Eric Stockhausen
Muslim-Christian
Relations 258
4/13/2013
Introduction
Most of the study of Muslim-Christian relations has focused on
explicit relation-building activities particularly from clergy,
politicians, scholars, and journalists. This focus reflects the
world-view from the eighties, a period of international news before
the internet. While all of these groups remain very influential on
Muslim-Christian relations, all of them struggle to keep up with
online movements. For instance, journalists currently struggle to
both understand and report the happenings of the internet to an
aging,dwindling viewership. They comically report their findings on
Twitter.
To remedy this, this paper seeks explore the relation Muslims
participating in international media online and at conventions have
with that media and how that may influence how they interpret Muslim
relations with other religious identities. Because exploring all
online media is impossible, the paper will focus on a smaller, but
well-defined group of online media consumers called Bronies and
specifically Bronies who live predominately Muslim countries.
There are three other reasons for examining Bronies. One is because
of the nature of their interests, which will be explained in section
one 'What is a Brony?,' they produce a large shock value, making them
stand out among other organized online media consumer groups. The
second reason is connected to the first. Reason two is that because
of this shock value, Bronies have garnered significant amount of
attention, and some of that attention is academic. Reason three is
the degree in which Bronies have produced a culture of values and
artistic expression of those values which in someways interacts with
ones specific national-racial-sociological identity and in someways
ignores it. Reason three provides the basis for cross-cultural
exchange and dialog on not only shared interests but also on
diversity.
The method this exploration of this online community will use a
combination of description and then cognitive and psychological
analysis. This combination will help generate hypotheses as to what
kind of influence the Brony subculture have on Muslim
perceptions of people who hold different beliefs.
First descriptions explain what Bronies are and what is the nature
of the media they are consuming. The description section 'What is a
Brony?' examines some basic demographic information but does not
explore in-depth the activities of Bronies diversity within the Brony
phenomenon would lead to this section being overly long. To
counteract this, the next section “Muslim Bronies thinking with
Cross-cultural Portals” examines specific aspects of Brony culture
and how that is reflected in Muslim context. This section also
demonstrates that there is indeed a sizable and active Muslim Brony
population as well as exploring the interaction of
national-racial-sociological identity and Brony identity.
Then the section 'Off-the-cuff theories' critiques cultural and
religious studies theories of the Brony phenomena from their
limitations and sometimes over-reliance on metaphors with seemingly
related phenomena. The next section 'Cognitive theory and Cartoon
Animals' explains what makes Bronies possible through cognitive
theory. This section is intended to provide an hypothesis that will
provide and explanation for a significant portion of the Brony
phenomenon.
This paper does not pretend to have the definitive answer to the
extent and specific nature of how Brony culture has affected
Muslim-Christian relations for four reasons. First, the conclusions
of this paper are hypotheses based on dubious extrapolations of data
on a population mostly centered in the United States. Second, some of
the surveys used have unprofessional elements in them like not doing
the proper procedure for those under the age of seventeen. Third,
some of the hypotheses are based on trends in interviews rather than
in statistical data. One of these hypotheses could be better
justified if, for instance, Bronies with Asperger's syndrome were to
be formally studied. Lastly, many of the hypotheses will focus on
particular sub-populations within Brony culture because the diversity
within the Brony subculture means that different kinds of Bronies
will have different reasons for being Bronies.
1. What is a Brony?
A 'Brony' is any fan of the 2010 reboot of the cartoon My Little
Pony: Friendship is Magic (MLP:FiM) that is approximately
older than twelve years old. The term 'Brony' is a portmanteau
of 'bro' in the friendly sense of the term rather than the masculine
and 'pony.' Often 'Brony' is exclusively understood as male
(Woodcutter and Green-Miner) because the masculine meaning of the
term 'bro' and the majority (86%) of Bronies identifying as male
(Edwards and Redden).
This paper does not intend the following brief history of Brony
culture to be definitive but rather a representation of the origin
narrative as Bronies and scholars understand it. Because Bronies and
scholars both read each others accounts of the Brony phenomenon, it
is impossible to completely eliminate fact from fiction. As such,
this paper cites multiple sources for the same information in some
parts of this narrative to demonstrate the narrative sharing and
building influence.
Lauren Faust, an American animator, created MLP:FiM with the
intention of changing the norms about cartoons for young girls
(Watercutter). Specifically, Faust desired to challenge the norm that
'girly' means 'lame' (Watercutter). In order to do so, Faust created
a main cast of strong female characters all with very different
personalities and occupations. None of the characters are
'boy-crazy.' The intended effect of this is that the characters
demonstrate that being a girl means one can have any be so many
different things, each admirable for their own way.
October nineteenth, 2010, shortly after the pilot of MLP:FiM aired,
Amid Amidi, editor-in-chief of Cartoon Brew and author of several
books on TV animation, wrote an article titled “The End of the
Creater-Driven Era in TV Animation” when Amidi claims that cartoons
like MLP:FiM represent an end to a golden edge in cartoons (Amidi).
This drew attention from a “notorious” online community on the
image board website 4chan (Robertson 6-7) (Mullin) (Watercutter). In
2003, a then-teenager Christopher Poole created 4chan as a
place for English-speakers to talk about anime and manga (Robertson
6). When those on the cartoon board of 4chan became aware of Amidi's
article, some chose to challenge his claims by watching and
critiquing the shows like MLP:FiM for themselves (Mullen)
(knowyourmeme).
