(I didn’t, largely since I’ve never watched a single episode, but the psychic damage and whiplash of Wholesome Pony Show having said this line was too fuckn much for me)
EDIT: More replies than upbears now. It’s probably an official struggle session now (although most of it is that one person). One must imagine SisyFEWs happy.
MLP also had the anticommunist episode where Pony Stalin’s equal society was just about crushing everyone’s individuality and suppressing free speech, classic lib shit.
I had this long writeup back in the day about the show’s politics, it’s all basically what liberals fantasize society would be like if only the right people were in charge. All forms of social strife are resolved by good faith arguments in the market of ideas, all of the problems inherent to capitalism have somehow been solved (presumably by the immortal absolute monarch), there’s a lot of talk of individuality and freedom but there’s this strangely essentialist “finding your place” aspect to it where everyone is deeply fulfilled by their career and nobody is exploited even though there is noticable economic inequality.
Still loved the first few seasons of it despite being annoyed by its politics though.
I’ll always have a soft spot for it because it was a cute and happy show that I watched during a very dark and isolating time in my life, but goddamn if it doesn’t have just the absolute worst fucking values in retrospect. It’s not the worst thing liberals have made, certainly, but it is exactly what you said: just peak liberal fantasy where monarchism is fine as long as it’s nice and a horribly inequitable society is charming and happy so everything’s fine.
Pony Stalin shouldn’t have stopped at Ponyville
is this site trying to turn me into an MLP fangirl now
Wish I could’ve read that writeup. It sounds good.
Aren’t the ponies assigned to various jobs at birth or something? Like they have a magical inclination to be lower class or whatever.
I’ve never watched this cartoon and I don’t know shit but from the little I know about their society it did seem like a capitalist realism framework
Every pony has a “special talent”, and when they learn what it is they get their “cutie mark” on their flank which relates to it. It’s fine on its own as a metaphor for growing up and finding yourself, it’s just that combined with the show’s uncritical depiction of capitalism you might find yourself wondering something like “what if a pony’s special talent is something they can’t get paid for doing” or “where did the fashionista pony get the startup capital for her dressmaking business”.
The show mostly sidesteps questions of exploitation by depicting every main character as an artisan with no employees, except for the occasional villain who may have minions.
Or “what the Hell is Fluttershy’s business model? Do the animals have money?”
The “fashionista pony” does have employees, albeit in her Manehattan boutique instead of her studio in Ponyville.
Also, Pinkie Pie is an employee of Mr. and Mrs. Cake.
I knew Pinkie worked for the cakes, but the Rarity employees are news to me. Is that from a later season?
Yeah, that subplot was introduced around season 4-5 I believe.
From the shape of this pony’s skull we can see they are a rainbow flutter shy
The HOI4 MLP mod (which is, by far, the best made HOI4 mod) has Our Town join the larger more successful communist state of Stalliongrad, which it bordered.