Thursday, January 16, 2014

Live & Learn Thursday :: Bronies

It's that time again. It is Thursday and we all know what that means. Another Live & Learn Thursday link-up. This week I'm sharing something I didn't even know was a thing.

Life As Always

I watch a lot of strange stuff on television. When everyone is standing around the water cooler, talking about the latest television show that aired the night before, I usually don't have much to contribute. Does anyone actually have a water cooler at work? Is that just one of those "only in the movies" things? You see, Joel and I don't have cable. Gasp! We decided it was taking up too much of our time and we were spending too much money on it. Hold up a second, let me explain. We did buy a $40 HD Antenna, stuck it up inside our attic, and connected it to the network of cables in the walls of the house. Now every room in the house has HD basic TV. FOR FREE. We can watch every thing we want to see live like Seahawks games, Downton Abby, Jeopardy, etc. Yes, I am a closet Jeopardy fan. But there really isnt' much else on these basic channels that peak my interest. I actually find myself watching a lot of Netflix. And my favorite thing to watch on Netflix is documentaries. The stranger, the better. I like to learn about things that are different from my own experiences. Honestly, watching a documentary makes me feel less guilty about sitting on the couch and doing nothing. So the other night I was flipping through the options and look at what I found.



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So of course I watched it! I was curious to know more about these Bronies. Which is a combination of Bro and Ponies - Bronies. Turns out, there is a whole community of people outside of the shows targeted demographic that enjoy watching My Little Pony: Friendship is Magical, a colorful cartoon about little ponies going on adventures and learning about friendship.


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Seriously. They love this show. I don't know how many times someone said, "the characters are really deep and well developed" or "the show is just amazingly written" and even "the animation is just stunning!" I will admit, I was pretty surprised at first and kinda weirded out. Why are grown-ass men watching a little girl's cartoon? What's their agenda?


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But the more I watched the documentary, I started to understand they are just normal people doing what they like. There is nothing wrong with watching whatever TV shows you enjoy. I will admit to a few of my embarrassingly favorite TV shows: Toddlers and Tiaras, Keeping up the Kardashians, and Wheel of Fortune. Who cares. In fact, the Brony community is a very open and accepting community where individuals of all walks of life are finding they have something in common with others.


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A few of the individuals they interviewed in the documentary found friendship and support in the Brony community. A guy from the deep south, who is constantly targeted by haters for his love of ponies, found he wasn't the only kid facing this kid of torment. A young man with Aspergers found the courage to venture into a crowded public space to attend a Brony Convention and even found himself interacting with complete strangers and having a good time. If you don't know, these things are very difficult for someone with Aspergers. And who am I to judge that.

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I also found myself reflecting on my own reaction. At first I was totally weirded out but in 88 minutes my entire opinion changed. This is why I love watching documentaries so much. Just being exposed to another idea, differing view points, or alternative lifestyles, and more importantly the people who live them, makes a difference my life. I'm not saying run out and get yourself a pony and start chanting "Brony for Life" but I've learned to be a bit more accepting of others.

Be sure to stop by the link up and see what other lessons are being shared today!

XOJO

3 comments:

  1. Shut.the.front.door. This is not a real thing. No way. DYING!!!

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  2. OMG, craziness. Keeping up with the Kardashians is my fav!!!! Also love Dance Moms, Teen Mom, and the Real Housewives of ___________ series,...... yep, I am a reality tv addict.

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  3. Of course this is a real thing... Totes looking it up on Netflix now :)

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