"Newbie Dash" a.k.a. "How I learned to stop worrying and accept the hazing" · 7:45pm May 8th, 2016
I struggled a lot with my thoughts about this episode and what it means for our favorite prismatic pegasus. I listened in to Brony analysts talking about it, saw the recap on Equestria Daily and frankly? The defenses for this episode all boil down to: "Well, hazing and teasing is normal in the military and other tight-knit groups ergo it's okay and it only looks harsh if you're not part of the group."
I'm sorry, but I don't buy that for a minute. Let's ignore all the occasions where hazing has led to negative consequences (Remember "A Few Good Men"? Yeah, based on a true life story) and just focus on this episode. Until the very end we never saw even a smidge of camaraderie directed towards Rainbow Dash by the other Wonderbolts. Good-natured ribbing only works if A) it is good-natured, which we never got, B) is among a group of peers where one can safely talk back. These were her heroes, and Spitfire technically her boss, and it was her first day and C) it is understood as such by everyone involved and doesn't interfere with their self-confidence and performance. Good rule of thumb? If you see tears in someone's eyes and they're so concerned with erasing this nickname by acting abnormally, it's gone too far.
The Wonderbolts last minute turnaround was so out of left field as to qualify as a Writer's Saving Throw. It's pretty much the same way Wonderbolt Academy ended, with Lightning Dust getting thrown under the bus to hide just what a lousy leader Spitfire is.
Pretty much every misstep Rainbow makes in this episode is due to her desperately trying to prove herself to her heroes and erase an embarrassing nickname that was first given to her by bullies from her childhood. So, no, I don't think this was all on Rainbow Dash, not even mostly. It's important to learn how to cope with embarrassment and not get hung up on it, as well as how to function as part of a group. But those morals short-circuited each other until we got a moral that basically boiled down to "Rainbow Dash should just suck it up." As she articulated it, she used to "stand out" but now she was going to "fit in." I'm sorry, but acceptance in a group should not hinge on accepting every stupid thing the group does.
But beyond that ... this is, theoretically, a major change to the status quo. This is the realization of a character arc stemming from literally the first episode. And it's just given to her before the title credits? I had this same problem with Rarity's Boutique. It's okay to show that there's more to life after you achieve your life-long dream, problems and what not, but neither Rarity nor Rainbow Dash's accomplishment was given any real weight. The CMC got their marks, and then had an episode where they dealt with the consequences. That would've been MUCH better if they did that here. Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy don't have an over-arching arc the way Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash did. But for the latter two, their accomplishments were just so rushed.
If you're going to put a character in a bad spot, have them falter or fail, that's fine. But you have to let them have a moment to shine too. This episode went way too far in doing the former and none of the latter. It was all tearing down and damn little building up. The idea, I suppose, is that because Rainbow Dash is a proud character, it's okay to do that. I'm sorry, but where is it written that it's karmic to have characters with any self-confidence get repeatedly slapped down whereas if you so much as make another character (say, Fluttershy) cry, then you're a heartless monster? While I get that Rainbow Dash (and all the Mane Six) are different characters with different challenges to face, it's more than a little tiring and more than a bit cruel to repeatedly single one out for degradation and humiliation. People, including the little kids who watch this show, need role models like Rainbow Dash who have self-confidence. Constantly taking shots at it is a lousy moral.
Between this week's moral misfire and last week's ("If you have a fight with your friends, threaten to commit suicide to bring them back!") I'm really getting concerned about the quality of the writing. Between Twilight's extreme flanderization last week and in the premiere, plus Celestia's uselessness, a friend dubbed this the Season of Bad Teachers.
It's a fitting epithet.
Final score: 1/10
I am surprised you gave it such a high ranking. I agree with you 100% on everything you said. There is nothing I really can add that you haven't already hit upon except for the heathen shipping fuel. I just had to. You know me.
That right there and Rainbow Dash grabbing not one, but two idiot balls is what made the episode sub-par in my book. I find it really disappointing because I don't believe it would have been overly difficult to keep this episode mostly intact and still do it in a much better way. Except for that middle bit when Rainbow Dash imitates her friends, that is blooper reel material.
