Movies & TV Jul 9, 2014 at 4:00 pm

A Brony Tale: Friendship Is Creepy

A BRONY TALE "Hello. I'll see you in your sweat-slicked nightmares."

Comments

1
You think it's weird because? Oh thats right, because you're sexist
2
bet the portland mercury has no fanbase so she makes fun of us cause she is sexist and is afraid of change. before you look down on us why dont u get your foot out your ass and go to bronycon or any pony convention before looking down on us for liking something that brings people all over together. i have made alot of good friends cause of ponies so u elinor need to wake up and see what we really are wich is kind people
3
I bet you hated this documentary because of the “ew bronies are pedophiles” stereotype. This isn't even a review. It's a rant about bronies defying social stigmas set by big-named companies, such as Hasbro. This “review” is the manifestation of why I hate pop culture: They're to closed-minded to “nerdy” things. I may be a bit biased, considering I'm a pegasister (yeah, there are girl fans, too dumbass), but next time you critique something, make sure you stay on topic and not be a sexist bitch. Grow a heart.

P.S.: It's smart you used that picture. It's the only thing that supports your stereotypical opinion.
4
I agree before you judge go and watch this documentary.
5
Whoa, seeing some hurtful responses here. I agree it's biased, but "we are really kind people" does not go well with "pull your foot out of your ass". L&T herd. L&T.
6
you know, I created an account JUST so I could call you out on the huge amount of STUPIDITY you have. Seriously, what the FUCK is wrong with you, how dare you say such horrible things about us bronies.

you know, normally I would love and tolerate the shit out of you, but considered you had to post an ENTIRE ARTICLE, no, I give no forgiveness to sexist haters like you.
have you even SEEN brony statistics? do you know ANYTHING about us? HAVE YOU EVEN SEEN THE SHOW?

no, of course not, because you don't do your research, because you judge entire fanbase based on a few bad apples. guess what, EVERY FANDOM HAS BAD APPLES!

and if you are truly, TRULY man enough to reply to this upon reading it, I expect an apology, because NOONE likes people like you, NOPONY wants to go to equestriadaily and be reminded that there are IGNORANT SNOBS like you out there.

GOOD DAY SIR!
7
ASHLEIGH BALL has never seemed snobbish or assholish to me. Whoever wrote this blog post sounds like a jaded Social Justice Warrior.
8
*Sigh* Its one of these again. Listen your making your judgments based on that bronies are weird, and they are. However this hits all the points of a typical brony rant rather than seeing what is positive about our fandom you just bash it. Listen, I think you should hang up you hat and stop 'reviewing' for a while and come back when you decide to do something constructive.
9
That's ok, women and girls can have their spaces. But that means massive tits in my video games, and if you feel creeped out, GTFO my vija games and back to the pink isle.
10
Sexist much?
11
literally this entire documentary is about how it's okay to defy gender roles just for the sake of liking something yOU ARE MISSING THE GODDAM POINT yeah we're wierd but since when does weird not ultimately develop into cool in this society (I.E metal, Star Wars, Video Games) so get your head out of your ass and look at Society's patterns
12
I will agree that a parent should be aware when a man is speaking with their child, yet not because he is in the girl's toy section. This article implies that toy sections with an overabundance of pink are somehow sacred ground where the Y chromosome should not trespass.

Yet if a girl where to literally reach across the aisle and grab a Power Ranger or Transformer, would you snatch her back and say, "No! Those are for boys!"

If females are encouraged to break away from gender roles, then males should be allowed the same. A parent always has the duty to be aware, yet there is no inherent "ick" factor beyond your own bias.
13
Bronies are awesome and nobody cares what Elinor Jones thinks anyway. She only has 211 twitter followers lol.
14
I'm surprised the Mercury lets itself be represented by such astounding sexism and close-mindedness.
15
I live here in Portland, and I gotta say this article is very unlike the usual positive accepting nature that is so common in my great city. Elinor Jones must not be from the area, because anyone from Portland knows the phrase "Keep Portland Weird", and live by it. I'm a brony so I guess I must be "Ick". Seriously Elinor stop publishing this kind of closed minded garbage, that's not what Oregon is about.
16
Elinor probably isn't even aware of the anti-woman bias in this article. We cheer girls when they participate in sports, play with "boy" toys, or engage in traditionally masculine roles, but when males do the reverse, we label them creepy and tell them to go back to their designated toy aisle. Why is it that a girl engaging in a masculine activity is seen as "empowering" but the reverse is frowned upon?

