Do People Have Family Problems for Being Bronies? · 11:35pm Jul 20th, 2012
I mean no disrespect to anyone when I ask this question, but as I read other people's blogs and learn more about the fan base, I get the impression that some people run into some family trouble because they're fans of My Little Pony. This comes as a surprise to me simply because, outside of the over-passionate world of internet trolling and pointless debate over relatively unimportant things, I would not expect the fandom to generate much heat. In fact, from my point of view, the existence of bronyism isn't terribly surprising, even if the size and creative output of the fandom is unusual, simply because I'm aware of other peripheral adult fanbases that have developed around children's shows before this. (You should see how we Christians can geek out to VeggieTales.)
I notice, too, that bronies sometimes appear to be pretending to be more disrespected than they are, as in the case of the entirely imaginary war with Fox News prompted by one brief negative mention on a late-night small-time comedy show airing on a Fox subsidiary.
I ask because my experience is quite different. I grew up in a Fundamentalist Evangelical family, which, just in case you're wondering, I view as an entirely positive and beneficial thing in my life (I have never met a Fundamentalist who in any way resembles Carrie's mom, even though she is Hollywood's template for how people of the religious upbringing of my childhood behave). My family was aware that I was a fan of little girls' cartoons before G4 of MLP even existed, though I might never have mentioned to them my secret nostalgia for My Little Pony n' Friends from back in the day (I was a brony before it was cool). My bronyism inspired my mom to tell me to get a life, but other than that has generated no controversy in my family. My decision to convert to Roman Catholicism was much much more difficult--as, I suppose, it should have been, as it was a much more serious thing than being a fan of a cartoon.
Of course, on the other hand, I'm over thirty. Perhaps being a brony is harder on the younger guys.
I'm curious: does this fandom lead to family trouble? Moreso than other geeky interests?
depends...
Forgive me, but I must admit that I'm more interested in the story of your conversion...
240690
Ah, that. It has nothing to do with ponies and might not much interest anyone outside my religious persuasion, since it was the conversion of a Christian from one sect to another, mostly because the Catholic Church has a stronger historical and legal claim than any Protestant denomination has. I have a conversion story I wrote years ago; I've not looked it over for a few years and cannot say whether I would reword or rewrite it, especially since I've been through a seminary philosophy program since then, but if you want to see it, you can find it here.
240703 Interesting!
veggie tales is fucking awesome
and no
DGD, my family knows I'm a Brony and it hasn't caused me any trouble so far (though my brothers did warn me that other people might not be so nice). I'm guessing they see it as just a weird quirk or rebelliousness I have (my mom for example, points to my love of horses, as well as I my childhood desire to get a horse, as an explanation). Everyone seems amused by my Derpy Hooves shirts, especially my young cousin, on whose recent birthday I basically revealed my Broniness to my entire extended family by giving her a MLP figure set as a gift. I guess the manner in which you reveal and explain your Broniness to your family helps a bit (oh, and wearing a Derpy shirt instead of a Fluttershy shirt).
***
I did read your conversion story a few months ago, fascinating stuff, if a bit lacking in explosions, dragons, and action. I've thought of joining a similar seminary philosophy program and maybe even seeing if I can make it with the Dominicans if I had the dedication (kinda like RD wants to join the Wonderbolts), for it would be nice to be a philosopher/theologian and belong to the same order as the Angelic Doctor. But, of course, I'm still trying to discern my vocation and how much of a role writing of the imaginative sort will play.
240714
Huzzah! Another VeggieTales fan! Oh man, this one time, before the company went bankrupt because of that ill-advised movie project and then got bought up by another company, I got together with a bunch of friends in grad school and we had a VeggieTales marathon, watching every single video then in existence, even the sing-alongs. It lasted, like, fourteen hours. It was awesome!
Wait, guys. Wait. Veggie/Pony crossover. Think about it. This has to happen . . .
240716
Doesn't every small child love horses? My grandparents used to have a ranch where they had horses. My grandfather dearly loved his horses, and I loved riding and petting them whenever we visited the ranch. One thing I've enjoyed about this whole fan fiction thing is doing horse research so I can toss in equestrian terminology or represent horse behavior (within the limits set by the show) as accurately as I could. I was rather surprised when I was warned, once by an EqD pre-reader and once by an editor at Ponychan, that the horse terms I dropped in my stories would go over most bronies' heads. I sort of assumed all bronies followed up their MLP luv by reading about real-life horsemanship.
240716
Do you mean you are thinking of becoming a monk? I was studying for the diocesan priesthood; if you are thinking of becoming a diocesan priest, the diocese will decide where you go to seminary. I was blessed to attend a very competently run seminary attached to a Benedictine monastery at Mount Angel, Oregon. Learned more philosophy there in two years than I learned getting a philosophy minor at a public university, that's for sure. Really well-rounded program, too, with a heavy emphasis on human formation (that is, making you a gentlecolt and beating--figuratively speaking--the Prince Blueblood-ness out of you).
If I were still in seminary, I could probably spread bronyism amongst my fellow seminarians in ten seconds flat.
240747
At this point I'm still weighing my options, but I have to admit, becoming a monk or a priest seems a long shot with all the bad habits I’ve built over the years. But, still, even if I don't make it as a religious I can definitely stand to shed some of my Prince Blueblood-ness. I hadn't thought of the priesthood; I wasn't exactly sure of the difference from the monk orders (unless both are a kind of priesthood). It sounds like I would have enjoyed that Benedictine seminary in Oregon. I probably wouldn't do as good a job in spreading bronyism, however, unless my fellow seminarians really did my blogging.
Yes, I have thought of buying a ranch somewhere and keeping a few horses, but such are the fanciful dreams of a child...
240835
Monastic orders are lay; that is, the brothers take vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, but are not ordained. However, they do have priests as well, most of whom are lay brothers first who are later ordained. The seminary I attended had a student body mostly of students training for diocesan priesthood (priests at churches with congregations of laity), but also some Franciscan and Benedictine brothers training for ordination within their orders, most of whom remained in the monastery, though a few served at local parishes. I believe some students were studying for theology degrees without ordination, but they were few in number.