For reasons which will be explored in latter sections, a portion of
4chan's community became Bronies. According to comedic knowyourmeme,
a web series which attempts to explain the origins and meaning of
online culture, claims that the awareness of MLP:FiM spread from the
cartoon board to another sub-community on 4chan on its b channel
(knowyourmeme). Knowyourmeme claims that the term Brony comes from
B-pony; however, in no other place is this claim made, so it may be
false (knowyourmeme).
A fan took this image from the first episode of MLP:FiM and captioned it for comic effect.
Taken
from:
http://ponymondawndusk.wikia.com/wiki/File:CONFOUND_THESE_PONIES_THEY_DRIVE_ME_TO_DRINK-(n1290612841198).png
Using captioned images of the show like the one above, these early
Bronies spread their interest of the show on 4chan with
out-of-context humor typical of that image board (Knowyourmeme)
(Watercutter). When Bronies became banned from 4chan because of
intense prejudice for their zeal in posting pictures of cartoon
ponies, new websites emerged and the culture of Bronies changed from
merely captioned images to an array of different creative and
community-building endeavors.
The demographic data below comes from three sources, each of them
producing roughly the same data. Verbose and opsepe (pseudonyms)
developed the Survey of Brony Subculture in January of 2012.
This is an unprofessional survey; however, much of its data is
reflected in the Brony Study performed by Patrick Edwards,
PhD., and Marsha H. Redden, PhD., which was professionally done and
taken around the same period as the Verbose and opsepe's survey.
Coderbrony's (pseudonym) Herd Census was also unprofessionally
performed, but the main issue for this survey was that it did not
follow the proper procedure for handling respondents under the age of
seventeen. Coderbrony intends in future surveys to conduct it
according to these procedures in order to make it publishable in an
academic press (“Brony Census Panel”). The important difference
between Coderbrony's data and the former two is that it was conducted
in 2013 and revealed an aging population, growth in countries where a
dub of MLP:FiM appeared, and presence of Mayalasian and Indonesian
Bronies. The demographics of Brony culture reveal the following.
- About 85% identify as male. (Verbose and opsepe 4) (Coderbrony 9) (Redden and Edwards)
- Mean age is around 20 (Verbose and opsepe 4) (Coderbrony 10) (Redden and Edwards)
- Between 62% (Verbose and opsepe 7) and 69% (Redden and Edwards) live in the United States.
- Approximately 60% identify as atheist or agnostic (Verbose and opsepe)
- Muslim Bronies
Malaysian
Brony Society United by
MuslimBrony (pseudonym)
The picture of all the Original
Characters of members of Malayasian Brony Society. The image parodies
the season one poster of MLP:FiM.
(Note: Pardon the image quality,
as this image was severely reduced in size in order to fit to page.)
Muslim
Bronies do exist. The data from State of the Herd would
indicate there are very few in the beginning of 2012, but as Herd
Census indicates, when a show
airs in a region the number of Bronies increases rapidly. For
instance, the Mayalasian Brony facebook started in April 21, 2012,
and according to that Facebook page MLP:FiM, aired in July 7, 2012
(Malaysian Bronies). According to the Herd Census, there
are significant pockets of Bronies in Malaysia and Indonesia
(Coderbrony 16). One youtube channel with pirated MLP:FiM in Arabic
on Youtube has 8 million views total for the 18 videos ever submitted
to it (My Little Pony arabic). On the 18th
of April, 2013, Hasbro announced that due to popularity of MLP:FiM in
various regions including the Middle East, that they made a business
deal with Clear Vision in order to distribute first and second season
DVDs of the show (Sacco). While there are Non-Muslims in that speak
Arabic and live in the countries which responded to the Herd
Census,it would be unlikely that
all of them are non-Muslims.
Since Muslim Bronies exist, they seem to participate in Brony
culture in several ways. It would be impossible to cover all of these
here, so it will be restricted to four prominent forms of interaction
within the community: the arts, expression of values, spreading the
show, and stereotyping. Each of these ways of participation take an
aspect of traditional Muslim-Christian relations and fit it within
the Brony culture which is mostly online. The following exploration
of Brony culture is based on my best interpretation of their work
after learning their language and consuming significant amounts of
their media since January, 2012.
Art and
music are a major part of the Brony community. They make art and
music not only to display their love of the show but to also to share
with other Bronies. Everyday on the website Equestria Daily, a major
hub of Brony media consumption, the bloggers of that site post
several dozen of new pieces of art and a dozen new songs that the
community submitted to them.
Pinkie Portal portals around the World by M99moron and ShinodaGE (pseudonyms)
A
collaborative piece of Brony photography with photoshop
Because
of this global access to others work, artists create cross-cultural
'portals.' M99moron (pseudonum), a Brony in Germany, after seeing
some of Argentinian Brony's graffiti art online, contacted the
Argentinian to make a collaborative piece of photography altered with
photoshop (M99moron). The piece takes advantage of the hemispherical
differences between South America and Europe to emphasize the
distance between these two Bronies two collaborated. The character
Pinkie Pie is associated with breaking the fourth wall. The portals
come from a video game by Valve which has the eponymous name Portal
(no pun intended). Because many Bronies are familiar with the game
Portal and Pinkie's ability
to break barriers in reality, this image fits well in the culture of
Bronies.
Thinking
with Portals by MuslimBrony
This picture is of MuslimBrony's
OC Switch utilizing portals.
MuslimBrony
(pseudonym) is a Brony artist in Malaysia who makes show-style art
not only to make Original Characters (OCs) of members of the
Malaysian Brony Society but also to participate in the memes popular
in the Brony community. Thinking with Portals
like M99moron and ShinodaGE's piece utilizes the popular meme of
portals and combines it with his OC design. MuslimBrony is one
example of how Muslims in the community have participated in the art
community.
