Listen, this show is filled with lies. Why does the astrology one bother you?
Well, it doesn't bother me yet. So far it's just that she has a telescope, which is a huge positive. Maybe the show can make some little Carl Sagan girls. It would bother me if they actually showed astrology or horoscopes as a valid thing.
Rainbow Dash is not real, you can't have sex with her.
Rainbow Dash is the best, but I don't want to do her. If there were real people with the personalities of the ponies, I would take the sciency and level-headed Twilight Sparkle girl every time. Well, that's only assuming the princess isn't available, marry money!
"All the ponies in this town are CRAZY!" - Twilight Sparkle
The "leap of faith" was irritating, but not the worst thing ever.
In a different episode, I might have let it slide, but in the context of the episode the "leap of faith" sends a terrible message. I agree, though, the letter was the biggest problem.
but in the context of the episode the "leap of faith" sends a terrible message.
Eh, I dunno. "Leap of faith" can be colloquially used to refer to any large jump in logic; it doesn't just have to be faith-based. As a scientist, I take shots in the dark all the time; it takes a certain leap to convince yourself that doing this extra work is actually useful, especially when you're behind on other things.
But the whole resignation to ignorance is really bad. It's like saying, "You'll never understand this, so don't even try." That bothered me more than anything.
Let's not forget the biggest lie that this show teaches kids: that they are beautiful and unique snowflakes.
I note that there are many not-so-beautiful ponies who have some issues. Snips and Snails are not exactly paragons of ponydom, what's-his-name forgot the grass seeds, and a certain pegasus pony went north to get the southern birds.
Note too that our main characters are the leaders of all the teams in the Winter Wrap Up. We're watching a show about the exceptional ponies, not the everyponies.
That pretty much limits us to documentaries, early episodes of Sesame Street, and the new Battlestar Galactica.
I fail to see the problem.
Truth be told, that is primarily how I was raised. Replace "Battlestar Galactica" with "Masterpiece Theater" and you're good.
We're watching a show about the exceptional ponies, not the everyponies.
Yes, but they're the ones with which the audience is supposed to identify. That's obvious. So, the show is telling kids that they're the exceptional ones. It's the problem with a lot of "educational" entertainment; it teaches you that you're going to be awesome if you try hard, and that can just lead to disappointment.
Remember Mike Rowe's TED talk about "following your dreams?"
EDIT: Not that I'm saying it's a bad thing to teach kids that they could be special or unique or exceptional. It's just that it's unrealistic to teach them to expect that they will be.
EDIT: Not that I'm saying it's a bad thing to teach kids that they could be special or unique or exceptional. It's just that it's unrealistic to teach them to expect that they will be.
Well, very few people are special. However, everyone does have something that makes them unique.
I had little problem with episode 15 when I thought about it, mostly because the message of 'just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it isn't real/true' can swing both ways. For example, when we had hug snow storms a few years ago and Faux News was all 'Al Gore can't get to wurk cause o' all da snoooo! Lul! Where yur Global Warmising nao! DERP!' it was clear that they had no clue that global warming would cause worse snow storms in the long run. Just because they didn't understand (intentionally or no) doesn't make the facts any less accurate. Also, Twilight goes about looking for the 'how' Pinkie's abilities work. In the end, the how is still a mystery, but the fact of the matter is that there is observable evidence that suggests a strong coloration between Pinkie's twitching and weird shit happening. While coloration is not evidence of causation, it certainly warrants more investigation. To me, it's an argument to further study the unknown, not just believe any bullshit someone drops on you.
In the end, the how is still a mystery, but the fact of the matter is that there is observable evidence that suggests a strong coloration between Pinkie's twitching and weird shit happening.
Right. Pinkie's actual ability is not pseudoscientific; it's an unexplained but observable phenomenon that occurs reliably and predictably. The problem is that Twilight gave up trying to figure it out. That was my beef with the episode.
