A little word on My Little Pony and Fads in General

As most of you probably know, there's a new My Little Pony show on TV called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Shown on the Hub, a channel for children and their parents, it follows a new group of ponies as they deal with everyday issues.

Now. I've been a My Little Pony fan since I was little and the first generation was around. And I have to admit, I adore this new show. It's target audience is children but oddly enough a lot of adults love it and I know why. It doesn't talk down to anyone and gives good life lessons that I think as adults we tend to forget.

But there are a lot of people that are upset about how much art is being made of these characters on all the art sites lately (not to mention all the pony porn and fanfics...I won't go into those.) There seems to be two sides here: For and Against. Those for it strongly support their choices in making fan art and those against call all those for it sick and twisted if they're adults.

What I don't understand is why they think adults liking this show is sick and twisted? Adults like lots of cartoons, cartoons that are also targeted to children...and yet, they never get the bad kind of labels. I don't understand why. It's a cartoon, if it appeals to you, who cares? Enjoy it, do what you want with it and move on with life.

But no. A lot of people get almost angry when they see My Little Pony art on sites, claiming it's "overwhelming" and/or "misplaced" but it's not...people draw fan art for lots of things and again, they never get those labels.

The current MLP craze is like every other fad that has ever been: Something cool comes out=people love it=people talk about it/draw things for it=fad slows down=people drift away to new things=everything goes back to normal. And we're seeing that now, the first season's been over for a while and the craze has calmed down a lot. But people still complain.

Pet Rocks, Hula Hoops, Cabbage Patch Dolls, Barbie, Elmo, Slap Bracelets, Jelly Bracelets, Hightops, Hot Wheels...all of these are things targeted to kids but adults loved them too. I honestly don't see a problem with people liking what they like. Everyone is entitled to their opinions but if they're nasty and derogatory towards those they don't agree with, the old saying "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" should come into effect.

So get over it, bear with it and the fad will soon fade to be replaced by something else. History shows it again and again, so don't stress over a few cartoon ponies that talk.

Really Groupon?

I'm in the process of watching the Super Bowl with my husband and mother, not my choice but I got outvoted. So I'm online, shootin' the shit etc, when lo and behold I see a commercial for Groupon, the coupon company online. I've used their stuff before, good deals...but I was offended by the commercial and then outraged by one I saw after the half-time show.

The first commercial had Cuba Gooding Jr. commenting on how whales need our help to live, to stop killing them...but then he say's "but they're cute when they jump" and goes on to say he got a great deal on an animal park coupon.

The second was even worse... It had some jackass talking about how Tibet was in need of support or the beauty and heritage of it would dissapear...I call him a jackass because a) I have no idea who he is and b) He said that it's ok cause he got a deal on tibetan food at a restaurant!

WHAT THE FUCK!? What is fucking wrong with the Groupon people? Is this supposed to be funny? Dead whales and a dying culture is funny? WTF!? It's not funny, it's insensitive and wrong and to that I say FUCK YOU GROUPON! I will never, ever use or promote your coupons ever again. If you act so flippant about real world issues I want no part of your company.

Furries

WARNING: This is a RANT, but it has a point so if you have a strong will and a sense of humor, read on. If not, move along and don't flame it. It's my opinion and if you don't like to hear the blunt truths of the world, that's your thing not mine.

Now, for those that don't know, I am what's called an Otherkin (google it) and I am part of the Furry community. I draw Anthros, humanoid animals and Furries, more human but still animalistic creatures and eventually I plan on making what's called a Fursuit for myself. I have many friends in the community that I love and wouldn't change them for the world.

But I have a problem with those in the Furry fandom that get their panties in a bunch over what is put on TV about it.

The infamous CSI:Las Vegas episode, the Animal Planet show Weird, True and Freaky had an episode called Humanimals, the 1,000 Ways to Die clip and there was recently a episode of TLC's show My Strange Addiction that featured a furry.