Indonesia
Brony Meet up by Victorio Utomo,
an aspiring filmmaker
The
Indonesian Bronies are participating in the confectionery arts,
drawing, music, and video-making of the the general Brony community.
At a Indonesian Brony Meet-up in Feburary 16, 2013, a group of
Bronies came together to watch the season finale of season three of
MLP:FiM. At this meet-up, they played instruments, practiced drawing
ponies, and gave one member a cake with the image of a background
pony fan-named Vinyl Scratch (background ponies are characters that
have no lines and be part of the background). The video linked above
by Victorio Utomo, an aspiring filmmaker, highlights the important
parts of the event for a general Brony audience. The music in the
background is the background stereo of a song from the season finale
called A True, True Friend
by Daniel Ingram and Stefan Andrews, and this is why the song has a
echo of the foreground singing and keeps the background singing
intact.
Work by artists in the community is often filtered to the general
community through major blogging websites and podcasts. The most
important blogging website is Equestria Daily (EqD). As was already
pointed out, Equestria Daily formed after Bronies were expelled from
4chan. While a lot of content can appear on websites like Equestria
Daily, if the bloggers of that site deem something phenomenal, they
can easily make something and even someone famous within the
community. A typical day will include the following posts:
- A few posts of a new fanfiction that one in their team of pre-readers has found suitable for posting
- One post on Popular fanfiction updates, generally as established by the Fimfiction , a website that centralizes all MLP:FiM fanfiction, complete with a rating system and a top stories list on the front page
- One Drawfriend post with roughly 50+ fanart
- One or two posts with a set of fancomics
- One post of fan songs from lesser known musicians
- One or two posts with a set of Pony Music Videos (PMVs)
- Custom Compilation on fan-made figurines, plushies, jewelry, and and various others
- A Nightly Round-up with links to miscallenous things like news articles on Bronies, successful Brony Meet ups, and podcasts
- And everything else is news, popular musician songs, and random things the bloggers post when there is nothing of quality in there submission email inbox.
Podcasts are also very important means for the Brony community to
filter the large amount of fan creation and news and come with the
added benefit of being mostly audio, which allows Bronies to consume
them while working and exercising. One of the most significant
podcasts is Bronyville. This podcast started at the end of season one
when the fandom feared that it would not survive the 'Summer of
Nopony' or summer 2011 (Watercutter). Bronyville podcast is designed
to be family friendly, and there are families who listen to it. None
of the podcasters for Bronyville use their actual name, using a
pseudonym, which is also the name of their Original Character.
The show begins by introducing the guest and asking basic
fan-questions like 'who is best pony?' and 'what is your favorite
episode?' The guest can be anyone from a fan artist to one of the
professionals who works on MLP:FiM. The guest can often be a blogger
from Equestria Daily, and it is no coincidence that many of the
discussion topics come directly that Equestria Daily popularized.
Next there is a review of the week since the last podcast and the
news in that, with particular attention to how much panic the fandom
has over the most recent controversy or disaster. If a season of
MLP:FiM is airing, the most recent episode will be reviewed and
critiqued by the hosts and perhaps even the guest. The show will end
with a reading of fanmail by each of the hosts and the guest. All
that is discussed will be placed into a google document. This google
document will read from and altered during the live airing of
Bronyville on the weekend and published with the podcast around
Wednesday. One reason for the delay for publishing is as this is a
family-friendly podcast editing is necessary to remove any swearing
the hosts or the guest might accidentally have uttered during
recording.
Mayalasia
Brony Society Show (better known as MBS Show) is a podcast that
either represents or is an extension of the Muslim Brony Society. The
podcast began in the middle of the second season (February 2012).
While the hosts of this podcast have not indicated being Muslim,
there are members of the Mayalasia Brony Society which are and
Mayalasia is a primarily Muslim country. The style of this podcast
mimics Bronyville's style, and it is no coincidence that they have a
direct link to Bronyville on their website. They also have the show
completely in English, they edit out swearing, and often interview
the bloggers from Equestria Daily. Again, it is no coincidence that
the MBS Show often is linked with a description in some of Equestria
Daily's Nightly Round up posts. Unlike Bronyville, the hosts for the
MBS Show use their real names, they explicitly describe their show as
having a Mayalasian viewpoint, and they are far less likely to have
professional guests.
Discord
by The Living Tombstone
Now
that the filters or the Middle-consumers have been discussed, it is
possible to explore some examples of consumption of the media Bronies
produce. One of the most prominent remixers in the Brony Community is
The Living Tombstone (pseudonym), an Brony from Tel Aviv, Israel, and
his remix of Eurobeat Brony's Discord
has over gained more than six million views. The real importance here
is the comments. In the comment section, many announce themselves as
Bronies, their reasons for becoming one, and some basic demographic
information. For instance, one commenter used the comment section to
announce to the community was an Armenian in her twenties and her
love of the characters in the show. In the Indonesian Brony Stand @
Hot Event 2012 in Jakarta, Indonesia, the Brony community displayed
the various products that they consume like a rhythm game using The
Living Tombstone's remix of Discord
as one of its tracks (ErzaGhz). Because this will be explored in more
depth later, this is all that will be stated about that event for
now.
Unlike most fandoms around animation, Bronies often take the morals
of the show very seriously and sometimes perform activities that help
them embody those values like putting show-inspired moral messages
into art, conducting charity events, and embodying the show's morals
in everyday life. Again there are many other faucets of Brony
morality and exceptions of it, but for the sake of brevity, they will
not be explored in this overview. Muslims in Brony culture also share
in these morals and sometimes use them to address their
national-ethnic-sociological situations.
