MLP: 'The Magic Is Dead'

When Archie Comics came under fire for including a gay wedding in a recent issue, the creators had an important decision to make: Who did they want their audience to be? The people who supported them for so many decades, or the hatepigs who never even read the comic in the first place?

They stood their ground. Archie's gay friend got married to the man of his dreams, that issue sold out in record time, "Kevin Keller" got his own spinoff comic and Archie Comics made a lot of money. It wasn't just the moral high ground, it was the financially sound option to take. Everybody wins, except for angry mothers whose parents failed them.

It's been about a month now, and I still keep thinking about the Derpy Hooves incident. And I keep coming back to how Archie Comics handled controversy so well, and how Hasbro handled it so terribly. I know you're tired of hearing this. I'm sure everyone who was hurt by it just wants to put it behind them. I just can't wrap my head around how so many good people would act so carelessly.





Hasbro and The Hub had an important choice to make too: Does Derpy Hooves represent the handicapped? Fans said she did not. Angry e-mails said she did.

By siding with the handful of complainers, they decided that YES, she does represent the handicapped. By changing her, and removing the aspects that could reasonably paint her as differently-abled, they decided that disabled people aren't welcome. They're not good enough to be in this show about loving and accepting everyone. They are a problem that needs to be corrected before they can join society, apparently.

It's not the changes themselves that are able-ist. That's not the part that upsets me. It was the fact that they thought she needed to be changed!




And these were the "good guys"! These were the folks who understood the internet, and who didn't put up a wall between themselves and their audience. When an unexpected demographic joined the fanbase, they welcomed "bronies" with open arms. Even when some of them took it too far. It makes me think that they took advantage of our trust.

What exactly was the problem? She had crossed-eyes and a silly voice. Those two things make a person representative of kids with disabilities? And by removing those two attributes, does that mean she's "normal"?

Something a friend of mine brought up in the comments: In a later episode when there was a pony portrayed as "barking mad", who was quickly told to get back to the hospital, out of public sight. Did people raise as big a stink over that? I'd say that's undermining the complexity of mental illness.

Portraying people with disabilities as wild animals is okay, but if we treat them like human beings, THAT'S going too far?

What lesson does this teach the kids watching at home? That prejudice is okay against cripples? Remember, they agreed with the whiners and decided she represents the handicapped. That's canon. So by removing what makes her different, they're saying that people who are different in that way aren't allowed to join in on the fun. They actively eliminated the only disabled character on their show, BECAUSE they thought she was disabled.

None of the fans were consulted about this. They didn't take questions, they didn't look to other viewpoints. They just panicked and made a decision that could only have been made out of ignorance or fear. They let everyone down.





Think about what this says: What about all of that "love and tolerate" stuff? What, is everyone welcome except the one who's different? This doesn't protect disabled kids, or kids with developmental disorders. It betrays the fans who stood by Hasbro and The Hub, and made this show such a success. It doesn't even protect Hasbro's interests, or its bottom line!

Everybody loses, except for angry mothers whose parents failed them.

And the worst part is? There's no going back from this. There is nothing they can do to fix this, no act of goodwill on the part of PR teams that can salvage this mess. They had such a good thing going, and all they had to do was not tell the world how much they wish spastics didn't exist in their perfect society. There's no way for me to watch this show without feeling like I'm supporting something sinister.

These people, who claim to be good, hard-working individuals who respect others? They crumbled at the first sign of controversy, and then offered the handicapped as a sacrifice. Jason Thiessen and his staff and crew, and his superiors and everyone involved left us high and dry.

I haven't watched the show since. I would have gladly considered myself a brony indefinitely, even with the unfortunate stigma of being associated with a few perverts. I never felt shame in that title until this happened. I wish I could go back. I wish I could still watch a delightful show and not feel guilt-ridden. But Bronies are good enough people that they can push past this. I am far too petty and vengeful. I cannot get over how badly this situation was handled.

All of the art in this journal was done by yours truly. It's because I appreciated and respected this program! All I expected of MLP's staff and crew was for them to be open and welcoming, and to not let mouth-breathers dictate their business strategy. If people complained about the portrayal of one of their characters, and those complaints were unfounded(they were!), I would have had the show's creator's backs on this one. We would have absolutely showed our support with our wallets, the way Kevin Keller became a financial incentive for Archie Comics.

But somebody involved in this show's production didn't leave us any ground to stand on. No, apparently all of the fans are worth less than some hate-fueled land monsters.




Derpy was a bridge between artists and their audience. By throwing away their fans so easily, they burned that bridge down.

Is this Jason Thiessen's fault? Was it the CEO of Discovery Communications, who owns The Hub? Was it Hasbro's choice? Was it a group decision, or did one person cast the winning vote? I have no idea. If so, who made this call? Who decided a bunch of bigots were more valuable than loving, paying customers? I don't know. I can't see over the wall.


All I know is that somebody killed the magic.





END OF LINE

~A.H.