Bronies Are Redefining Fandom — And American Manhood
- 03.11.14
- 6:30 AM
From left: Damon Yee, Eric Black, Ohad Kanne and Robby V. play Ponyfinder, an adaptation of the popular tabletop game, Pathfinder.
ARIEL ZAMBELICH/WIRED
ARIEL ZAMBELICH/WIREDOn the internet, no one knows you’re a pony. At least, they don’t have to.
When the largely male, largely adult contingent of My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic fans now known as “bronies” emerged shortly after the show’s premiere three years ago, they were a largely disorganized, largely anonymous band haunting places like 4chan’s /co/ and /b/ boards. They got trolled. A lot.
And to be honest, it’s amazing that such a fandom even formed, let alone blossomed. When I first wrote about bronies in early 2011, most people considered them a random fad, a meme that would vanish faster than planking. But the phenomenon didn’t just persist—it thrived.
Like countless other outsiders who found each other online, bronies sought each other out and created places to congregate. Now they’re everywhere: Fan blogs, Tumblr, Ponychan, even the United States military. A brony delegation is building MLP worlds in Minecraft. They host gatherings and conventions that attract thousands. And they’ve used their love of the show to challenge entrenched notions about what men and boys can like and feel, even as they’ve reshaped the meaning of fandom.
An Unexpected Home
The reasons why people enjoy brony fandom are complex, in part because of the gender assumptions surrounding the show and its “intended” audience. The cartoon, as well as its values (caring, generosity, and kindness), is widely seen as being “for girls,” so men who like it often are mocked as feminine or childish. Bronies fully realize this, which explains why fewer than half of bronies surveyed would be comfortable admitting their broniness. Identity is a tricky thing, and being a grown man
Thugs win again — ‘My Little Pony’ edition
WLOS-TV reports that 9-year-old Grayson Bruce was being “punch[ed],” “push[ed]” and “call[ed] … horrible names” for bringing a “My Little Pony” bag to school — so school officials told him to stop bringing the bag:
[Bruce's mother, Noreen, says] the school asked him to leave the bag at home because it had become a distraction and was a “trigger for bullying.” …Buncombe County Schools declined an interview, but sent us this statement, “an initial step was taken to immediately address a situation that had created a disruption in the classroom. Buncombe County Schools takes bullying very seriously, and we will continue to take steps to resolve this issue.”
This story struck me much like the story of the high school kids told not to wear American flag T-shirts on Cinco de Mayo, because of thuggery by some of their classmates.
It may well be that the school may restrict speech that yields a disruptive reaction by some listeners, given Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District
Noreen and Grayson Bruce
Grayson Bruce needed a backpack, so he picked one based on his favorite show: My Little Pony.
Unfortunately, bullies at his school in Buncombe County, N.C., don't share his taste in television.
The decades-old franchise's current incarnation is My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, in which the titular characters laud the importance of friendship.
"Most of the characters in the show are girls ... most of the toys are girly ... surprisingly I found stuff like this," Grayson, 9, told local station WLOS-TV, referring to his blue backpack.
But bullies have targeted him because of the accessory: Grayson says kids are "taking it a little too far, with punching me, pushing me down, calling me horrible names, stuff that really shouldn't happen."
The school's solution was to tell Grayson to leave the backpack at home, claiming it had become a distraction and was a "trigger for bullying," according to WLOS-TV.
Grayson's mother, Noreen, disagrees. "Saying a lunchbox is a trigger for bullying is like saying a short skirt is a trigger for rape. It's flawed logic, it doesn't make any sense," she told WLOS-TV.
A Facebook page has sprung up in defense of Grayson. Buncombe County officials told WLOS-TV that they "will continue to take steps to resolve this issue."
Unfortunately, bullies at his school in Buncombe County, N.C., don't share his taste in television.
The decades-old franchise's current incarnation is My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, in which the titular characters laud the importance of friendship.
"Most of the characters in the show are girls ... most of the toys are girly ... surprisingly I found stuff like this," Grayson, 9, told local station WLOS-TV, referring to his blue backpack.
But bullies have targeted him because of the accessory: Grayson says kids are "taking it a little too far, with punching me, pushing me down, calling me horrible names, stuff that really shouldn't happen."
The school's solution was to tell Grayson to leave the backpack at home, claiming it had become a distraction and was a "trigger for bullying," according to WLOS-TV.
Grayson's mother, Noreen, disagrees. "Saying a lunchbox is a trigger for bullying is like saying a short skirt is a trigger for rape. It's flawed logic, it doesn't make any sense," she told WLOS-TV.
A Facebook page has sprung up in defense of Grayson. Buncombe County officials told WLOS-TV that they "will continue to take steps to resolve this issue."