3930307
One of my friends called RD's imitation conga filler, adding "This is a Landmark change to the status quo. If it needs filler, it needs a rewrite."
I have a friend who was IN ROTC and he confirmed right from the start that the real issue isn't the hazing. It's the fact that Rainbow has issues with the nickname was all. Oh and Lightning getting kicked out? She's LUCKY that's the ONLY thing that happened to her. She could've been court martialed. This isn't just Wonderbolts being assholes it's people thinking they're JUST a stunt group when they're clearly military. Seriously everyone seems to think that this was purely out of spite and them picking on Dash was them being assholes.... no it's not. The only reason I think people do these reviews? Honestly seems to be that 'WAA! RAINBOW SHOULDN'T JOIN THE WONDERBOLTS!' yet that's been her DREAM for God knows how long and she's finally in it. Yes she made a 'bad impression', read:bad memories, but in the end she got her dream along with some more friends and they're clearly liking her.
3930334
The issue I have with the Lightning Dust resolution was that all through that episode, Spitfire rewarded and encouraged her attitude. Then one talk with Rainbow later, Spitfire was all "Oh you're right that was bad" and through Lightning Dust out without even giving her a chance to modify her behavior to fit the new norm. If a teacher encourages bad behavior and the student misbehaves, who is ultimately responsible? But in that episode Lightning got the boot and nothing happened to Spitfire at all. Between that, the Rainbow Falls stuff and today, I think the fault lies more on Spitfire than anyone else.
3930445 Uh. She had ONE CHANCE. That was boot camp and she THREATENED the lives of those close to the place. Spitfire, once she LEARNED about said danger, kicked Lightning Dust out which IS appropriate for a military group like the Wonderbolts and she's lucky that's all Spitfire did. It isn't, one talk later and she's all 'You're right and I'm wrong', it's just her learning how stupidly dangerous Lightning was willing to go. I got nothing for Rainbow Falls but this one was like Wonderbolt Acadamey. It is a military group and it was done in a fashion that was to build trust and team work. They had no idea that's what happened to her because Rainbow never told them. You're assuming that they knew and that Spitfire and the others just said that to cover their tracks or that the writers were just half assing it. I can't say anything about last week but I know for a fact this episode is getting more hate then it deserves because of people thinking insults means instant bullying. You clearly haven't had close enough friends that you can jokingly call them 'asshole' or something similar or if you do? That would hurt even more since there's NO REASON for you to think they were being jerks in this episode.
3930465
Respectfully, I disagree. There's a difference because the Wonderbolts WEREN'T Rainbow's friends. They were her dream, the ideal she's worked towards her entire life. Imagine meeting your hero and they call you some stupid nickname you had in elementary school. The 'bolts did nothing to show Rainbow Dash that she could give as good as she got, or that any of them even HAD these nicknames except for one throwaway scene -in private.- So yes, the Wonderbolts behavior was deplorable by any standard.
3930477
There's also the fact that military bronies can confirm that this is a normal thing so..... I'm sorry.... you were saying?
3930477 Also.... one throwaway scene...... and you think it doesn't...... okay there's a thing called Foreshadowing. Do you KNOW what it means?
3930494
Sorry, real to life doesn't mean it's okay or should be portrayed as such. You know what also exists in the military? Sexual harassment and assault and cover ups.
3930503
Yes, I know what it means but it was poorly done. If you're going to be condescending and rude, then kindly stop posting and take your business elsewhere.
3930519
I meant the military. I never said it wasn't true to life. That doesn't make it okay though. No one said the CMC should've grown a thicker skin when Babs Seed was bullying them because it's true to life.
And when you write "do you KNOW" then, yes, you're being condescending.
What's needed to have been said about the episode's been said. The whole damn thing was a mess from start to finish.
