So I think ever since I told people on DU3 I was a brony, they won't reply to my political posts.

[Leopolds Ghost]

Even when I post nothing but on-topic political stuff, they ignore it, because they figure I'm a brony and/or a radical activist (possibly both) so nothing I say matters, or more precisely they don't want to be seen talking to me because of that.

So I say "fuck it" and put ponies in my posts instead, just to tweak them, I think.



If you're wondering why I'm obsessing over it particularly at the moment, well, I went to the big brony convention for the first time and had a blast... I'll post about it if anyone is interested. I think that these days anypony who has heard of bronies (and isn't one) figures they are simply a deviant fetish of some sort, despite the fact that these are the very same people who constantly rant about bullshit identity politics. (In fact, studies have shown that some gay people object to the whole My Little Pony fandom because the message is that they aren't special or different for liking "girly" stuff.)

Particularly since the show itself isn't as good lately (so it's less self-evident why it became so popular) and they're starting to crack down on legitimate fan projects by professional animators such as the tournament arcade game, so now is not the world's best time to be involved in the fandom. And the fact that some brony communities are being overrun by rather-creepy furries (which actually is what they are imagining bronies to be) doesn't help. ~_~ So it's rather amazing that the fandom is still growing since it's gotten to the point where you have old-timers talking about how they missed out on 2011 when being a brony actually meant something. Like hippies, or Star Wars purists.

(I apologize to hippies for that correlation. I know more of the former than the latter.)

Oh and when I say people think I'm "too activist", I'm not trying to puff up my own ego... I wish I actually were a capable political activist but everything I've tried to do has been completely ineffectual because people won't talk to me. They say I talk to much, probably because of a speech impediment (these are the same people who routinely tolerate obnoxious drunks etc. but not nerds, apparently.) It depresses me because I know people who are stringent activists and I'm constantly trying to be a positive influence on them. I think I've literally landed on the ufo theorist, 911 conspiracy theorist, "do not talk list" somehow, at least on DU3 and in real life. I always used to assume people thought I was a harmless political dilettante until people I know in real life came up to me and asked about "me and the people I know" with the strong implication that they thought I was the leader of some sort of gang. I was once asked if I knew who had burglarized their apartment(!) apparently people in my neighborhood think I'm plugged into the undesirable, counterculture element in their community. So they won't talk to me because hippies and other artistic types are persona non grata among affluent urban hipsters and their spouses with security clearance.

Did I tell you about the time I was sitting in a bar and the people next to me started trash-talking Snowden? These folks had just moved into my supposedly uber-liberal community (it's like living in DU) and were very proud of their self-described "libertarian Democrat" credentials. Turns out they worked for the gov. and thought Snowden was a traitor and were busy psychoanalyzing him. I guess this only means that my town is mainstream Democratic, though, by wealthy twentysomething standards.

Isn't it funny how these people are free to spout their twisted version of social libertarian thinking on the world (which I consider creepy and depressing, but then I often feel I should have been born in another era) but it's not ok to be a member of any sort of counterculture, even within a cult fandom community?

Because that would imply that you don't like the way society is going, and these people do. Very much so. That's why Congress will vote for Syria with no complaint from most Democrats who have been thoroughly corrupted in their ideals, same thing.

That's one reason I approve of the online movement to protect civil liberties and personal privacy, because the way my community is headed (and the way some bronies act for that matter) I sure as hell wouldn't tell most people I know and work with that I'm a brony, or even my political beliefs for that matter. It would just give them more ammunition to ostracize and make fun of me, like I have been my whole life.

When I turned ten or 11, I was still going to after school daycare because my school was nowhere near my house, and they sang "happy birthday" to me. Well none of these kids nor the person babysitting us respected me, I think they thought I was mentally retarded because I grew up with a bad speech impediment because of an operation. In fact I think they asked me if I was mentally retarded. Why yes, ossifer!

http://ih1.redbubble.net/image.10756082.2232/fc,220x200,black.jpg

My favorite T-shirt

So naturally (...?) I started singing "Happy Death Day To Me" instead. This was in the late 80s early 90s... you can understand why I was a fan of grunge.

My area used to be one of the most liberal places on god's green earth and now it's one of those formerly liberal towns where everyone votes Dem and they advocate for regressive policies down the line because they don't even realize they've actually become conservative. They think they are the progressives.

Why am I telling you guys all this when I don't normally post personal info on DU for the reasons stated above? Because I kinda don't care anymore. With the exception of one or two friends (most of whom are completely insane and makes me even more depressed because they tell me "everyone you know is a fucking wierdo. I'm a wierdo, you're a wierdo, get used to it.") (no, I don't want to be their friend with that attitude!) -_- nobody returns my calls in real life and for awhile DU was different, so I felt at home here. Now it's starting to resemble the ("liberal") community I live in real life in more ways than one and nopony will speak to me on DU3 either.

If there's any comfort to the folks who still hang out here, it's that I would never feel comfortable posting this on DU3... or on other forums I'm on.

It would be one of those "lots of views and no replies and I'd downvote it if I could... but I sure as hell wouldn't reply to this person" type of thing. If DUers were allowed to say "GTFO" to people they didn't like, they totally would because that's how American culture operates these days: "Thanks to technology, I don't have to associate or be in physical proximity with people like you... so stop polluting my airwaves with opinions I don't like."

Oh, by the way, about my gang... You guys totally missed the rumbles, man. Back in my day we had nightly rumbles.



Currently Listening:

"Wooden Ships" by CSNY (the Woodstock version the only version); Fluttershy's Lament

Yay 60's music about world war three! It was very relevant when I grew up... the latter song is, um, more upbeat