Community soapbox time, where opinions from around the fandom are dropped down below for you all to discuss and debate! Expect these posts normally when not late every Tuesday at 2:00 PM MST And now Saturday at 2:00 PM MST. To submit your own, see this post.
Note: These soapboxes do not at all reflect the ideas of EQD. They are an open forum for anyone to post whatever crazy theory they want. Even contrarian opinions everyone would consider bad are welcome as long as they are written with some form of clarity.
Headlines for the week:
- Was Starlight Glimmer a communist?
- If MLP was a Person
- About Equestria's government
- Social Commentaries about FiM that don’t Make Sense: MLP:FiM fights stereotypes
- Quit Taking the Show so Seriously!
And get your soapboxes below!
Was Starlight Glimmer a communist?
By Hoploo
Many people claim that Starlight's old village was the product of cultism and little more, however you can't deny that there was a nice little bit of ideology within there. Many like to compare that ideology to that of Marxism, and while the both of them are a plague, I wondered to myself how accurate such an assessment truly was. To narrow down our comparisons, I'm going to just compare glimmerism to that of pure Marxism itself, and ignore other sects like Stalinism.
One of Marx's most notable quotes is: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need", meaning that the collectivization and equalizing of communist regimes was principled on that of collective benefit, not serving one man more than the other. So stronger and more productive individuals would be required to share their production with that of the commune. Glimmerism is a bit different. Glimmerism principles itself on stopping one from being more powerful in the first place, rather than using them for collective benefit. Under Glimmerism, the productive individuals would be stripped of their productivity.
I know that I am simplifying both ideologies quite a bit, however this is the general gist and foundations of those ideologies. There are definitely similarities between the two of them, such as principles of equality, however the means of achieving that equality is very different. Marxism is equal wealth, Glimmerism is equal power. I hope you learned something from this.
If MLP was a Person
By: Indiana
S1. This was the day i was born. Nothing special happened in the beginning but then i found out that a lot of ppl liked me. It made me happy.
S2. Today i found out that there is a lot of darkness inside me but it's ok because there are still nice girls willing to fight for me.
S3. I grew up and i am an adult now. It's time for me to expand my horizons.
S4. Darkness strikes again and it even came from places i did not expect but with friendship we managed to defeat it all.
S5. Today i leaned that some people can hate you if you try to change their minds but if you do your best to see past each other's differences then you might find out that you have a lot in common and can even be friends.
S6. As i grow older and wiser i learn that everyone does mistakes but the important thing is to learn from them and fix them as well as you can. Nothing will ever be perfect but we still try our best to get there.
S7. Being in the middle of my life makes me think a lot about different generations and now i look up to my family, idols and my friends more than ever. You guys were great role models. What if.....
S8. What if we did the same for the next generation? Now i know it's tough but we will our best to pass down that wisdom.
S9. This is a dark day. Today the doctor said that i got sick and my chances of survival are only 20%. Is this really the end? I am not ready to die yet!
S10. Sometimes miracles do happen. Sometimes there are nice surprises too in the future. Let's make the best of our limited time.
About Equestria's government
By: Will
About Equestria, I think it is a feminist country as it is ruled by a junta of princesses. Thus, I assume any pony being bullied or mistreated because of their gender or if one pony gets paid less for the same job because of it will not be tolerated. However, I think it is also not a Democracy. This is because the rulers are not
Democratically elected. I also say this for the princesses on the show are so admired that the faithful it seems believe princesses are never wrong (Even the reformed Luna gets a semi-free pass). For starters, Celestia was not being really upfront about actual threats to Equestria.There is not even a real plan if the princesses a re captured with only the hoping for a bail-out from hippogriffs, the mane six, or some reformed villains if one watches the show often. These examples should be enough for some outraged ponies or political dissenters to be added to the show. So, is Equestria a feminist, Matriarch society? Yes. Is it a true Democracy? Not from what I am seeing on the show.
Social Commentaries about FiM that don’t Make Sense: MLP:FiM fights stereotypes
By: EnergeticRider
Since MLP:FiM became a “phenomenon”, popular among adults as well as kids, male and female audience, there were lots of commentary on the matter. Starting from opinion-pieces in this very “Soapbox”, up to articles in mainstream media. Why did it become so universally popular for so wide demographic? What effects has this show on people?
Some of this commentaries are insightful, some are debatable. But some just don’t make sense for me. For example — MLP:FiM fights stereotypes. What stereotypes?! That friendship is a childish thing,
interesting only to kids? That male audience can’t possibly like cute female protagonists, who can care for themselves? I mean – is it already a stereotype? Because thinking that boys shouldn’t like cute things (like cute girls for example) or adults don’t need a reminder of how to be a good friend (or at least to watch fun stories about that if they are not sociable) can’t possibly be made logically.
Yes, it’s true that many “stories for girls” or “stories for children”, have sub-par quality and female characters there are talking only about boys and rags. But it’s not a stereotype, it ’s just bad approach, that btw alienates lots of people, including many girls and children, who just think that show is too dumb or boring for them. And if anyone is fighting here it’s show’s writers, who are (according to leaked mail) still at odds with management who think that quality is not that important.
I hope to get some answers, what I'm missing or maybe confirmation that I'm not alone thinking that way. And in that case I'll submit some other notions, that bother me.
Quit Taking the Show so Seriously!
By: FearTheBelle
Ever since I joined the fandom I've wondered why fans were so intent on seeking out some "deeper message" or "deeper meaning" to the show. Or worse, looking for "plot holes" or other nonsense to complain about, and supporting Internet killjoys who purport to know what is "wrong" with episodes. You know the ones, those people who in a self-congratulatory way call themselves "analysts" or "reviewers", while having no expertise or credibility at all and doing nothing but sharing biased grievances against episodes. Why do you support these people who hold a show for 6 year olds to the standard of Chronicles of Narnia or Lord of the Rings? "But kids 'deserve' quality entertainment!", I hear you complain. I agree, but pray tell, when you were six years old, did you care or even think about whether your favorite characters were "in-character" or if there were "plot-holes"? No, you didn't. If you claim you did, you are a liar. Kids deserve quality entertainment that respects them, true; but that doesn't mean they need or want adult-level stories, depth, or writing. Being fun is enough for a cartoon. Quit complaining when the show isn't more than simple, happy fun.