The captioned image comes from the early days of the fandom. The author is not known.
One of the key moral statements for Bronies that do take the
morality of the community seriously is love and tolerate. According
to a Brony going by the pseudonym Scootareader, who is a blogger for
the Daily Oat, a news-centric Brony blog with a staff of posters, the
phrase love and tolerate is a transposition of the caption in the
image above (Scootareader). This Brony defines the Brony concept of
love and tolerance as a “rejection of unfounded hate and acceptance
of differences in attempt to find common ground” (Scootareader). He
further states the following:
Generations
of hate and intolerance are a difficult thing to get over in a single
lifetime. It takes many years of effort and learning to look at
someone you know and not immediately label them. Gay or straight,
black or white, Democrat or Republican, Christian or Muslim… what
does it matter? You’re both human beings. Get past the petty
wordplay and get to working together towards a brighter future.
(Scootareader)
Long Way From Equestria
by Andrew Stein (aka MandoPony)
Great to be Different Forest
Rain, featuring Decibel (both pseudonyms)
The image is of Forest Rain's OC
and the fan-favorite background pony, Derpy Hooves
Many songs and pieces of art have
mirrored this sentiment, contrasting the world humans live in with
the loving and tolerating world of ponies, seeing Equestria (the
world of MLP:FiM) as an ideal to strive towards. The above song by
Andrew Stein, a very popular American Brony singer-songwriter,
epitomizes what the ideal of the show can mean for many Bronies. Also
seen above, the song Great to Be Different
by Forest Rain, who is also a popular fan musician, provides a
“ponified” song of his real life experience dealing with
loneliness and having someone leaving a letter with a small message
'It's great to be different. Love, Derpy,' which greatly inspired him
(Forest Rain). Derpy refers to a fan favorite background character
Derpy Hooves who despite her clumsiness and being crossed-eyed and
not being too bright is loved for who she is.
Be
Yourself – Lyra Graffiti by
Shinoda
The image is of Lyra Heartstings,
a background pony, saying the word pants next to the phrase 'Be
Yourself'.
Returning
back to Shinoda, the young adult graffiti artist also explores love
and tolerance in his art. In the image above, he uses Lyra
Heartstrings, whom fans attribute an obsession with all things
humans. Humans do not exist in the world of MLP:FiM, so her obsession
often takes the form of a conspiracy theory within fanfiction. This
obsession serves as an analog for fans of MLP:FiM, who also have a
strong passion for something that most people think makes them weird
or mentally ill. The message 'Be Yourself' is a statement emphasizing
how people should not be afraid to express themselves no matter what
people may think of
them.
Lyra
Heartstring [sic] Supports Palestine
by MuslimBrony
Returning back to MuslimBrony, he explores the Lyra
Heartstrings character in an unique way which centers around an issue
that he and many other Muslims feel strongly about: Palestine. The
image emphasizes humans for two reasons. First, Lyra is obsessed with
humans, so this has layered meaning. Second, as MuslimBrony says in
the comments:
no
matter what race we are, no matter what religion we follow, no matter
where we are from...we are HUMANS.
why cant we just love and tolerate each other?
even Lyra thinks so. (Lyra Heartstring Supports Palestine)
why cant we just love and tolerate each other?
even Lyra thinks so. (Lyra Heartstring Supports Palestine)
This
message is almost identical to Scootareaders, thus demonstrating that
Bronies exhibit universal system of morality that both interacts and
attempts to transcend national-ethnic-sociological barriers. It is
also important to note that this piece of work is only interpretable
to those familiar with the language the fans use, so the intended
audience is other Bronies, which one commenter makes explicit in a
statement
urging that this piece
of digital art be shared with as many MLP groups as possible (Lyra
Heartstring Supports Palestine).
Charity
is another major way Bronies express the values of the show.
According to Coder Brony's 2013 Herd
Census,
21.5% of Bronies gave to Brony related charities (49). Musicians play
a large role in supporting Brony charities. Seeds of Kindness, the
charity Bronies for Good, raised roughly
€7,500
(about $10,000)
for a clinic in Uganda, and Brony musicians contributed an album of
songs that anyone who donated could have (broniesforgood.org). The
first episode of Malaysian Brony Society Show, the co-host Emillio
Daniel talks about his charity project “Castle Canterlot Music
Collaboration” (theMBSshow.com).
The
Boston DJ-Thon is a cosponsored event between Bronies for Good and
Greg Hill Foundation, a local Boston charity “known for directly
distributing funds directly to families who need
it”(bostondjthon.com). Boston DJ-Thon is a recent charity event
that is in reaction to the Boston Marathon bombings (bostondjthon).
The event has been advertised on many of the major Brony blogs like
Equestria Daily, the Daily Dot, and the Round Stable.
Voice
actors for MLP:FiM also play a major role in organizing charity
whether it is for Wildlife or a cure for cancer. Tara Strong, the
voice actor for the main character for MLP:FiM and self-designated
Queen of the Bronies on Twitter, helped organized the Kiki Treatment
fund which aims to help save a girl named Kiki Havivy. Kiki was six
years old when diagnosed with a brain tumor and her family's health
insurance did not cover the expenses for the expensive treatment
(giveforward.com). Her father Ami Havivy, an Egyptian immigrant to
the United States, has been instrumental in organizing the fun and as
of now the fund on giveforward.com has $60,000 out of the $70,000
dollars stated as the funds goal.
Raise
This Barn in Real Life
by Victorio Utomo
Raise
This Barn
(Song) by Daniel Ingram
Returning
back to the morals of the show, it is not uncommon for individual
Bronies to apply individual moral lessons from the show to real life.
