Okay, this is something I've been pondering for a while, and will require me to possibly ramble on a bit and rant some and I might ruffle some feathers along the way, so before I do that, have a cute pony pic to put you in a calming mood.

Okay, I've been thinking this over for a while and it relates to our actions as a fanbase. Have we grown too arrogant? I mean, sometimes it seems we expect perfection from every episode and expect our characters to be perfect little angels or decry them when they seem OOC. I mean, take No Second Prances for a good example. As quoted from TV Tropes about this episode:

The biggest point of contention with the episode concerns Twilight Sparkle and her characterization. You have fans who feel Twilight's characterization is in line with the rest of her appearances, especially when it comes to old foes and you have fans who feel that Twilight is acting out of character and should have been more accepting. There are also a handful of fans who take a Ron the Death Eater approach to Twilight's characterization and accuse her of being an outright villain to the Draco in Leather Pants Trixie.

Seriously, people, it's been like this since season one. Ponies aren't perfect, just like people. They learn and grow, and fumble and make mistakes along the way. As The Doctor (And you should always listen to the madman in a box, he's usually right) once said...

Look at these people, these human beings. Consider their potential! From the day they arrive on the planet, blinking, step into the sun, there is more to see than can ever be seen, more to do than-- no, hold on. Sorry, that's The Lion King. But the point still stands. Leave them alone!

Okay, maybe a bit too philosophical there, but the point stands! Nobody's perfect, just like no pony is. They've always got something new to learn. And then coming right after No Second Prances just to seemingly give me even more of a headache was Newbie Dash. Seriously, ever since Rainbow Falls half the fanbase thinks the Wonderbolts have a nasty motive for everything they do. Take when Rainbow was accused of taking Spitfire's place and Soarin had to take charge. Some people don't understand that he had to be Captain Soarin of the Wonderbolts, not Rainbow's friend, and all evidence did point to her and she didn't really have a good alibi, plus she did say she wanted to fly. And do I really need to start with Newbie Dash and the issues with what people thought was the Wonderbolts bullying her? I mean, they didn't know her history with her nickname? What are they, Time Lords or Psychics? It was just miscommunication and Rainbow's ego getting in the way, even if for understandable reasons, and we did see several bits of foreshadowing throughout the episode that all the Wonderbolts made similar errors and got humiliating callsigns.

My point is, we expect the ponies to be either good or evil, and when a pony gets a characterization, even if only for a moment, that fits into neither category we go off all mad and bash them. I know some of us, well a lot really have history with bullying and such, but a lot of us are grown adults and should know better. And thankfully, some of us do. Seriously, there are a lot of these protection groups around FIMfic for a reason. It's really heartwarming, but it's also saddening that these groups have to exist in the first place. Of course, there's all the episodes where ponies seem to act out of character, but really, they're just like us human adults, they make mistakes and are complex characters, which is why we love the show in the first place and now it seems whenever a character's complexities show themselves, we hate them for it. And then there was the episode Fili Vanili, where people actually sent DEATH THREATS to the writers over how Pinkie supposedly bullied Fluttershy. Death threats!?! I mean, seriously? Pinkie is like a child at times, she sometimes simply doesn't understand what she's doing is wrong. We're supposed to be the love and tolerating fanbase without the drama, and look what's happened. We're hypocrites at times, and I'm saddened to say it. So that's my ramble/rant. Your opinions on it, agree/disagree?

5805805
S'not just ponies; every fandom does it. I've been listening to people complain about the exact same type of things in the Star Trek fandom for decades.

No, seriously, walk into a ST convention and yell 'Rick Berman sucks'; you'll get a chorus of boos, a round of applause, and on average two or three of the actors signing autographs will smile and gently nod their heads. Who is Berman? One of the producers who a lot of fans blame for the franchise's perceived decline in quality after Roddenberry passed away, but a lot of people also praise for pushing the shows and storylines in new directions.

Fandoms always complain, and yet some of the folks who complain the loudest still stick with it from beginning to end, season after season. Do they really think that show has gone to pot? Maybe, but in my experience the old adage applies: some people aren't happy unless they've got something to complain about.

5805805
There are people with different opinions than you. You're just now noticing this?

5806687 I'm just pointing the ones who are complete dicks about sharing their opinions or the ones who whine about how characters are OOC.

5806696
Yep. People with different opinions than you.

5806940 ...And I think you've missed the point of this entire post. The point was to point out the problems in the fanbase, and how hypocritical we are to the very values we started off on.

5806961
Not everyone started on the same values though.

No, you're just making more out of the fact that you're observing that others have differing opinions from your own.

I don't particularly like or agree with the opinions you point out, but the fact that either of us disagree with them is irrelevant. There are a wide range of opinions within any fandom, and you don't get to call any of them right or wrong. It's a fandom. It's defined only in that people in it are fans of a common thing. This doesn't create any code of morals, laws, or rules. People do not have to conform to your set of opinions.

The only hypocrisy that could possibly be in existence are that people don't like MLP but say they do, or like MLP and say they don't. As both of those are a difference of action and statement, and the only ones that can be inferred from any membership into the fandom.

None of what you point out are problems. Being a problem suggests that the thing is wrong and in need of fixing. Having different opinions from you or me is not something in need of fixing. The opposite would be. If everyone shared all the same opinions, and the fandom was one giant echo chamber, that would be the worst possible thing.

No. People should have different opinions. Welcome to finally seeing the obvious.

5807062 You think character bashing isn't a problem? When characters get written in such ways that they barely resemble their original counterparts and are just written that way because the author doesn't like them, then there is a definite issue in the fanbase.

5807093
Not in the slightest. People can express their like for the show however they please. They can like some parts, all of it, or like it differently. You aren't the boss.

Edit: You're also free to not like stories like that, of course. There is a downvote button for a reason.

5807153 I concede your point. The rules about fiction... Well...

5807212
+1 for Pirates,

5805805 The show isn't perfect. The writers made mistakes along the way. The timeline is such a mess that even the staff can't tell heads and tails.

When such problems arise, I think it's good that they're pointed out. How else are the writers supposed to learn otherwise?

And when the opinions are split, that's where the fandom shines the brightest. That's where the passion that defines the fandom can be seen the most.

5807212
Yarrr. 'Ave a good day, matey.