I started watching this show a couple of weeks ago when I suddenly had a television to myself. There is hot competition for the television where I normally live and I don't really get to ever watch it, but even if I did get to watch it I wouldn't want to. The big shows that people really seem to enjoy like "Game of Thrones" and "House of Cards" offer zero interest for me. Every time I have seen a bit of one of those shows and just about any other show on television it seems to be about nothing other than people treating each other badly. I get enough of that kind of stuff in my everyday life, and the idea of voluntarily exposing myself to more of it does not appeal to me at all.
At first watching this was just something to do while I was trying to get my mind off study, but after I saw episode 6 "Boast Busters" I was really surprised by the high quality content of that episode (it also gave me the major feels) and I knew I would be sticking with watching the show. I'm only halfway through the first series now but I'm really enjoying it. I'm sort of planning to make it last and not watch it all too quickly.
I think there is a bit of a tendency for people to approach this show with preconceived notions of what it is or what it could be, rather than challenging themselves to watch something a bit different. "It's a show for little girls, how can an adult get interested in this?!" Well so what, there are a lot of animations out there that are meant for kids that are adored by adults. Lauren Faust, who is kind of responsible for the current incarnation of the show since it was more or less reinvented in 2012, wanted the show to be something that parents could watch together with their kids and get enjoyment out of. When you look at something like Dick Bruna's "Miffy", for that one Bruna has insisted that it is a product designed purely for the minds of young children, and that he worked to exclude possibilities of other levels of reading it or comprehending it: it is purely for an immature mind. The approach to "My Little Pony" is very different; it is a sophisticated writing approach that is designed to be engaged with at multiple levels.
I really want to try and communicate what it is that I like so much about this show. What I really think is that in our culture, there is this tremendously huge thing about the cool factor of cruelty, cynicism, and "more right than thou". I think that we are really surrounded by a culture that is saturated with these values of being right, showing how much more right you are, and doing it in a way that makes you sound smarter than the other person, cooler than them, knowing better than them, and blah blah blah blah blah. All of that stuff is very cool right now.
What this show "My Little Pony" is trying to do is something completely different. It's not pretending that those things aren't there, but it's presenting a real alternative perspective for looking at those things and dealing with them in life. The characters on this show are always learning, growing, and trying to become their better selves. This show is about things like having faith in your fellow creatures, being kind and compassionate, cooperating, seeing the best in others, being assertive, having fun, competing fairly, trying to understand others, and achieving what you need to get done... all of those kinds of values we wish there were more people in the world like that... and fitting them into an entertaining episodic story format.
I think that as an INFJ, it's very easy to get sucked into the cruel-is-cool and righter-than-thou stuff, just because of the way we are wired up so passionately. I know it has been like that for me in the past and I have really been trying to change that about myself. I think that this is a great show for INFJs because you can use it to center yourself and inspire you to go into the world and act in a certain way, and to ignore all the counterproductive and unconstructive stuff, and just do your best.
I made a poll on this thread for who you would choose as your favourite main characters... please vote on the poll if you like this show.
If you are a fan of the show and have something to say on this thread,... Please remember to use the spoiler tag as appropriate! Thanks
