Turtles, owls, Catholicism, feminism, violet, weird things, cute animals, rants, rainbows, reflections, assorted sundry things.I have so many anger feels about My Little Pony right now
But most of my followers don’t watch the show and don’t wanna hear about it while the rest of you will probably fucking crucify me because that’s what happens to people with legitimate fucking grievances in this fandom apparently because these cartoon ponies can do no wrong. So I’m slapping it under Read More and preparing for angry asks and unfollows like a bitch.
Probably not enough people care for those things to happen.
Also, for the people who care, trigger warning! Ableist shit.
This is long but was profoundly validating for me to read. I am not a MLP “fan” in the sense of “fandom” but have been getting into it because the girls watch it and just caught up on this whole “Derpy Hooves” incident. I wasn’t surprised to learn that “fandom” had done something stupid and offensive, that’s par for the course. But I was HORRIFIED, like sick to my stomach sinking elevator fucking disappointed and revolted, to learn that the show’s writers actually had adopted the moniker “Derpy” for that character, in response to pressure from the “brony community.” I caught myself about to just break right down and cry, thinking of my 3.5 year old with the speech delay who finally learned to say her “p”s so she could talk about Pinky Pie. The look of effort on her sweet little face as she focused all her effort on saying the name of her favorite pony: Pinky Pie, and the pride she showed as we all finally understood her. It was important that we know Pinky Pie by her proper name, because Pinky Pie is so important to my little Turtle Girl. And then all week since, telling me how excited she is to see her speech therapist and tell her about Pinky Pie. And how she is so, so sweet and clever and makes huge creative play scenarios that look like the set of a miniature movie but she is still struggling to talk as well as her 22 month old sister, and how she had a problem with her eye when she was a baby that made her a little bit crosseyed at times…the thought of her watching MLP one day and seeing this character and being betrayed by her favorite fantasy world…hearing from Rainbow Dash, the pony queen bee, that cross-eyed clumsy ponies who have trouble speaking aren’t good enough to be included or to help out. (And how my Turtle Girl loves to help out! She competes with her sisters for an opportunity to close a door or fetch a diaper or turn off a light.) All of a sudden, the safety of pony-land was shattered for me…it has become yet another thing I have to screen and potentially protect them from.
As a mother, I would like to kick some brony ass. But most of all, the producers. WTF. THIS IS A SHOW FOR KIDS. Especially for little girls, who have so few positive messages in the media for them. It is NOT a show for loserassed perpetual adolescents who spend too much time on Deviant Art. How DARE you make a decision that could hurt my child and other children with special needs, just to appease some niche market of man-child shut-ins?
Adults, find your own hobbies. Enjoy kids’ shows if you wish, there’s no shame in it. But LEAVE IT ALONE. Stop trying to influence it to serve YOUR adult interests and humor. Gah. You have options and (at least the potential for) perspective. Sweet, awkward baby girls DON’T.