Each
episode ends with a moral which helps Hasbro justify marketing the
show and its merchandise to children. Victorio Utomo in Raise
This Barn in Real Life
exemplifies this in the video linked above. After seeing the episode
Apple
Family Reunion
online soon after it aired in the United States, Victorio Utomo
filmed this in which his own family reunion is used to reflect 'Apple
Family values'. Victorio Utomo wears a round-brimmed cowboy hat
emulating the main character of the episode, Applejack, who almost
always wears a Stetson. A girl, his sister probably, stands behind
him throughout the piece pretending her violin is a fiddle. His
family also pitches in by attempting to square dance. The song is not
about dancing, however, and halfway through the piece, the video cuts
to a storm which causes Utomo's grandfather's house to experience
several problems mostly dealing with a leaking ceiling. The family
works together to take care of the house, mirroring the Apple family
in the cartoon who come together to fix the barn when the family
reunion takes a sour turn. Again, this is just one example of a fan
taking a specific moral from the show into his life.
FiMpressions:
Feeling Pinkie Keen by
Tommy Oliver (aka Brony Curious)
Not
all morals the show expresses are without controversy. The most
controversial episode is Feeling
Pinkie Keen
which can easily be interpreted as an affirmation of religious
doctrine, according to Tommy Oliver, fan who reviews episodes. Show
creator Lauren Faust, according to her deviant art page, was shocked
that what people took from the episode that it had caricatured
scientific skepticism as close-mindedness in favor of accepting what
one does not understand in faith (mylittleponynew.com).
Ponies
Everywhere Graffiti by Shinoda
This piece copies the captioned
image style. The image is of Rainbow Dash telling Twilight Sparkle,
two major characters in the show, “Ponies...Ponies Everywhere.”
This comically reflects the fact that this is street art.
Bronies
are known for sharing their passion with many, mostly on the
internet. Coder Brony's 2013 Herd Census
reveals that about 80% of Bronies share their passion for the show
with friends and about 40% share it with siblings and schoolmates
(46). Beyond just spreading the passion with others, the fact that
Bronies create so much content in so many niches of the internet
causes them to be called by some non-Bronies 'The Cancer of the
Internet' (knowyourmeme).
Talk
of the Town – Octavia Nasr on
MurrTelivision Lebanon
I
am Octavia [Titanium Parody]
(Song) by EileMonty
Because
the sheer amount of Brony content on the internet, it is not uncommon
for this content to spill into places it is not expected. One recent
example is, on April 14, 2013, MurrTelivision's Talk of the
Town interviewed Octavia Nasr, a
journalist known for covering Middle Eastern affairs, had her named
qualified and a song played by the Brony singer and voice actress
EileMonty (pseudonym probably) called I am Octavia.
Interestingly, the song is about a female pony cellist with the name
Octavia whose girlfriend does not make any time to go to her concert
leading to a great sense of betrayal in her love.
Another
example of Brony content going to places it is not expected is
Fighting is Magic by
the game development group Mane 6 (the name of the group is a
reference to the show having six protagonists). Mane 6 originally
comprised of three members, one from America, Mexico, and New Zealand
respectively (Campbell). Their game is basically the six main
protagonists fighting each other while remaining in character,
creating an irony of sorts. Fighting is Magic
became so successful that it got nominated for Evo 2013 Fight Game
tournament, which is a charity event to help 'fight breast cancer'
(Plunkett). Because the game became so popular, Hasbro saw it as
competing for its intellectual property (IP) and sent a cease and
desist letter to the group right before the game was completed
(Campbell). In the aftermath, Lauren Faust has started working with
Mane 6 to create new characters that are owned by any corporation,
and LabZero, a fellow 2D fighting game developer, has donated the
group a professional-grade software engine (Campbell).
Indonesian Bronies Stand @Hot Event 2012 by ErzaGhz (username)
Combining
spreading the passion and fan content appearing in unlikely places is
the Indonesian Bronies Stand at Hot Event 2012 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The video linked above shows this Brony group displaying artwork,
video games, and music aimed at demonstrating to non-Bronies that
MLP:FiM can be 'awesome' and 'cool.' According to the description of
the video, the Indonesia Bronies are advertising the show but are
trying not to force the show on others (ErzaGhz). A good portion of
the video is dedicated to playing a leaked version of Fighting
is Magic.
Controversy is not uncommon for the Brony Fandom. Most
controversies revolve around actions of Hasbro like the cease and
desist order sent to Mane 6. Some explore issues of prejudice and
stereotypes. This section will focus on three stereotyped characters
and three different angles in which Bronies who identify as Muslim or
live in predominantly Muslim countries reacted to those phenomena.
The first angle is taking the same or a similar viewpoint as main
stream fans. The Second angle on stereotyping is taking an
interpretation of a character that fits with ones own cultural
agenda. The third is to create a new stereotyping for a character.
The difference between the second and the third is that the second
only slightly changes the interpretation while the third creates a
new interpretation.
Chat
Reaction to in the “Last Roundup” by
swainize (username)
Many fans do not have the channel
in which MLP:FiM airs so watch it on online video streams.
The
first is Derpy Hooves, the fan-favorite background character. In
early 2012, the first airing of the episode Last Roundup
had a scene in which Derpy talks and interacts with the main cast.
This was an extremely important event for fans as this meant that a
character in which they had invented and given a back story was being
incorporated into the canon of the show.