I blame the uncaring execs and the newbie writer they handed what was possibly the most important episode for Rainbow Dash's character arc. If anything, this episode shows just how retarded the guys in charge are getting to not only green light something like this, but to sell such a moral to children.
Okay I'm going to ignore the 'hazing' justification side and just go with my opinion. Rainbow Dash never told the wonderbolts how the nickname made her feel. The entire time watching I was thinking, why doesn't she just pull Spitfire aside and tell her about her feelings about the nickname
But Dash didn't, instead she tried to force out a new nickname for herself.
Now we know the Wonderbolt's know Rainbow Dash to a point but not to a point of friendship the way Dash knows the mane six
From their point of view Dash's antics could be chalked up to nerves, trying to show off (as Dash has a history of doing) or just regular unfamiliarity. To them a nickname was just the best way for the rest of the group to get to know Dash as a team. Since they all had their own nicknames, some apparently worse that RD's then it wouldn't occur to them that Dash's nickname was truly upsetting her
And why does everyone think Trixie was suicidal? The manticore was clearly trained
Also she did pretty much say as she was in the canon that she hoped Starlight still like 'to be great and powerful together'
This is looking like the second Rainbow Dash episode (the other being The Mysterious Mare Do Well) which I can't watch all the way through. Why the writers like to throw Dash under the bus, I don't understand. They seem to think of a good moral for her to learn, like Mare Do Well's 'have self-pride but don't be a braggart', and then completely overdo teaching her that lesson, usually by handing her the idiot ball then kicking her into the dust for it. Because of that, the moral gets massively skewed: 'don't be a braggart' becomes 'if your friend gets a little big-headed, beat them down to size' and 'don't let a bad memory keep you down' becomes 'bullied as a kid? suck it up'. Both this episode and Mare Do Well could have been both entertaining and important for Dash's character, but instead the writing makes both episodes unwatchable by taking the most over-the-top, convoluted and misleading way of getting the point across. I could go on, but I'd just end up ranting. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and I agree totally.
I have to completely disagree here, with almost everything.
1. The Wonderbolts giving her an embarrassing nickname is NOT hazing, there is nothing physical done in the episode and the name is never used to insult her past the initial incident, which brings us too...
2. Dash brought the Crash incident on herself by ignoring a rule Spitfire just told her about, so the fault there is on her
3. The Bolts all have had this experience themselves, and none of them were effected badly by it, so they have no grounds to base that its different this time on. Especially given..
4. Dash's reactions, from an outsiders perspective, are her reacting badly to the incident, not the name, and possibly with being the groups newest member. Based on this, the Bolts repeatedly turning it into a joke is a good thing, any joke will eventually lose its punch, as all of them cannot look back on something embarrassing and laugh about it, they know Dash will eventually get there to. Fleetfoot even takes a moment to try and compfert Rainbow for a bad first day.
5. When Dash reveals at the end that the name is what's bothering her, the Bolts immediately expand on the group nickname thing and dump their names and stories to show her she isn't any different from the rest of them, and seeing that she (from their perspective) blew something out of proportion due to misunderstanding and is probably lacking in confidence, let it be known that they not only think she's a great flyer, but that they've wanted her to join ever since she got on the reserves, which is incredibly nice of them.
5.5 As a side note, all the nicknames are childish and weak insults at worst, appropriate since they aren't meant to be insulting, Pinkie even brings up that Rainbow Trash would have been an equally appropriate but actually mean nickname, but they don't use it, because they aren't trying to be mean.
6. The Big one that holds it all together. Dash NEVER tells the Bolts her history with the name, even at the end, so they have no way to know that's actually the issue. Without knowing Dash's history, her actions are all her either trying too hard to fit in, having a bad first day, or blowing the incident out of proportion. The only reason there's even a conflict here is because of an incredible coincidence.
7. Dash realizes that she was letting her history with the name blow harmless ribbing out of proportion and that the names will help diminish the incident (and even her past) with time. She also learns she was letting something minor obscure the fact that she finally achieved her dream.