Because our culture still clings to the notion that anything female -- and feminine -- is weak and inferior, and so we look down on bronies and any other men not interested in manly activities because they are lowering themselves to the level of what we see as an inferior gender. Elinor's "ick" speaks volumes about her unconscious bias.

Not only has she failed to objectively review the film, (choosing instead to pass judgement on its subjects; a rookie mistake when reviewing a documentary) she's managed to display sexism against both males and females in the process. How disappointing.
17
ELINOR IS SEXIST AND JUST PLAIN WRONG
18
Is this suppose to be a review or is it just rant?
19
IS THIS SUPPOSED TO BE HUMOROUS!?
20
Is this supposed to be a review of "A Brony Tale"? Because it looks more like a statement of opinion. What of the movie? How would you rate it? Do you think it was well filmed and produced? These are questions I look for in a review. All I see here is a statement of "This movie will say they're not weird. My opinion is that they are." that and a short description of what the movie is are really all you've given. I wouldn't call this a review. Regardless of whether i agree with you or not, I see this as bad journalism.
21
As a female, I find this whole 'review' insulting. I don't approve of the sexist, myopic views portrayed in it.

One: Girls shouldn't be limited to the 'pink aisle'; but as a counter point, boys shouldn't be prohibited from it. I think that everypony should have the same right to like what they want, be it ponies, barbies, explosions, or zombies (or a mixture thereof).

Two: To place your own ideals on another person is just welcoming backlash. As you've probably noticed now. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but bashing someone else with it (especially a whole CULTURE) is just begging for a total flame war.

Three: Next time you review something, actually watch it. Analyse it, study it... Try to understand it before you write a judgemental review. Before looking so harshly on a subject, try looking at it from their viewpoint. You can't really write a proper review on a topic you only see from a skewed perspective.

And I think that about covers it. I could probably type up a review to your review that would rival it in length, possibly going double what it originally was.... But I'll stop here, because I've said my piece.

I don't know you, personally, so I don't know why you harbour such hatred for people who happen to have different life choices to you. And as it's a fandom that teaches love and tolerance, I won't try to judge you. All I will say is, I'm sorry that you feel the need to punish and judge anything different. And I do hope you will someday understand that the true meaning of friendship isn't being alike or liking what everypony else does. It's about accepting those differences, and loving others- not in spite of, but because of those differences.
22
GOD ELINOR, IT'S LIKE YOU CANNOT EVEN BE FROM OREGON IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN REVERSE SEXISM

IF YOU ONLY LEARNED TO RIDE A TALL BIKE

THEN YOU WOULD KNOW

THE OPPRESSION OF THE BRONY

UGH I CAN'T BELIEVE I FOLLOW HER ON TWITTER, SHE LIKE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THAT MEN'S PRIVILEGE INTERSECTING WITH SUBCULTURE IS LIKE COMPLETELY WORTHY OF PURE CELEBRATION AND ZERO CRITICAL THOUGHT AND THEY ARE LIKE? REALLY HURT THAT YOU ARE DISCRIMINATING AGAINST THEIR VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION IN A CARTOON FANDOM BY SAYING ICK. IT IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE SYSTEMATIC SOCIETAL DISEMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN SINCE FOREVER.

YOU'RE LIKE BASICALLY A MISOGYNIST WHY CAN'T YOU JUST PRACTICE THE KINDNESS AND LOVE OF MY LITTLE PONY
GOOD LUCK DYING ALONE
23
I tried posting here a little while ago, but I don't think it went through, so I'm posting again.

I work in a gun store. Traditionally, it's one of the most conservative environments you can think of. Sometimes (thankfully not very often, most customers are actually very courteous)) I meet some of the most bigoted, bluntly racist and shamefully ignorant people you can imagine. People who think that slavery is "just the way things were meant to be". I've heard people say things like Muslim families "should be used as target practice", and people who truly believe that women "belong in the kitchen and have no business voting or serving in the military". Needless to say, we reserve the right to refuse service to anybody. Especially those who preach hate.