The CSI one I can understand the hurt feelings, they made the entire fandom out to be nothing but devious sex fiends that get off dry humping each other in fursuits. That's not the case, few actually do that in public (though more do it in private) but of course, those that do it out in the open are the ones the media fixate on instead of focusing on the fact that a large majority of us go to conventions or parties just to meet up with friends and have a good time with like minded people. Not all of us are sexual deviants. And not all wear full suits. So get over it.

The Humanimals episode was a little more on the extreme side, focusing on people that have a strong connection to their animal 'totems' or wish to be an animal or like Otherkin feel that their souls were once something different then the human shell we wear now. But again, they sensationalised it to make it seem strange or perverse and though I love the show normally it came off more as a warning to people on what to watch for to keep the icky furriness off them then the actual educational opportunity it could have been.

The 1,000 Ways to Die show on Spike featured a clip of a man that stumbled drunkenly on a furry sex party in the middle of nowhere and died when he tried to boink an actual bear. First of all, not the furries fault and second of all, harsh as it sounds, the bear was helping to clean the gene pool. If you're dumb enough as a drunk to not notice when a bear is real, I think you kinda deserve what you get.

And now TLC has jumped on the "Let's make fun of Furries" bandwagon with a show called My Strange Addiction. Episode 7 had a woman who eats couch cushions (which in my opinion is WAY weirder then furries) and a furry named Kiira (real name Lauren A.) Now this poor girl was made out to be totally dependant on her suit to function in daily life, whereas in her own words she states to the FNN (Furry News Network): "I’d love to get my side of the story out. I have left the fandom, though I still do make costumes and occasionally go out in it with my friends who are also furs. I just don’t associate myself as a furry anymore. But they totally twisted everything, I can just tell by the preview. I told them I only go out maybe once a month if that. I never bring it out around people that aren’t furs, and I never once brought it to a gathering or social event. Yet they say I can’t stand to be without it for one minute. I know my video will just provoke the community more, but I do need to get my side of the story out regardless. I’m glad there are still some people with common sense in this world." Sounds to me like she's a normal kid who is using the suit to overcome her shyness. Not a bad thing in my opinion but she's been pretty much misquoted to the extreme on the show and that's just wrong.
(you can read what the FNN says and see a clip here: http://www.furrynewsnetwork.com/2011/01/tlc-to-show-furry-episode-of-my-strange-addiction/ )

Now, don't get me wrong, there are plenty of crazies in the fandom and I've known a few. But every convention, every religion, everything has it's own crazies, we should all be used to it. Even families have their "Crazy Cousin/Uncle/Aunt/Gramma" to deal with. So we should be used to this kind of thing, yes? We have a crazy in the midst, we smile politely and turn away...what's so hard about that? Give them attention and they'll just keep it up, ignore it and they'll leave you alone. But No, it apparently doesn't work that way with Furries since no one seems to be able to just ignore the more extreme, low minority people in it that do the kinds of things that attract attention from both Regular Joes and the media.

But I say, to all the Furs out there, GET OVER IT. You know what you are, you know what makes you happy and what makes life worth living for you. If you can be happy and live a good life the way you are then good for you! Continue that and ignore the BULLSHIT that's aired on TV or said in chatrooms or blogs (even mine if you don't like what I'm saying) NO ONE has the right to make you feel unusual or wrong, this is your life so live it as you want as long as you don't hurt anyone. That should be the rule for everything, but alas, close minded people are everywhere and again, alas, they are breeding.

This may sound harsh, but I say it out of love: Stop crying, untuck your tails and stop whining! If you don't like how the media depicts us then CHANGE IT! Quit complaining and get out there, wear your suit or tail or ears in public and talk to people, answer their questions and be honest! No one will know the truth if all they ever see is what TV execs want them to see. And this goes for EVERY group, not just Furs! Pagans, Gays, Lesbians and the like, Alternatives, Nudists, Cosplayers, Otherkin...all of us need to start talking to people and being honest with our answers then we have been, otherwise you're just whining. And no one likes to listen to a whiner.