8. Dash isn't as alien to the other Bolts as you make them out to be. Dash has at least known Spitfire and Soarin for several years now, and she's been a reserve member for at least 9-ish months (and this episode confirms reserve members are at events) plus she actually flew with them for one event, so they have at least a little history.
9. The big deal thing. Dash's inclusion was a last minute change, so the lack of fan fare makes sense. I also think its good to show kids that achieving your dream will rarely be greeted with applause by the world, and will be more of an internal pride thing, and that conflict will not cease with your dream, its more true to life and a healthier message.
So yeah, think that's everything and i apologize that this was so long. This episode was, to me, very true to life, emotional, and a great way to start Rainbow's new direction. 8/10, losing points for the not very funny middle portion.
3930826
I understand your points, but here's my thinking: Rainbow Dash had an encyclopedic knowledge of all sorts of Wonderbolt things, but she didn't know about the nicknames. That means it's not something they spread around, in other words, unless they told her about it, she'd have no way of knowing how it worked. And none of them took her aside for a moment to explain that it was meant to be in good fun and that they all had them.
While it is a logical thing to suggest that Rainbow just confront them about the name stuff and tell them the baggage that came with it, it's fairly believable why she wouldn't. These aren't her friends, but her heroes. It's a team she had to prove herself worthy of joining. To complain to them on her first day about them hurting her feelings, she'd worry about being seen as a crybaby or worse, possibly getting the boot for complaining. If your boss saddled you with a nickname at your first day of your dream job, wouldn't you raise a fuss? Or would you want -so- badly to keep this job that you'd tolerate something that you really shouldn't?
That's part of the dynamic of ribbing and making fun with your friends--they're jokes made among peers. Rainbow Dash is the new recruit. She isn't fully a part of the group dynamic, including knowing when she should just accept orders from her superior, and when she should speak up when they're doing something wrong.
It ties back to why it took so long for Rainbow Dash to talk back to the Wonderbolts in Rainbow Falls and Wonderbolt Academy. Only now, she isn't speaking up because Lightning Dust endangered her friends--she'd be speaking up in defense of herself. That's sometimes harder to do and can be construed as whining. She didn't want to do that and so hoped to eliminate the nickname by establishing a different name for herself.
As for the Trixie stuff, it's more about how she had NO way out of the manticore unless Starlight (or Twilight) helped her out. It feels like she deliberately put herself in danger, be it from pride, a sense of "the show must go on," or a guilt trip. And to have her act that recklessly and have it pay off sends a bad message about how to react to those kind of situations.
3930892
Thank you for your contribution, but I must disagree. Call it teasing or hazing or whatever you wish doesn't change what it was, namely, mean-spirited. No Wonderbolt took her aside to explain the significance (or lack of same) for the nicknames. Joking to ease tension and help a group cohere doesn't work if everyone isn't on the same page, especially when one is a newbie among seasoned pros. It's very hard in that atmosphere to speak up, especially if one fears losing their place in the group or the group's respect. These are not her friends she felt comfortable with. These were her heroes that she FINALLY got the priveliege to work alongside. To dump this on her first day was not acceptable.
As the senior members, its the Wonderbolts' job to make sure Rainbow Dash understood it was meant in that context. If she didn't, and no one took the time to explain it to her, than that's ultimately on them.
Couldn't possibly be that a children's show might educate on the way the world is and therfor the types of conflict the audience might encounter as they pursue their own dreams?
I mean it's pretty apparent even on the surface that what is going on is a negative experience tainting a positive one and how hard it can be to deal with the things you didn't realize you would hate about the things you love.
Of course hazing is meant to desensitized you to how annoying and awful the people you now work as closely as family with are. But they aren't family so that bond is forged through stress instead of love. Can't have petty animosity risk a life or a mission.
It's an awful experience because it is a form of reconditioning. It can break you. Is it wrong? Is it worth it? Those are questions you have to answer for yourself.
