Well today I went back to school after about a month off. Going back to school at college is kind of weird because unlike high school, you don't just go back and everything's the same you have to start all over. New classes, new teachers, new people. Luckily, I have Amanda B (sadly the B does not stand for Bynes) in Anthropology with me. I gotta say I think I'm gonna like Anthropology. The teacher has a large glass case full of skulls so there's that... I went to the book store during break, spent 10 minutes looking for my books, then wasted 30 minutes in the world's longest line, just to get to the register and forget my card number. That was not a pleasant experience. I start Art tomorrow, kind of nervous and excited. I hope it isn't too hard. I also don't have any supplies for that class yet so I hope that works out. Gotta brave the book store again tomorrow grr...... Better get back to my homework and listening to Simon and Garfunkel.
Also, for anyone that thinks I exaggerate about Amy, I don't. She likes to bang her head on walls just because. If she was a human, she would most definitely be institutionalized by now. Fortunately for her she's a cat so she ain't got nothing to worry about.
-Matthew
Monday, January 6, 2014
Saturday, January 4, 2014
My Take On Bronies
If there's one phenomenon taking the world by storm these days it's My Little Pony. Everyone and their cat (not including Ariel, she's very anti-Pony) seems to be going gaga for these little creatures. My Little Pony has been around since the 80's, the franchise has spawned 4 television series', tons of toys, and the world's most annoying theme song. As a kid I never had any interest in them (shocking I know), but if I were to suddenly get sucked into the world of Ponyville today as a 19-year-old straight guy I wouldn't be alone. As matter-of-fact a large portion of the My Little Pony franchise today is made up of the demographic that I just described. Yes you read that correctly, lots and lots of teenage boys love My Little Pony. Dubbing themselves "Bronies" these fans make music, homemade toys, fan art, and even attend conventions wearing MLP t-shirts and costumes. Now, I'm usually not one to judge people based on their interests, but I have to say I don't understand it.
My Little Pony is made for little girls. When I say My Little Pony is made for little girls it is literally made for little girls. The maturity level of this show is slightly above that of Barney and Sesame Street. The characters names include Twilight Sparkles, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. Additionally, there is not a single male pony among the main cast and hardly any in the show at all.
I'm not saying that it's bad to watch cartoons as an adult because I myself still love watching cartoons both current ones and classics from my childhood. However, I couldn't sit down and just enjoy a Barney marathon or an episode of Dora the Explorer because I'm not a part of the target audience. These shows are meant to entertain and teach young children, not guys in their late teens. One of the reasons people love the show so much is because it has "complex storylines" and "relatable characters." Exactly what about this show is complex or relatable? I guess having butt tattoos that's kind of complex right? I watched a short clip of the show and it was hard to get through. The dialogue is obviously written for very young children and I just could not find the show as watchable. Like I said before it is made for very young children so of course I am not going to enjoy it.
I will say this though, society tends to be nicer to girls who are into stereotypical "boy" things such as trucks, Power Rangers, and Transformers and not so nice to little boys who watch a show about the magical town of Ponyville. Which begs the question what about little boys, should THEY watch My Little Pony? Maybe. Honestly I don't know, not being a 4-year-old anymore I can't say how I would react to this show.
I think there needs to be a better balance of shows for both boys AND girls. So many things have always been targeted at either boys OR girls. What is wrong with having an equal balance of male and female characters? Arther had a great mix of both male and female characters, the X-Men have always had lots of females in their roster. Even kids shows which have female leads such as Lizzie McGuire, Hannah Montana, or That's So Raven still appealed to me as a kid. Despite the main characters being female, they still went through things that I went through (except that episode of Lizzie McGuire where she proclaims to the world that she wants a bra). Lizzie was just an average girl, nothing spectacular, with a normal family and normal problems for a girl her age, Hannah/Miley (although incredibly whiny and selfish) was an interesting concept for a show and never did anything too deep in the realm of femininity to push me away from watching it, and Raven was just hilarious. But these shows also have something that My Little Pony doesn't: male characters. On Lizzie we would get to see her brother, her friend Gordo, and her dad have just as much screentime as she did. They had their own plots that were about things that guys went through at those particular ages. So even if you couldn't relate to Lizzie or Miranda, there were always the men in her life that boys could find entertaining. Same with Hannah and Raven. Both had a dad, a male friend, and a brother. They also taught kids that it was okay to be friends with girls, and that they weren't always so "yucky."