Now despite this, gay men and lesbian women regularly purchase weapons there, same as anybody else. The point I'm trying to make here is, are these people "out of place"? Because being "out of place" seems to be a large concern for you. I'm a father of two, and I watch my children like a hawk to look out for them. No matter where we are, if I do see something that seems out of the ordinary, I keep a closer eye on things, but I never, ever immediately pass judgement on who an individual might be.

I think this documentary was excellent. Most people do. But to attack it with "bronies are weird" is just plain unfair.

These are human beings who have stepped outside of their comfort zone to show the world who they are and what they're about, the same world that throws slander and bigoted comments in their faces for being honest with the world, and more importantly, to themselves. Do you realize how difficult that is?

If YOU have a problem with this movie, a documentary about real human beings who are honest and genuine about who they are despite constant ridicule, who raise thousands in charity money for those in dire need of help, and who aren't hurting anybody, then clearly the problem lies with YOU. If YOU cannot get over your own personal barriers about a community of people who are different from the norm, who actually give a damn about being decent to each other, who care about something greater than themselves, and can still have fun doing it, then I think YOU need to start thinking about what makes them so happy, because I believe you missed one of the major points of the documentary.

I say these things not to attack you, Jones, but to suggest that I think you need to step outside of your own personal comfort bubble to see the situation from a different perspective. I hope this post has at least made you think again about the subject matter, and also about the extra kick you have delivered to the community that keeps on giving. If you wish to reply, please contact me for an honest, civil discussion at axelgear@mail.com, and thank you for taking the time to read my post.
24
do you honestly think saying you felt like an asshole and ashleigh ball probably being one, besides also being a snob, in an accessory sentence will make up for the whole review being BS?
reading comprehension, you obviously have none.

"part of me feels like a little bit of an asshole (and maybe Ashleigh is one, too)"

you do realize the difference between "part of me feels" and "maybe ashleigh is one"?

if you don't, you really shouldn't write stuff to get published.

sure, my english is bad, but that's no excuse or explanation for this article. your entire thinking is rotten to the core.
you didn't even let yourself miss the chance to insult the guy in the photo for no reason at all other than you being an offensive untalented pseudojournalist

"Hello. I'll see you in your sweat-slicked nightmares."
how clever and funny. except that it's not.

do yourself a favor and quit your job. you suck on every level and don't deserve to get paid for this. maybe you can keep ranting on your twitter noone gives a damn about.
25
I made an account here just recently, and this will most likely be my one and only entry. The only reason why I made this account was due to what I heard about this article, and I had to respond.

Are you serious? I feel required to ask the following question since you are a supposed "Impartial reporter". You know, the type of person that a reputable news agency should require in a reporter. And the question is this; Are you writing based on biased beliefs, or have you actually interacted with people on both sides and written an unbiased report as to the motives of the party in question?

Please allow me to answer that question in your absence- No, you haven't, and it is obvious from the short and frankly, stone-throwing, hate-mongering, saber-rattling, and ...dare I say it... but sexist comments in your close-minded "article" (and I say article vice closed-minded rhetoric).

A majority of the Brony fandom... since it is clearly evident that you did absolutely 0% research on the subject... is largely from the latchkey and post-latchkey kid era. A time when shows on tv had a message to give to children watching. Life lessons like stranger danger and why drugs are bad. Nowadays you have channels like.... well let's say it rhymes with The Whismey Panel... which, from their shows, teaches kids growing up that you don't have to worry about the future. By the time you are 12, you will have a singing contract, or your parents will own a hotel or a cruise ship, or you will have an acting career, so don't try hard and don't set yourself up for personal achievements, because everything will come to you without trying. It is refreshing that, in this day in age, a tv show comes on that helps to reinforce the basic life lessons that all of us needs to learn. Lessons like... life alone is hard, but easier with friends... that you should never take a friend for granted, no matter what the circumstances are... that you should never ignore the problems of those around you. These are life-lessons that should not be restricted to just one gender, or age. By stating that a show should just be watched by one gender, but not by the other, or by one age group, but not by the other, you are enforcing the stereotypes that are causing the very problems that we are seeing in society today.