3931007
That's not a bad idea, except the message we're given isn't "This is the way the world is sometimes, it sucks but we have to roll with it" (if so then the anti-bullying message would've been a lot different in "Bad Seed") but that what the Wonderbolts did was perfectly fine and Rainbow Dash just had to learn to accept it. That's very different.
3930960 Thank you for keeping it respectful, but i once again disagree
I don't see this as mean spirited in the slightest, for two reasons. 1. Mean spirited-ness requires malicious-intentions, which is not the bolts attitude here. They are trying to make her feel like a part of the group, and they know from personal experience that it worked for all of them. 2. From personal experience, as i've been called names in JROTC and in my younger years being bullied, that there is a difference. The bullies mean to hurt you, the teammates (usually) want you to fit in, the Bolt's are in the latter category.
Spitfire DID takes Dash aside when she gave her the jacket. She did intending to help Dash feel like the group (which is what she though the problem was, Dash being uncomfortable). "I know you're excited". When Dash asks about the nickname Spitfire explains, "We've all got our nicknames on our jackets", there, with that line she tells Dash they all have their nicknames and even proceeds to demonstrate with "Clipper" and says it no differently than when she says Crash moments later.
On the non-acceptable part, again, the Bolts all had this happen to them on their first day (many of them probably had the same dreams as Rainbow did), and they never had any such negative effects, so they had no reason to assume one here. From an outsiders perspective, there are a ton of reasons for Dash's awkward behavior more likely than the name, and we see two of the Bolts try and help Dash address what they think the problem is. Spitfire thinks its Dash feeling uncomfortable as the group newbie and tries to make her feel like a part of the group by giving her team jacket and explaining they all have nicknames. Fleetfoot approaches her thinking she's having a bad first day (which she can sympathies with) and tells her that it will be OK. Both of them senior members.
The Bolts had no way to know the name was the issue, and yes, its sadly realistic that Dash would be nervous about speaking up about her history, but its still on her for transferring the demeaning name calling of her childhood bullies onto the harmless ribbing of her new teammates.
3930445
Damn right.
Yes, they are military. And being such, they shouldn't have been such fuckups.
There is NO reason, to at the very least, have clearly posted signs telling anyone who can get airborne to stay out.
Because its a TRAINING AREA. Holy fuck, you wouldn't think its that hard to figure out.
If they can't be bothered to do that, then they should have had Wonderbolts and/or support ponies patrolling the area.
But they didn't. They didn't bother to find out why their 'trainers' were letting Lightning Dust get crazy. They just threw her under the bus, and out the door.
For the record, she (LD) is just another version of Rainbow Dash. They both get/got too caught up in what they wanted.
3931055
I'm not sure I believe mean-spiritedness necessarily requires malicious intent. Moreover, I find it hard to believe that every other Wonderbolt in history instantly understood that being given a nickname was meant in good fun. The fact that there was no sign of contrition from the Wonderbolts, no moment where they went "Oh shoot, we thought you knew this wasn't hurtful, sorry," really hurts the episode and the ability to believe that they meant it all in good fun. Yes, Rainbow Dash should've told them sooner, but she can't be the first new recruit they've had. It's up to the Wonderbolts as teachers, teammates, whathaveyou to make sure everyone is on the same page. And if they aren't, and if the newbie is acting weird, it's incumbent on them to take action to figure out what's up. Basically, Rainbow Dash is new to all this. The Wonderbolts are old hands. To me, the greater responsibility for all this is on them, not Dash.
Yeah, the writing has really gone down the tubes. I can't speak to this episode personally because I didn't bother watching it after all the other fuckups, but what you said here lines up exactly with everything I have heard about this episode and my general expectations of the writers.