Derpy
Hooves is very much a stereotype. The characterization of Derpy
Hooves as clumsy and unintelligent derives from her having crossed
eyes. In short, crossed eyes marks someone as being 'stupid.' Because
the voice actress Tabitha St. Germain thought Derpy was male, the low
voice for the female character led to many reading that as a marking
the character as having Down syndrome (Keating-Rogers). The name
Derpy can also mean something along the lines of an act resembling
mental retardation (Keating-Rogers). Shortly after airing, the
episode was removed from itunes and We Love Fine was pressured to
remove Derpy-related merchandise (DerpSquad). A new episode
eventually aired which altered Derpy's voice, removed any mention of
her name, and toned down her crossed eyes (Spazz).
The
first episode of the MBS show aired during controversy over Derpy, so
they discussed it (a link:
http://www.thembsshow.com/2012_02_01_archive.html
). At this
point, there were only two hosts for the MBS Show. Both have
different opinions on the matter, one sympathizing with Hasbro, and
the other seeing the censorship as far more discriminatory. Often
throughout the podcast, they use the politically-incorrect term
retard to describe what is the central point of conflict for Derpy
Hooves. Their views for the most reflect the same interpretation as
the fans in general.
Rainbow
Dash Pride (Name
of the image collection)–
the artist is unknown
Rainbow Dash, one of the main protagonists, is often interpreted as
a lesbian for three reasons. First, a rainbow is a symbol for gay
pride, so the characters rainbow mane can be interpreted as a marking
her as a homosexual. Second, she has a deeper voice than many of the
other characters, which can be interpreted as butch. Third, she fits
well within the 'tomboy' character type.
Rainbow
Dash Pride (Name of image
collection) – Artist Unknown
The sign says: “There's more
than one way to be a girl” – Lauren Faust
Rainbow Dash does not only have to be interpreted as a homosexual.
Many Bronies also see her as an exemplifying that girls can be many
different things like in the image above. For instance, a female
Muslim Brony from Norway who reveals her first name Hania on her
deviant Art page and is the founder of the Muslim Brony Society on
deviant Art seems to hold strong positions on being an empowered
female Muslim (~CuteFluffyKitty). Her deviant identification shows
that she desires a 'free Palestine', 'supports the veil', and wants
people not hate her 'because she is a Muslim' (~CuteFluffyKitty). She
also has a picture of Rainbow Dash on her deviant identification
page, which probably means Rainbow Dash is her favorite character.
Often people find the character they relate to most as their
favorite. While nothing is explicit, it is very possible that this
artist has taken the empowered female individual interpretation of
the character over the popular homosexual one. If this is true, this
would be an example of modifying the interpretation of a character in
respect to ones own values and interests.
MLP
– Humanized Fluttershy by
Jeanna R. P. (aka ~Future-Gamefreak)
The artist is a fifteen year old
from Canada who is a member of the
The third stereotype is Muslim Fluttershy. This stereotype seems to
have originated from Muslim fans, particularly the artists of the
Muslim Brony Society on deviantArt. This group comprises of mostly
female fans from Saudi Arabia and Indonesia but includes notables
like the male fan Muslim Brony from Malaysia. Muslim Fluttershy was
controversial not only for Muslim fans but fans in general because
many saw it as Islamophobic. The comment section for the image above
was disabled due to this controversy.
A heated exchange between one who
identifies as a non-religious Muslim and a female Malaysian who
identifies as a liberal Muslim.
The above exchange reflects some of the controversy
this image and idea comes from. It seems from what has been said that
the controversy is over three different aspects. One is what caused
this connection. Fluttershy is another main protagonist of the show,
and like her name suggests is very shy. Her shyness, modesty, and
skill with children has made some artists like the one above see her
as a female Muslim. The second is that she wears a headscarf which is
used to make it very clear that she is a Muslim in the image. The
third is the racial component, particularly the tan skin. Many Muslim
Brony commenters felt that seeing all Muslims as Middle Eastern is
offensive. This all reflects a unique perspective to a character from
the Muslim Brony community.
- Off-the-cuff Theories
Now that the Muslim Bronies have been explored in
relative depth, mostly focusing on the way they both interact with
their own cultural situations and in ways transcend it to operate in
a global community, it is possible to explore some common theories
scholars and journalists have given for the Brony phenomenon.
Understanding causal forces behind a phenomenon is just as important
knowing the content of the phenomenon. Theories can be tools that
help explore these causal forces; however, theorists, particularly
cultural and religious studies theorists, can sometimes use theory to
dismiss phenomena. Theorist for the most part have used theory to
dismiss or merely categorize the Brony phenomenon. Because of this,
these theories will be referred to with the term 'Off-the-cuff' due
to their lack of attention to the actual phenomenon. The goal is
after these theories have been criticized is that in the next section
to explore actual data and provide an example of how a theory may be
applied to formulate an hypothesis which will not partially explain
the Brony phenomenon but also attempt to make claims about why
Muslims may also find interest in MLP:FiM.
There are two popular
Off-the-cuff theories for the Brony phenomenon. The first relates it
to Japanese animation and the fandoms revolving around those. The
second categorizes Bronies as an example of Neo-sincerity. Cultural
Scientist and comic expert Florian Hadler thinks show is executed
very cheaply but has an aesthetics reflecting manga, which he thinks
is what attracts the fans (Elektrischer Reporter). He thinks that the
show is ultimately about the commercial interests of Hasbro. Venetia
Robertson, a PhD student in the religious studies department for the
University of Sydney in Australia, shares the opinion that MLP:FiM
has an appearance similar to that of Japanese animation and manga
(Robertson 9). She specifically makes an attention between kawaii
(roughly cuteness) in Japanese anime fan culture and MLP:FiM
(Robertson 9).