So about those Bronies, if they want to watch My Little Pony they can. if they want to dress up and go to conventions, they can. It's not a matter of life or death. Just because some men like a show about magic ponies doesn't mean the apocalypse will come or the population of the Earth will get infected with a disease. Does the show have any appeal to men? No. Is the show written for a very young audience? Yes. Is it weird that gown men would want to actually want to spend their time watching My Little Pony? Yeah, it kind of is. I'm not saying it because" boys should only like things made for boys," I'm saying this because the show does not do anything to appeal to adult audiences, especially men.
Oh, and in regards to the "Cloppers" you are sick sick people. Get help.
-Matthew
My Little Pony is made for little girls. When I say My Little Pony is made for little girls it is literally made for little girls. The maturity level of this show is slightly above that of Barney and Sesame Street. The characters names include Twilight Sparkles, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. Additionally, there is not a single male pony among the main cast and hardly any in the show at all.
I'm not saying that it's bad to watch cartoons as an adult because I myself still love watching cartoons both current ones and classics from my childhood. However, I couldn't sit down and just enjoy a Barney marathon or an episode of Dora the Explorer because I'm not a part of the target audience. These shows are meant to entertain and teach young children, not guys in their late teens. One of the reasons people love the show so much is because it has "complex storylines" and "relatable characters." Exactly what about this show is complex or relatable? I guess having butt tattoos that's kind of complex right? I watched a short clip of the show and it was hard to get through. The dialogue is obviously written for very young children and I just could not find the show as watchable. Like I said before it is made for very young children so of course I am not going to enjoy it.
I will say this though, society tends to be nicer to girls who are into stereotypical "boy" things such as trucks, Power Rangers, and Transformers and not so nice to little boys who watch a show about the magical town of Ponyville. Which begs the question what about little boys, should THEY watch My Little Pony? Maybe. Honestly I don't know, not being a 4-year-old anymore I can't say how I would react to this show.
I think there needs to be a better balance of shows for both boys AND girls. So many things have always been targeted at either boys OR girls. What is wrong with having an equal balance of male and female characters? Arther had a great mix of both male and female characters, the X-Men have always had lots of females in their roster. Even kids shows which have female leads such as Lizzie McGuire, Hannah Montana, or That's So Raven still appealed to me as a kid. Despite the main characters being female, they still went through things that I went through (except that episode of Lizzie McGuire where she proclaims to the world that she wants a bra). Lizzie was just an average girl, nothing spectacular, with a normal family and normal problems for a girl her age, Hannah/Miley (although incredibly whiny and selfish) was an interesting concept for a show and never did anything too deep in the realm of femininity to push me away from watching it, and Raven was just hilarious. But these shows also have something that My Little Pony doesn't: male characters. On Lizzie we would get to see her brother, her friend Gordo, and her dad have just as much screentime as she did. They had their own plots that were about things that guys went through at those particular ages. So even if you couldn't relate to Lizzie or Miranda, there were always the men in her life that boys could find entertaining. Same with Hannah and Raven. Both had a dad, a male friend, and a brother. They also taught kids that it was okay to be friends with girls, and that they weren't always so "yucky."
So about those Bronies, if they want to watch My Little Pony they can. if they want to dress up and go to conventions, they can. It's not a matter of life or death. Just because some men like a show about magic ponies doesn't mean the apocalypse will come or the population of the Earth will get infected with a disease. Does the show have any appeal to men? No. Is the show written for a very young audience? Yes. Is it weird that gown men would want to actually want to spend their time watching My Little Pony? Yeah, it kind of is. I'm not saying it because" boys should only like things made for boys," I'm saying this because the show does not do anything to appeal to adult audiences, especially men.
Oh, and in regards to the "Cloppers" you are sick sick people. Get help.
-Matthew
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)