I'd been willing to give the writers a chance since S3. Ever since then the show has lost consistency and a lot of creativity. Things are now concepts from other things watered down for "child" audiences and done far worse than in their original source materials. As far as I'm concerned, show cannon ends at the S3 opener. Past that, things just went downhill. The castle was a stupid decision but at least they took an episode to address the issue... and then forget about the issue in all of the following episodes. Rainbow Power gets built up for a whole season and then gets used only once and is never mentioned again. Twilight gets repeatedly downplayed as the show goes on and then Starlight Fucking Glimmer goes all Mary Sue on the show and effectively replaces her (I can go into more detail on that but I won't right now). Characters act out of character repeatedly, get flanderized to stupid degrees when they are in character, hardly act like true friends anymore and more like characters in a bad sitcom, and remain in horrifying personality holding patterns that would be considered extreme personality disorders by normal people, at least until now where they're mishandling personality evolution in the most stupid and disrespectful way possible. The decay began in S3, became solidified with how badly handled Twilicorn was, sank to knew lows with the loss of the Elements, the literal cornerstone of society as far as S1 and S2 were confirmed, hit the bottom with the castle and then dug even deeper with Glimmer. We are at subterranean level and marching through a sewer full of horrible writing and cliches wrapped around horribly handled messages and cardboard cutouts of what used to be compelling characters.
3931095 Of course the others didn't understand it instantly, but they caught on quickly enough that it was never an issue before.
They do address the name issue when it comes up, they just don't do in a different way, namely be showing her that her concerns were baseless and displaying that they were just as "human" and imperfect as she is. The bolts have little if anything to apologize here for, because Dash was the one who blew it out of proportion.
Again, both Fleetfoot and Spitfire addressed Rainbow at two separate times, Dash brushed Fleetfoot off, and the explanation of the names Spitfire provided went over her head, given that they didn't know the history, they reacted exactly as the situation demanded.
I'm not convinced Dash should've told them the name's history, certainly doesn't need to by the end of it.
What you are describing with the Bolts is for them to hold Dash's hand (hoof), they can provide guidance to a point, but Dash is in a semi military group now, she has to take her share of responsibility, and she doesn't. She, in order; ignores a rule she just had hammered in, let it effect her to the point of damaging her flying, brushed off an attempt at reassurance, started acting way off, and missed a point being shoved in her face (the name thing). Spitfire spelled out that the nicknames were not something unique to her and Dash still didn't get it. At that point, it officially was Dash at fault, not the Bolts.
Honestly, the more i rewatch the episode, the more i find myself liking it and the Bolts portrayal, and liking that Dash ultimately proves mature enough to realize she can put the name behind her once it finally penetrates her historically thick skull.
Hmm. Doing stupid things CAN sometimes pay off :P Other times you get eaten by your flavour of manticore. But we can't have blood and gore on-screen in R-13 show, right? :3 Hell, we can barely away with that in R-21.
On the Dash topic. The episodes are not 'lessons'. Haven't been such for a while, if ever; even the friendship report things are barely ever related to what has just been shown. They're stories. Stories not meant to tell people 'YOU MUST DO ZIS' or 'YOU DUN FUKT IF YOU DID ZIS'. They have a topic, true, but you (and a lot of people really, it's a thing in FiM I guess) are trying to find a cleat-cut message, which... just isn't there.
As for this one... (Democracy is truth.) Miscommunication is death. That's all there is to it really.
3931812
Except that Rainbow Dash had no context for what the other Wonderbolt nicknames were or what they meant (for the single time she heard ONE of them). To hear Spitfire and the others call her Crash over and over and OVER again, via a megaphone during practice, and not when they hanging around off the clock, something we didn't see any of the others use (again, except for ONE, with no context given), it's not surprising Rainbow didn't get it.
She wasn't around when they got them and didn't know what they represented. The Wonderbolts just assumed that she knew what was going on--and you know what they say about assuming. Given Rainbow Dash's demonstrated encyclopedic knowledge of Wonderbolt lore at the start of the episode, if she didn't know what these names were or how they worked, then this clearly wasn't common knowledge. If the Wonderbolts didn't explain what they were or how the worked, then she couldn't know what was going on.
