID'S LUNCHBOX HAS TOO MANY STICKERS IT IS TIME TO BULLY THEM IN A VERY MATURE WAY frothingfash

                      I take it this was written by a "baby," too?

                      Show

                        • UlyssesT [he/him]
                          ·
                          1 year ago

                          I do work in a public school; I sort of see bullies like you on a regular basis there, often harassing kids that did nothing except have the wrong color backpack, and such "mature" people like you tend to get detention. debord-tired

            • Erika2rsis@lemmy.blahaj.zone
              ·
              1 year ago

              Honestly, unless you're talking about MLP as it existed before or after the 2010s, I just don't see how you can conclude that so confidently. Friendship is Magic was better written than half of the shows that adults are supposed to like.

              • UlyssesT [he/him]
                ·
                1 year ago

                I just don't see how you can conclude that so confidently.

                "X IS FOR BABIES" dogma. Not even once. debord-tired

              • Comp4 [comrade/them]
                ·
                1 year ago

                I didnt watch all seasons of it but the first 3 seasons are a pretty fun kind hearted show. Gonna finish it one of these days.

                • uralsolo
                  ·
                  edit-2
                  1 year ago

                  deleted by creator

        • pooh [she/her]
          ·
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          It was originally written by the same person who wrote Powerpuff Girls and a lot of the humor is similar in the sense that it appeals to both kids and older viewers.

          • Erika2rsis@lemmy.blahaj.zone
            ·
            1 year ago

            the same person who wrote Powerpuff Girls

            This just in: Lauren Faust being Craig McCracken's wife was a conspiracy all along; she is actually his drag persona

            • pooh [she/her]
              ·
              1 year ago

              I thought she was a writer for that as well though?

              • Erika2rsis@lemmy.blahaj.zone
                ·
                1 year ago

                I had tried to edit with a clarification that she wrote for both series but that McCracken was the actual creator of Powerpuff Girls, but maybe that didn't load on your end.

                • pooh [she/her]
                  ·
                  1 year ago

                  Ah, ok. In that case I should clarify that while she wasn't officially the show creator, I do think a lot of the writing and jokes are similar between the two.

    • axont [she/her, comrade/them]
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      The show's sudden widespread popularity always felt like a western version of Japanese otaku culture to me. People were making their own comics, fanart, radio plays, etc. It was like doujin circles. They even would stalk the voice actresses like creeps.

      It's always been interesting to me how closely otaku and western nerds will come to imitating one another without significant contact with the other. There's like a platonic ideal of weird creepy nerd they're all drawing from in the ether. They even have their own weird fascist contingents. Japan invented incels too like in the 80s.

      • Wheaties [she/her]
        ·
        1 year ago

        Really makes you wonder. This has to be the latest iteration of a longstanding phenomenon, yeah? Cus I just cannot imagine that sort of personality was just spontaneously generated by access to the internet.

        I mean this painting exists

        Show

        • axont [she/her, comrade/them]
          ·
          1 year ago

          I've always thought there had to have been weird obsessives in like 1850 who spent too much time on the telegraph

          • Wheaties [she/her]
            ·
            1 year ago

            You're always clacking away at the teleprinter, why don't you go out and make some friends?

      • uralsolo
        ·
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        deleted by creator

    • UlyssesT [he/him]
      ·
      1 year ago

      The hatred of My Little Pony's was the precursor to modern online fandom discourse. People's online response to this show (good, bad, or indifferent) warped how the internet talks about fandom in a major way and online culture as whole in a lesser extent.

      Look in this thread. The old tiresome "X is for babies" symptomatic brainworms wriggling is on display. yea

        • UlyssesT [he/him]
          ·
          1 year ago

          I think it's so inevitable that even bringing up that particular show is going to churn out a similar vibe to what happened in the early 2000s if someone so much as brought up furries. frothingfash

          • uralsolo
            ·
            edit-2
            1 year ago

            deleted by creator

            • UlyssesT [he/him]
              ·
              1 year ago

              At the risk of setting them off again, I argue that Gambo, at its height, was like that, and unlike FiM or even R&M it had painfully mainstream saturation. It was basically impossible to exist in public anywhere with a line or a waiting room, where a TV or a magazine could be found, without "WHICH MURDERFUCKER IS ON THE IRON THRONE THIS WEEK?" so-true headlined everywhere, for years. I had to involuntarily learn a lot about that show during that time.

              • uralsolo
                ·
                edit-2
                1 year ago

                deleted by creator

                • UlyssesT [he/him]
                  ·
                  1 year ago

                  The banker-born sexpest failson creeps that ran that show had everything going for it and still drove it into the ground with sheer fucking hubris with a side order of resentment toward Emilia Clarke because she started pushing back and didn't want to just be their (CW: SV)

                  spoiler

                  actually-weeping-because-of-contractual-coercion SV plaything on camera anymore so they character assassinated the character then had her murderfucked as petty retaliation.

      • LGOrcStreetSamurai [he/him]
        ·
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        Maybe it's rooted in weird gender coding stuff? I do find it odd the selective salty-ness of the net being weirded out by one children's animated television show but not another. I'm not even on the "let people enjoy things" tip, but it's just weird the show about unicorns, rainbows, and friendship gets mad hate but if it were a show about kiddos fist fighting against the forces of evil and you get a pass.

        It's always just "You are grown, you are watching a show for girls." It's never any valid leftist critique one could probably make in a integrious way like the original poster talking about centrism for example.

        Personally I don't rock with MLP. However, I dig lots of the new generations cartoons like "Adventure Time" and "Rise of the TMNT" which are "for boys" but no one bugs out about that. Which is kinda telling to me.

        As if we all didn't go see Barbie by the way. A movie about a product "for babies".

        • AcidSmiley [she/her]
          ·
          1 year ago

          Maybe it's rooted in weird gender coding stuff?

          A lot of it is, "girly" media are constantly ridiculed and villified to an extent that hypermasculine Vin Diesel shlock never is. but ima be honest here, what put me off in regards to MLP where the fedora guys fantasizing about horse ass all day.

        • UlyssesT [he/him]
          ·
          1 year ago

          As if we all didn't go see Barbie by the way.

          I think a recent version of "X IS FOR BABIES" brainworms came from people that didn't just not see Barbie (it's fine, no one has to watch it) but made "didn't see Barbie" into some badge of maturity (or in some cases, performative masculinity) in contrast to Oppenheimer (it's fine, you are allowed to watch it, or not) as, once again, MATURITY(tm) discourse.