My Little Pony : Friendship Essay

When I was eleven years old, my escape from the tragic realities of the sixth grade was My Little Pony. The bright colors and characters whisked me away from those impossible multiplication tables and negative numbers, as did the large group of fellow fans that lived inside my computer screen. These other fans produced original content such as art and stories that related to the show, and that further fueled my escapades from reality once I ran out of episodes to watch. The vast amount of semi-original works varied in content, from light-hearted stories about friendship to epic tales that placed the rainbow-colored ponies into the midst of post-apocalyptic wastelands. I avoided the latter. That is, until I encountered something much worse.

A male age 15 and over who is a fanatic of the show My Little Pony is called a brony. Mainstream society describes these people as homosexuals, perverts, and jobless men who live with their parents. People aren’t hesitant to quickly label bronies as the rejects of society. Most bronies, at first, don’t feel comfortable telling people about their My Little Pony addiction because they are afraid of society’s oppressive ways. According to some bronies in the video, they are picked on at school for liking a “little girl’s show.” They look up at mainstream society and realize that their acceptance is denied because of society’s judgmental ways. However, to get over the fact that many people disapprove of their ways, they have a belief that love

Companions tie individuals in a power of profound devotion, common trust, comprehension and faithfulness. It is a common union in which individuals expect magnanimous support and inspiration from their companions. The bond can be in any case, only continue if the companions are there for each other despite how great or terrible the circumstances may be. True friends remain with you until the end. In John Boyne 's novel, The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, set amid World War II, takes after the excursion of Bruno an average nine-year-old German kid who moves to Auschwitz because of his father’s employment as a Nazi commandant. In Auschwitz, Bruno becomes a close acquaintance with a kid named Shmuel, who is an

The character that I had chosen to analyze was Ponyboy Curtis in the movie, The Outsiders (Coppola, 1983). I chose this character because the movie revealed how Ponyboy got to where he is mentally and everything that had occurred to get him to that point. I will analyze the adolescent phase of Ponyboy’s life. The theme of The Outsiders is how love can affect the relationships of close friends. The theories and theorists that support my analysis are Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial theory, Albert Bandura’s Observational Learning, Lev Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Perspective and Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Systems theory: Microsystem (Sigelman, 2015). From those theories and theorists the following points will be analyzed: identity, peer pressure, self-worth, and dependence.

The cultivation perspective which, was developed by George Gerber and Larry Gross states that the more time people spend living in the television world the more likely they are to believe social reality portrayed on television. With the advances in technology, television still continues to dominate children’s interests, on average youth spend about 4.29 hours watching television per day. Other forms of electrical devices such as ipads, laptops, and cellular phones make it easier for children to watch their favorite programs on to go. I have chosen to analyze an episode of “Family Guy”, which is a cartoon television show which is intended for adult audiences. The show is based on the Griffin family, which consists of a mother Louis, father Peter, teenaged children Chris and Meg, a talking

“The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved.” as quoted by Mother Theresa of Calcutta. Although Lennie and George aren't materialistically rich, they are rich in the sense that they have each other. In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck shows that friendship can be unlikely yet beneficial through the characters George and Lennie as they chase their dreams. Friendship is an important part of the book and helps the characters get through hard times while enjoying the good times.

My Little Pony is a show aimed to attract an audience of young girls years two-eleven but has also caught the attention of males of all ages around the world by letting them connect to the characters and to the lessons the show addresses. It became a large online community to all males who had an interest in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, and held their first Bronycon in 2011. The annual Bronycon typically grows holding more and more people each year. Bronies have become a subculture along with being a large counterculture in today’s society; it is a subculture because they are put into a smaller group within a large group. Bronies is a counterculture because they are unlike the social norm; they face judgment and negativity by others because many perceive My Little Pony to being a girl show and that it is not manly for a guy to watch. Bronies do not always receive acceptance for expressing the feeling and