We're basically going around in circles now, and see little chance of convincing each other. Bottom line for me: When someone is new to a group dynamic, it's up to the older hands to explain how the group functions and make sure everyone's on the same page. To expect the new guy to know how everything works or assume they're okay with it, demonstrates a lack of situational awareness and just plain common sense. If someone new messes up because something wasn't explained, then that's the fault of the leadership. Since this episode puts everything that goes wrong solely on Rainbow Dash's shoulders, it comes off as justifying and amnestying behavior that is, at best, insensitive or at worst, outright bullying.
It's been a season long issue, and not even the CMC are immune (YMMV). While I've enjoyed the season thus far, I don't think there's been an episode yet that I haven't had to qualify it by adding "in spite of this..."
The Crystalling 1 & 2 - four princesses aren't enough to keep the encroaching wild winter weather from ruining the Crystal Empire, and it takes layers upon layers of magic to repair an artifact that was destroyed by a surge of wild magic from an infant.
Gift of the Maud Pie - Maud gets no gift. Pinkie technically gets two. That's not how the O. Henry story worked.
On Your Marks - impromptu musical numbers give the CMC more talent than they possess if they actually try to learn how to sing?
Gauntlet of Fire - I... actually didn't have a problem with this one. A bit predictable maybe, but they did good.
No Second Prances - the Trixie/Starlight dynamic was done well. Butt Monkey Celestia having tea with Cranky, Vinyl, and Derpy... not so much. Also... Trixie was shot into the Manticore's mouth while wearing a helmet, so why did she appear in the black box wearing her hat, which was as chewed up as the rest of her costume? (It's magic, I ain't gotta explain jack...
)
Newbie Dash - PaulAsaran had a good point... when was the last time a Dash-centric episode didn't involve RD making a melodramatic fool of herself at least once?
3931046
But in reality, in services which deal with chaotic life or death situations, hazing is a part of it that you have to roll with and usually it ends up perfectly fine. The group is stronger for the desire to stick together regardless of adversity or spite. It is a negative thing that you have to deal with but once you are done with it you rarely regret it after because it had a positive outcome at the end. Acceptance and respect.
3933608
I don't agree for several reasons. But even if I accepted that, the fact is that this was done to someone on their first day, who lacked information about what was going on or why, or the ability to respond in kind. And we saw that far from making Rainbow Dash fit into the group more, in spurred her into acting out, disrupting the group's cohesion and causing chaos--the exact opposite results.
I also take issue with the "well it happens in real life, therefore...." argument, because if that was the case, then the moral to "One Bad Apple" where the CMC were bullied wouldn't have had such a positive outcome.
3933662
I don't like hazing. I don't approve. And that means nothing. If I want to be a firefighter, cop, soldier, pro-sports, etc... I will be hazed. The hazing ends when you stop minding/caring about it. Just like it did for Dash. Her acting out won't change things. Her perseverence will. Hazing is not supposed to be bullying. It doesn't last forever.
3932915
Don't forget Celestia and Luna shooting magical blasts at the weather while nopony (not even Shining Armor, who apparently forgot his own special talent) thought about covering all the Crystal Empire with a magical barrier, like they already did against Sombra - and the changelings before that! Well, we already got a season finale that should have been covered in two episodes squeezed in only one, why not a season opening with a plot that barely makes a single episode stretched into two?
3930477
Does the hero knows it was a stupid nickname you had in elementary school? The Wonderbolts didn't, and Rainbow Dash prefered to pull a Lightning Dust instead of just telling them.
OTOH, the Wonderbolts never explained they didn't intend to bully RD with the nickname either. It were two wrongs making a bigger wrong.
3944793
Good point about the nicknaming thing... my fraternity did that, and it's been one of those things that was adopted after Animal House came out way back when. Still, you were pretty much told that it was going to happen up front. Everyone got an embarrassing (or in some cases downright insulting) nickname either based upon something that happened during pledging. Whether you hated it or chose to wear it as a badge of pride after it was all over was up to you. Rule #1 was that it had to be something that you could display on a jacket, so no cuss words (although they came pretty darn close sometimes). Rule #2 was that it had to make a majority of the group laugh.
Certain guys even wore their pledge names with such pride that folks didn't know what their real names were.