This article was originally found here, but is no longer there. So glad I saved this one too!
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My little bronies: throwback or plain creepy?
by Liz Cooper
Posted: Thursday, September 19, 2013 1:00 am | Updated: 4:29 pm, Sat Sep 21, 2013.
Ever heard of it? Well you’re about to. So, have a seat and hold onto your jaw. “Bronies” is a term used for young men who are fans of the new show “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.” I know, right? I thought the same thing. But, this is no joke; it is 100 percent real and every bit as absurd as it sounds.
“My Little Ponies: Friendship is Magic” is a TV seriesbased on Hasbro’s “My Little Pony” line of toys and animated works created for young girls ages 2-11.
Bronies are typically between the ages of 18-26 and enjoy watching the series or collecting paraphernalia.
Of course there is nothing wrong with having interests and hobbies (even if they are a little out of the ordinary). Some Bronies hold or attend conventions. Many have been said to dress up in pony attire, which includes the long flowing manes, unicorn accessories and artificial hooves.
I promise, I’m not making this up. Maybe it’s the simplicity of childhood innocence that draws adult fans to the show. The episodes contain some values that can be applied to real life situations. After all, it was intended for young impressionable girls who have yet to learn of the hardships of adulthood and ways in which they can deal with those hardships. But to come to it as an adult hoping to take something away from it seems a little silly.
I’m sure there are times we all wish we could go back to when we were five years old and the biggest tragedy we had to experience were those nights when Mom made cooked spinach for dinner. As a five year old I couldn’t even spell responsibility -- let alone define it or associate the concept with anything in my life.
It’s comforting to remember a time when I was secure and naive about the harsh realities of the world. But then I grew up; I rode the bus, went to high school, went to college. I realized that I hadn’t felt happy and secure as a five-year-old because there weren’t things in the world that could harm me; I had felt that way because I didn’t know those things existed. There is something to be said for desiring to be virtuous in a world where things like virtue and honesty are difficult to come by.
Certainly there are plenty of good concepts to take away from the episodes of “My Little Pony:”the goodness of friendship and loyalty, sharing, helping others and being able to find joy in simple things.
But hiding away from the world in a brightly colored, artificial mane isn’t going to do much good for anyone. And it certainly won’t help apply the good life lessons expressed in the show to real life situations.
I’ll admit that at the end of a bad day I sometimes watch an episode of “Full House” or “Saved by the Bell” because they remind me of a time when things in my life were simpler. Any child of the 90’s can admit that it’s comforting to remember a time when all of life’s problems could be solved in a 30-minute episode of your favorite family sitcom. It was good when I was little because it gave me lessons on how to be a decent person in a not-so-decent world.
But that was before I realized that -- while Danny Tanner was keeping house and solving all his daughters’ problems with a good heart-to-heart and a hug -- Bob Saget was abusing prescription drugs on the set of “Full House.” Or that the year after Full house ended in 1995, Jodie Sweetin (Stephanie Tanner), began what would turn into a 17 year battle with drug and alcohol addictions. Or that Dustin Diamond (“Screech”) of Saved by the Bell published a book about his sexual exploits (of which he claims there were over 2,000).
My point is, even the things we think we can use to escape from the realities of the world have their own hidden imperfections which we just don’t happen to see right away.
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