In the future, I hope to expand on many of themes interrogated in this dissertation and to build on the initial research conducted for this project. Several of these chapters suggest avenues for further studies. For example. This project lays the groundwork for further research into the representation of boys on Disney Channel, however, since other than Zach and Cody, tween boys shows were not existent, the unofficial tween boy channel, a Disney spin-off called Disney XD should be examined. Originally meant as a subchannel for Disney Channel that focused on tweens 24/7, the channel has unofficially become geared towards tween boys. While a more independent girl has emerged on Disney, girls appearing on Disney XD (which is minor supporting

Beginning with an appraisal of how some members of the fandom may or may not openly participate in pony related activities or inform others of their involvement at all. Statistical data derivative of a survey in 2014 investigating possible factors influencing those decisions, including age, gender, and self disclosure are analyzed. Second, a look at the push-back from society deeming Bronies a deviant group and methods exercised against fans, by individuals and the media in an attempt to keep the borders of gender in check. Third, due to potential reprisal, some Bronies are not comfortable openly discussing about their fan activities. This section will investigate various methods of self monitoring they implement along with the creation of “the Stable,” which some fans use to keep their fandom a secret. The fourth section involves a contingency of Bronies who are also members of the armed services. This portion looks at how members of the military and ponies can coexist without losing their masculine identity despite the seemingly strange juxtaposition of unicorns and uniforms. Finally, how this fandom gives credence to the creation of concordant masculinity. A new framework of masculinity which considers itself masculine even when participating in forms of femininity without being wholly feminine or attempting to appropriate those feminine spaces. Overall, this project analyzes how Bronies contend with traditional forms of masculinity while engaging in fan activities and how their new form of masculinity breaks away from traditional conventions of gender. For this project I define traditional masculinity as a gender performance perpetuating the notion that young men must be physically

Learning that his adolescent son is watching a cartoon about ponies, this parent draws the conclusion that his child is gay. His assumptions demonstrate how members of society regard masculine space because enjoying ponies relegates young men into an effeminate position. Thankfully, there are number of people who answer his question by explaining the fandom to him. Questions of sexuality are the largest

Other instances of kind of mistrust and confusion toward Bronies can even occur in situations of community engagement. One fan recalls, “I was doing community service [and] some girls that were working with me asked what shows I watched. I told them all I really watch is My Little Pony and then they continued to remind me how that was really weird, how I’m too old for it and all that.” Indictments against a Brony because of age and gender are a common theme to fan backlash. Kurt Schlicter wrote scathing article about Bronies and their potential impact on masculinity, claiming that the actions of fans are shameful:

It is hard to be a good friend as well as to find one. There are many

Have you ever had someone in your life who helped you figure out who you were? Someone who showed you the right path. Someone who was there right next you even if you did not take that path. Someone who always seemed to be right, but never held it against you when you were not. Someone whom without your life would most likely be entirely different. I have. Her name was Jessica.

“The two ladies, who had been intimate since childhood, reflected how little they knew each other”. This is how, author, Edith Wharton shows the relationship of two characters, Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade, in the short story “Roman Fever.” These two women who are supposed to be friends, led envious lives of each other, and because of the way they lived they were very contrasting and conflicting characters. In the end, I believe Mrs. Slade was guiltier for her actions and in fact the whole incident would have never happened if it weren’t for her.

The past few years, recognizably since I started High School, people started to bring to my attention that I don’t look like much of a friendly person. At first it confused me because I felt as if my intentions were good and my heart was kind, in other words, I was it was in my mind that people saw me as a caring individual. I had hopes that I just naturally came off as someone whom anyone could easily create a friendship with. After thinking on it some I concluded that it was probably because often I tend to be shy when it comes to meeting someone for the first time. Not always was I able to put myself out there and start chatting immediately with just anyone without knowing a thing about them. People would often judge me by how I looked and acted, considering I didn’t speak to everyone initially and I’d isolate myself in some moments, insinuating that I wasn’t someone they would like to converse with at first. Shy people are often viewed as beings who don’t want to associate with others often, however personally I love people in addition I enjoy speaking with most, anyone wanting to have a conversation.