So yes, I find the things on TV insulting at times and downright wrong in others, but unless we stop our BAWWWWing and actually start doing something about it, it'll never change and honestly I don't want to hear the complaints of "but he said I was a freak for wearing a tail" My question would be "What did you say to him to explain it?" And if you answered "Nuthin'" I would just turn around and walk away in disgust.

To change things you have to do things. Keep that in mind.

This is News?

Ok, so I got online today and Yahoo sent me highlights of the days news like it always does and I saw a headline about President Obama and out of some morbid curiosity I clicked the link.

Imagine my surprise to find the juicy details of...whether or not Obama dyes his hair? Really? This is news? WHO THE HELL CARES!? Who gives a rats fart if Obama dyes his hair, don't we have more important things to discuss like, oh I don't know, Healthcare Reform, the war in Iraq or maybe all the animals dropping dead all over the fricken world?

But no, the headline was all about if Obama dyes his hair... I seriously wanted to shoot myself or the people who think this is news worthy. I mean seriously, this is just like the tabloids where they ask if an actress has had a boob job when in reality they're just wearing two different types of dress, one that doesn't support and one that does. After seeing the photos of Obama in question, which I'm not posting again because it's just too stupid, my initial opinion is the lights are different so his hair is in brighter light in one and darker light in the other. It's the same phenomenom that happens to every single person on the planet!

Good lord people! Seriously, if this is news I weep for my fellow man. This is just sad. WHO CARES?! Move along, this is not news and honestly, I want to see what Jon Stewart has to say about this ridiculous bunk.

Super Heroes

Watching "Hancock" with my husband, so far funny film. Will Smith is great, so I'm not surprised. But my husband said he's better then Aquaman in super hero terms...now, I love Aquaman and think he gets a bum rap.

Sure, his only super power was talking to ocean creatures and that would fail miserably on land...but how many of us would love that kind of power? I personally think he's one of the better ones.

Superman for example. The guy is an alien and is allergic to his own planet. He can do amazing things and yet he's a whiney little brat. Invincible, fast, handsome...totally unrealistic.

But on the other end of the spectrum you have Batman. Orphan rich kid with anger issues and way too much money. Not invinsible but his gadgets overcompensate for his physical lack. And he's whiney too.

Spiderman...there we have another whiney boy, bit by a spider and now he shoots goo from his wrists...I'd rather not think of what the goo is made of or even how it's physically possible.

And the women super heroes, yeesh! Can anyone say fan service? They have more tits and ass then is humanly possible and you think fighting evil in high heels is something they'd actually do? Have you ever tried just walking in those things? Not happenning.

The X-men are a whole other thing, so disfunctional and their issues are enough to drive a shrink nuts. Though most of their powers are pretty awesome and the fact that they're mutant humans and not alien races that look human is a plus. But still, nearly invinsible and too damn whiney for their own good.

You see a theme here?

Why do super heroes have to be so damn childish? Hancock at least is more human in his emotions, you can relate to him. I like that.

If super heros ever become a reality I hope they're more like that then Superman.

Money

Money is the root of all evil indeed...money becomes the focal point of life regardless of what you love or the hobbies you wish to pursue. Everything costs money and prices go up every day; I wait for the day that the price is our own blood.

The barter system was good though, pure in a way. You had a skill you traded to others to get what you needed, you traded to survive.

But now alas, no one wants anything but money and god forbid the day you cannot pay because then those you owe become locusts and leeches and vultures out to ruin your life and squeeze you until you are nothing more then a dry and bloodless husk, miserable and hollow and a shadow of what you once were...

And then they want even more...

Perception

Perception. How one sees something. But everyone has a different perception or perspective on everything around them. How can one be sure that the others exist though?

You see what you see, you cannot percieve what others see so it is as if you are alone in the universe, each blink of your eyes plunges you into a dark that may be the only reality. Everything may be a figment of your imagination, a dream for you alone, your supposed perception wiped out of existence every time you close your eyes.

Reality is relative, everything is relative...to you, the person seeing your world through your eyes. But is your world exactly the same as the world someone else sees? Maybe, maybe not but there is no way to be sure because you cannot see through anothers eyes.

You must have faith that the world you see, even yourself, is real...