Yes, My Little Pony was originally aimed at a young girl audience. Yet it has found a greater audience. Perhaps the real question that your supposed "article" should have addressed was not what... but why? Why do so many adult males and females (yes, you failed to mention it, but there is a large "pegasister" following of adult females) (and, is it creepy that a 25 year old woman is in the "My Little Pony" isle talking to your child, boy or girl, about "tiny sparkled horses"?) follow the show? Maybe there is more to the show than your pre-programmed (as "society" tells you to think) mind has to offer. In closing, I will pose to you this one question; why, in this day in age when boundaries on all sides are being pushed, would you fight the delineation of what is perceived as masculine or feminine, and accept the fact that, at a basic level, male or female, young or old, we all have the same basic morals that need to be taught to us? That, although we may be different, that at the core, we all, man or woman, young or old, have lessons to be learned.
26
I'm not seeing the sexism! The "out of place" comment isn't about boys buying girl toys. It's about 20-somethings buying little kid toys. (Jason Stevens, so a better analogy would be if a six year old came to the gun shop to get a gun.)
27
"Ashleigh's happy for her regular gig voicing dayglo ponies on a cartoon for little girls"

--see, that is the mistake most people make...
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is MADE FOR all ages/sexes--it is MARKETED at little girls(and of course PERCEIVED that way by people with attitudes stuck in the last century)

that is a very important distinction

my favorite way to describe it is: it's The Waltons..with colorful talking horses
28
And this is coming from a city with the slogan "Keep Portland Weird." Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! As a former Oregonian, in surprised at the blatant sexism in this article. And no, I'm not a brony. I think MLP is a decent cartoon when most others these days suck, but I'm sick and tired of the ridicule for anyone that doesn't fit into the gender role mold.
29
Lol furries and neck beards are the hilariousist when they're pissed off when it's pointed out how creepy they are for masturbating to Butterfree and Chimchar and the other anthropomorphic fucktoys. Maybe they should get outside and stop wearing disgusting fedoras.
30
This is up there with some of the Blogtown greats. Solid representation by outside group that picked up the story elsewhere and had to create accounts to comment, repeated attacks against the author that have nothing to do with the content, and evocative arguments in favor of the sub-groups awesomeness (despite acknowledging, that yeah, they're a little weird (and yes, it's a great cartoon)). All in all I give this thread 4/5 stars. Had to drop a star due to the lack of personal attacks from regular commenters. Solid Popcorn Thread.
31
I liked this documentary, and I don't mind seeing a negative review of it. People have different opinions, and I respect that. That said, I'm disappointed at the statements used both by some of my fellow bronies in the comments as well as by the author in her final paragraph.

To the author: I don't have a problem with people still feeling off about bronies. It certainly looks odd from the outside, depending on your level of open-mindedness to the idea. One of my best friends still hates bronies, but when it comes to a review in a publication I see no reason for why you needed to use the phrasing you did. Your last few statements sound much more like a personal attack on the guy telling him to stay in his "proper place". There are other ways to express your distaste for the idea than trying to make a personal attack on one of the interviewees.

To some of the bronies here: I get it's frustrating to read some parts of this article, but shouting out your anger and throwing harsh words around doesn't help our case. We can express disagreement without yelling and being super angry about it. Let's not try to make our public image any worse.
32
Here's the thing. I say this to Elinor, and even to everyone in the comments section. Remember this sage truth:

"Being part of ANY fandom is fundamentally embarrassing."
33
I am absolutely calling this article out as both sexist and homophobic. Allowing women to embrace traditionally masculine forms of expression also requires allowing (and even encouraging) men to embrace more traditionally feminine forms of expression.

As the mother of a 13 year old, straight, entirely non-weird, socially adjusted brony whose favorite character is Pinkie Pie I gotta tell you that the thing I enjoy most (besides the fact that the show is actually pretty well written for a cartoon) is that my son does not experience harrassment at school about this. He has a community of male and female MLP fans. There's even a club. We've evolved to the point that heteronormative men can enjoy colors, characters and experiences traditionally reserved for girly girls and have it not be cause for bullying at school. That's effing awesome and this reviewer needs to think deeply about the ingrained misogyny that makes her feel icky about boys who like "girly stuff." SERIOUSLY.
34
Me thinks the bronies doth protest too much. And a massive nerve was touched. Grown men who collect little boys toys are weird, grown men who are into things designed for little girls are weirder. Weird does not necessarily equate to bad. Overly politically correct people are stupid. People who throw around the term sexist are stupid. Portland remove thyself from thine own arse.
35
Is there any Brony event coming up? I think Ol' Steve Humprey just found his Worst. Night. Ever.
36
Hi, it's me, Elinor Jones, the writer of this review.