There is evidence in
their favor. First, many fans of MLP:FiM seem to also be fans of
Japanese animation, though an accurate percentage is unknown. Second,
as has been said, the fandom began on 4chan, a website dedicated for
the discussing of anime and manga for English speakers. Third, anime
has had significant influence in popularizing animation for adults.
Other reasons exist, but these are probably the most important.
This theory, however, is very superfacial and many
other theories about the style can be made which are more accurate.
Florian Hadler's opinion in particular is very dismissive, and by
making loose connections, he misses how very different MLP:FiM's
style is from the manga-style of Japan. MLP:FiM is made in Adobe's
Flash animator and makes no attempts to resemble a hand-drawn
cartoons. Manga is a hand-drawn style, and anime for the most part
reflects that. A better theory would point to how popularity of Flash
animation on the internet.
Robertson's theory
connecting the style of the show with Kawaii
while definitely having influence on fans familiar with the genre is
missing one major aspect: Lauren Faust. The creator of the show has a
distinct style which she has used on shows that many Bronies are
familiar with which do not come from Japan. The number one example
would be Powerpuff Girls which
many of the same elements (big eyes, a diverse female cast, highly
simplified anatomy, etc). It is far more likely, given the age
demographic, that many grew up with the highly successful cartoon
Powerpuff Girls which
also had popularity beyond a young female audience.
The other theory
Neo-sincerity derives from Angela Watercutter, a journalist for
Wired, which
characterized Bronies as being ironically genuine in the show.
Watercutter's article “My Little Pony
Corrals Unlikely Fanboys Known as 'Bronies'” states that “their
[Bronies'] love for the show is internet neo-sincerity at its best”
(Watercutter). Robertson also shares this opinion, expanding on how
it is neo-sincere for men in a cynical postmodern age to geniunely
like something so pure and happy as a 'girly' show like MLP:FiM (7).
Again, there is
evidence for this which partially justifies this theory. First, as
stated, most fans identify as males, and in Western culture, males
have a stronger sense of neo-sincerity in context of MLP:FiM. This
theory helps explains why there are so many who identify as males,
for if the show was just good, then the gender demographics should be
more equal. Second, this fandom does exist within the context of
postmodern cynicism, so this helps to explain why the fandom exist
now.
The problem with this explanation is that is does
little more than classify the phenomenon. Better explanations would
also explore why MLP:FiM rather than the many other shows with
similarly genuine moral messages which it would be ironic for adults
to like (e.g. Care Bears). This theory also comes with almost no
exploration beyond an understanding of the description of the fandom.
For this theory be anything better than off-the-cuff , it needs to
actually make predictive claims which studies can verify.
The kind of facts which would weaken the absolute
nature of Watercutter's 'at best' limit to the phenomenon is to
explore the relation the Brony has with the show from something more
penetrating than the mere cultural outer layer which her theory
derives.
- Cognitive Theory and Cartoon Animals
Cognitive theory is a useful tool for explaining Brony
behavior because it is a theory that applies to all human beings
cross-culturally. Personalities and mental conditions common within
the Brony community will be the base data. It is assumed with good
reason that personalities and mental conditions appear with
statistically equal frequency cross-culturally. This means that
hypotheses can be made about a portion of Muslim Bronies from this
data which will help explain their relationship with the show.
The two main concepts
from Cognitive theory essential to my hypothesis are theory of mind
and minimally counter-intuitive ideas. Theory of mind refers to the
cognitive ability for humans to attribute mental states to others. In
context with MLP:FiM, it is the ability of its audience to attribute
mental states to the cartoon ponies based on their faces and actions.
Minimally counter-intuitive refers ideas which change a basic way of
understanding an object in the world which is makes it more
memorable. An example would be a deity, which is a slightly changed
way of understanding of person to allow it to have power or knowledge
that people do not have. In context of the show, the ponies that act
like people would be a modified way of understanding animals.
Journal articles and Coder Bronies reveal that some
Bronies need a modified Cognitive theory to apply to their unique
mental disposition. First, many journal articles including
Watercutter's have interviews with people with Asperger's syndrome,
which means they have difficulty attributing emotions to faces. The
following are quotes from various articles about the way people with
Asperger's consume the show:
“This
weird alchemy that Lauren Faust tapped into when she set out to make
the show accessible to kids and their parents hooks into the male
geek’s reptilian hindbrain and removes a lifetime’s behavioral
indoctrination against pink. As a person with Asperger syndrome, I
learned more about theory of mind, friendships and social
interactions from this season [the first season] than I had in the
previous 31 years of life.” - Luke Allen, a Brony from New Mexico
(Watercutter)
Kirsten
[Lindsmith, a female Brony] had been working hard with her own
therapist to develop strategies for soothing herself. When she found
herself in a bad-mood rut, she had agreed with her therapist, she
would visualize Twilight Sparkle, the nerdy intellectual character in
the animated children’s show “My Little Pony” — of which her
knowledge bordered on encyclopedic and whose goofiness made her
laugh. She also kept a list of “twisted thoughts” that she sought
to resist when they came, like her tendency to presume Jack [her
boyfriend who also has Asperger's] was angry when he was making a
neutral observation. (Harmon) [Note Twilight Sparkle is a character
obsessed with lists.]
Daniel
from the UK has Asperger’s, but “My Little Pony” eases his
anxiety. Through the fandom and a trip to a BronyCon he makes friends
and finds himself feeling confident. (Osterheldt)
All
these quotes reflect the same narrative that Bronies with Asperger's
syndrome are attracted to the show for purposes related to their
condition.