I got two new twitter followers today, bringing my total to 213. Can I participate in this discussion yet? Or do I need more? Let me know!

Yours in friendship/magic,
Elinor
37
YOU ARE HISTORY'S GREATEST MONSTER BUT NOW I'M THINKING YOU COMMAND A LOT OF ATTENTION AND INFLUENCE
38
Brony, furry whatever, just something to giggle at.
39
Nevermind. I'm not wading into here.
40
ITT: Future Child Molesters of America
41
ITT: Bahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!

Who knew trolling the pony brigade would be such fantastic click-bait.
42
Well, it can't be worse than Chunty, so I'll dip my toes.

I'd be down with the Brony lifestyle, but I just can't find a plushie sturdy enough for my Fleshlight.
43
>writer has a tumblr
>writer re-blogs post about review bringing up comments this is getting
>writer's tumblr followers proceed with typical anti-brony tumblr circlejerk echo chamber
>same old song and dance #15348

learn to take criticism, you'll be viewed as a professional a lot longer than this
44
While it may be true that some parents would prefer their daughters not talk unsupervised with adult male fans about their common interest, I think this could be applicable to anything with child/adult overlap. Let's say Minecraft. "Do you want your daughter talking about Minecraft with a GROWN MAN?" Is that a reason adult male Minecraft players should be regarded as creepy? I think all you've hit on here is the concern that a random adult male may be a sex offender and thus shouldn't be allowed to interact with children. Whether that's fair or not has little to do with bronies specifically.
45
you brony people need serious help. just look at yourself and how you're acting. fucking creeps.

hi ot

TCS
46
And the comments showing if there's one thing bronies can't stand, it's criticism. What happened to all that love and tolerance guys?
47
...and now there's another article on this site talking about the (understandably) negative responses to this article's uninformed and sexist response to the brony fandom. (Wait, wasn't there supposed to be an actual review of a documentary wedged in here somewhere?)

I see Portland Mercury is milking this brony bump for all it's worth. I hear Homestuck, Harry Potter, or Insane Clown Posse fans are also pretty adamant. I'll bet y'all could write a few articles criticizing their fandoms with the same "journalistic rigor" as this one and keep the click-train going. (You know, for a while at least, before a complete lack of meaningful or, I dunno, actually researched content relegates you to a comfortable and totally ignorable place on the internet next to other tabloids.) Whatever pays the bills, right?
48
Haha! Ok, sorry-- yes this is egg on my face for not doing my research: I hadn't realized the Mercury was already a pointless shock tabloid before posting my comment above.

Anyway, enjoy your brony bump as we all go back to totally ignoring you!
49
Promise?
50
haters gonna hate
yet everyone is always surprised when they do
51
How is the "little girl" isle of the toy store a "mom only" zone?

Unless you are gushing over the darn things, nobody is going to know you aren't just buying something for your niece, daughter, etc.

Its certainly far less weird than going down that isle with a bunch of other Bronies.
52
The adjective "weird" always speaks volumes more about the person using it. Just because your experiences have been so limited that anything as charming, sweet and wonderful as males embracing magic and good storytelling seems creepy, don't think the rest of us haven't had experiences making us realize what a wonderful thing it is.

Go watch your football game/video game and ignore your girlfriend.
53
So I just saw a response article in which another person at the paper posted the single worst brony comment from the article, followed by a 'calm' example which was fine, but emphasized primarily calling extreme responses out.

"As a female, I find this whole 'review' insulting. I don't approve of the sexist, myopic views portrayed in it.

One: Girls shouldn't be limited to the 'pink aisle'; but as a counter point, boys shouldn't be prohibited from it. I think that everypony should have the same right to like what they want, be it ponies, barbies, explosions, or zombies (or a mixture thereof).