A
description of INTJ
A
Pony for Your Thoughts by Ryan
Mullin
This
documentary interviews a few Canadian Bronies and covers the way the
show has helped fans deal with anxiety and depression.
The
second factor is personality. According to Coder Brony's Herd
Census, the most common
personality for Bronies is INTJ (introversion, intuitive, thinking,
judgment) (52). Bronies were given an option to take the Jungian
Personality Test, and 85.7% of respondents did (Coder Brony 51). This
personality resembles many aspects of Asperger's syndrome when it
comes to social cues and difficulty with romance. The important thing
to note is that INTJ is about 1-3% of the general population, so it
is very likely that MLP:FiM has some aspect which strongly attracts
them to the show (Coder Brony 52). Above is a link to a documentary
which explores the fandom from this angle but on a personal angle.
Returning
back to cognitive theory, this data seems to indicate that MLP:FiM
has a unique ability to communicate to people who normally have
difficulty using their theory of mind. This may be because the highly
emotive faces the characters use and the way the show explains the
relation between how one character feels and the actions of other
characters. MLP:FiM in short creates a world in which other
characters are easy to understand and relate to. People with
Asperger's and similar mental dispositions might find this world a
preferable alternative to complex world in which humans live in.
Farewell,
My Good Friend by MuslimBrony
The
image is of MuslimBrony's and his late friend's OC
Returning
back to the section on Muslim Bronies, there are several things that
can be explained according to this hypothesis. First, the longing for
the world of MLP:FiM in the song Long Way From Equestria
and the pride in being different despite how that creates anxiety in
social situations in Great to Be Different both
can be interpreted from this angle. The review of Feeling
Pinkie Keen by Tommy Oliver (aka
Brony Curious) utilizes his Original Character with several stock
facial expressions which is common in many Brony analysis of episodes
and fan topics. This system of using stock facial expressions is
related to the unique theory of mind that the cartoon utilizes. Above
is a piece of digital art by MuslimBrony which epitomizes uses the
emotional language of the show to deal with very emotional topic
(death) concerning his 'good friend'.
While
this is only a hypothesis, which requires a more detail set of
evidence and a better grasp of cognitive theory before being
verified, it serves its purpose of demonstrating that a more
data-centric model of theorizing cultural phenomena is more
penetrating into the possible nature of a phenomenon.
Conclusion:
Bronies, Religious Studies, and Theory
Bronies
can easily be interpreted as a positive influence for Muslim-global
relations from both a descriptive and theoretical angle. From the
description, Muslim Bronies are participating in a culture which
emphasizes loving and tolerating people despite their differences,
which allows them to both present their socio-political issues like
Palestine liberation in the moral language of Bronies. From the
theoretical angle, many Muslim Bronies may participate in a theory of
mind that connects them to others cross-culturally because their
unique cognition makes them have more in common with other Bronies
than those in their respective societies.
Religious
studies for the most part has ignored online communities. This paper
assumes it has to deal with the outdatedness of the field rather than
being some form of prejudice for online hobbyists. This paper also
critiques the sometimes superficial nature of the theories of
cultural scientists and religious studies scholars on these very
recent online phenomena.
Theory
as this paper claims is a tool for analyzing and just as important as
the description. In this sense, the paper is not radically
reductionist as it still claims that description still has value in
understanding a phenomenon. In summation, it is absolutely necessary
to combine both at some point in every analysis of a phenomenon if
one is attempting actually understand their subject.
Works Cited:
Amidi, Amid. The End of
the Creator-driven Era. Cartoon
Brew. October 19, 2011.
<http://www.cartoonbrew.com/ideas-commentary/the-end-of-the-creator-driven-era-29614.html
>
Bronies For Good. Seeds of
Kindness. Broniesforgood.org.
2012. <http://broniesforgood.org/seeds-of-kindness/>
Coder Brony. Herd Report.
Herdcensus.com. March 17, 2013.
<http://herdcensus.com/2013%20STATE%20OF%20THE%20HERD%20REPORT.pdf
>
Edwards, Patrick. Redden, Marsha H.
Study Results.
Bronystudy.com. 2012. <http://www.bronystudy.com/id1.html
>
Elektrischer Reporter. 061:
Ponyfreunde, Limonenverbreiter und Dachsteiger.
BlinkenTV. March 7, 2013.
Knowyourmeme. Know Your
Meme: My Little Pony.
Youtube.com. August 10, 2011.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olLDrvc1qt4
>
Mullin, Ryan. A Pony for
Your Thoughts. Youtube.com.
April 12, 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpTPdpJinlg>
MuslimBrony. Lyra
Heartstring Supports Palestine.
DeviantArt. 2013.
<http://muslimbrony.deviantart.com/art/Lyra-Heartstring-Support-Palestine-354634725?q=gallery%3Amuslimbrony%2F37187221&qo=20
>.
Robertson, Venetia. “Of Ponies and
Men My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
and the Brony Fandom.” International Journal of Cultural
Studies. January 3, 2013.
Scootareader. Scootareader
Looks Into: Love and Tolerance.
The Daily Oat. April 14, 2013.
<http://thedailyoat.com/2013/04/14/scootareader-looks-into-love-and-tolerance/#more-4568
>
Verbose. Opspe. Survey of
Brony Subculture. 2012.
<http://www.scribd.com/doc/94234033/Survey-of-the-Brony-Subculture
>
Watercutter, Angela. My
Little Pony Corrals Unlikely Fanboys Known as 'Bronies.' wired.com.
06.09.2011.
<http://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/06/bronies-my-little-ponys/
>
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