Two: To place your own ideals on another person is just welcoming backlash. As you've probably noticed now. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but bashing someone else with it (especially a whole CULTURE) is just begging for a total flame war.

Three: Next time you review something, actually watch it. Analyse it, study it... Try to understand it before you write a judgemental review. Before looking so harshly on a subject, try looking at it from their viewpoint. You can't really write a proper review on a topic you only see from a skewed perspective.

And I think that about covers it. I could probably type up a review to your review that would rival it in length, possibly going double what it originally was.... But I'll stop here, because I've said my piece.

I don't know you, personally, so I don't know why you harbour such hatred for people who happen to have different life choices to you. And as it's a fandom that teaches love and tolerance, I won't try to judge you. All I will say is, I'm sorry that you feel the need to punish and judge anything different. And I do hope you will someday understand that the true meaning of friendship isn't being alike or liking what everypony else does. It's about accepting those differences, and loving others- not in spite of, but because of those differences."

You should have put up the excellent example I quoted, but I see why you would not. Since you have a way to control how a casual reader reacts to the situation, why emphasize a post that demonstrates mercury's terrible standards when you could just try to pretend the critics are internet trolls?

Good to see that a lack of accountability or honesty is consistent across your service.
54
It's about fucking friendship and magic you sexist bitch! Grown men who want to hang out with little kids should always be taken at face value!
55
I hope next week's letters page in the print edition is 100% broney butthurt.

Oh, and before someone says it: No, Broney Butthurt would be a stupid name for a band.
56
Something you may want to watch and consider:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Est3UNs-LIk
57
And it would be just as creepy if women watched a show meant for boys, right? And being creeped out just means Elinor and friends are the "normal" people, the cool kids, not that they have lots of gender double standards, latent homophobia and transphobia, right? They aren't standing with the bullies who beat up gender non-conformist boys their whole damn lives, right? Because bigotry against gender non-conformist males isn't really bigotry since it is bigotry against someone with male genatalia. And the suffering and plight of real-life gender-nonconformist boys doesn't matter. Because even though they are always abused growing up, often rejected by their own families, and discriminated against their whole life is still okay. And it's okay to make fun of because other people do it, and because the targets of the bigotry are male. Glad we got that straightened out, genius Elinor!
58
You'd think that a heavily liberal and 'open-minded' publication which heavily advocates LGBT, public nudity sexual degeneracy and other controversial cultural topics wouldn't take such a lowbrow look at the MLP fandom.
59
This journalist is getting wrecked in the comments! :D
60
Fedora wearing creeps
61
Anyone who is that into "My Little Pony" who is over the age of about 7 sounds a little strange regardless of gender.
62
Pop culture is for everyone. It's nobody's business if I'm wearing Hello Kitty underwear. Which I'm not. Really. Doctor Who all the way!
63
It makes the whole thing even weirder when bronies take this shit so seriously that they're concerned about their public image and want their interest in magic and rainbow-colored ponies to not be ridiculed. When you declare that your philosophy is friendship and magic and candyland, doesn't that kind of preclude you from being pissed off on the internet?
Tonic, "males embracing magic" is "sweet and wonderful"? But magic isn't real. It's sweet when little kids believe in it because they're not supposed to know any better. Isn't growing up something that adults are supposed to do? I know it kind of sucks in a way, but not as much as being a person in an adult body who gets glassy-eyed at the mention of rainbows and magic, right? Unless you want other adults to have to take care of you, don't you need to have some kind of grip on reality and not take this shit so seriously? So yeah, like the show, that's fine, but have some self-awareness about it and recognize that it will seem odd to others, and that it's not as though the rest of us don't value friendship and good storytelling. Okay, I've already said more about this than I should.
64
Hello Kitty is cool. The little ponies are not. That's the difference. But really, Sailor Moon. That is all.
65
At least we know Elinor wasn't using this review to score brony points.
66
For those not already completely creeped out by bronies:

http://i.imgur.com/70sHVA1.jpg

Please wait...

Comments are closed.

Commenting on this item is available only to members of the site. You can sign in here or create an account here.


Add a comment
Preview

By posting this comment, you are agreeing to our Terms of Use.