However, everyone does have something that makes them unique.
I suppose you are technically correct. However, most of the time, saying that someone is "unique" is a synonym for saying that they're "special." And not short bus special. Well, sometimes they mean short bus special.
I suppose you are technically correct. However, most of the time, saying that someone is "unique" is a synonym for saying that they're "special." And not short bus special. Well, sometimes they mean short bus special.
It is true that many use the words unique and special interchangeably in this context, but I do not. Unique means that there is nothing else that is exactly identical to you. Even if you have a genetically identical twin, you will not be exactly the same. With only a few billion people on earth, the probabilities of a non-unique set of humans are ridiculously small.
Special doesn't mean the same thing. Special means that you have some characteristic or quality that creates a wide separation between you and everyone else. I will always remember my 10th grade English teacher. "Michael Jordan is Special. You are not special."
It is true that many use the words unique and special interchangeably in this context, but I do not. Unique means that there is nothing else that is exactly identical to you. Even if you have a genetically identical twin, you will not be exactly the same. With only a few billion people on earth, the probabilities of a non-unique set of humans are ridiculously small.
Right. OK, so MLP is teaching kids that they are special, since the main ponies all have characteristics which create a wide gulf between them and everypony else.
I will always remember my 10th grade English teacher. "Michael Jordan is Special. You are not special."
but in the context of the episode the "leap of faith" sends a terrible message.
Eh, I dunno. "Leap of faith" can be colloquially used to refer to any large jump in logic; it doesn't just have to be faith-based.
The term itself can be used somewhat variably, but the actual leap of faith in the episode was quite clearly not a large jump in logic. In the context of the episode, it quite clearly meant "You just have to believe you can make it!" even though there was no way anypony knew that bubble was going to get her up there. Also, while in another episode this could've been passed off as a metaphor for some other kind of "leap of faith", in this episode it clearly was not. Besides, I dislike the term altogether, because its primary meaning does in fact tie in heavily with faith.
In the end, the how is still a mystery, but the fact of the matter is that there is observable evidence that suggests a strong coloration between Pinkie's twitching and weird shit happening.
Right. Pinkie's actual ability is not pseudoscientific; it's an unexplained but observable phenomenon that occurs reliably and predictably. The problem is that Twilight gave up trying to figure it out. That was my beef with the episode.
Yeah, that annoyed me also, and it took Twilight down a couple of notches in my pony awesomeness scale.
I'm actually primarily frustrated at Twilight's inability to experiment properly when she was trying to figure Pinkie's ability out. She straps Pinkie to the chair with the Ghostbusters brain-analyzer-helmet, but then she sits there and waits for something to happen, when she should have been going up, dropping something herself to see what would happen, and figuring out the conditions for when and how Pinkie would twitch. Then she should have tried to make Pinkie generate false positives, and considered what kind of magic was communicating these twitches to Pinkie. But no, she just sat there and waited for something to happen. Not to mention her giving up at the end of the episode.
The other thing that bothers me is that "Boast Busters" had a pro-skepticism message! Twilight was all like, "Has anyone actually seen Trixie defeat an Ursa?" And everyone was like, "No, we just believe her."
And then 9 episodes later, she's all like, "Fuck this. Investigating is hard."
The other thing that bothers me is that "Boast Busters" had a pro-skepticism message! Twilight was all like, "Has anyone actually seen Trixie defeat an Ursa?" And everyone was like, "No, we just believe her."
And then 9 episodes later, she's all like, "Fuck this. Investigating is hard."
Thing is, in Feeling Pinkie Keen Twilight exhausted every scientific method she knew trying to explain it and failed. It can still retain the "skepticism is good," message of Boast Busters.
EDIT: But seriously, Twilight, get your shit together.
This. Twilight is badly undershooting her potential.
I think that's on purpose since she's the main character with the more development potential. It's only been 17 episodes. Even anime takes longer for main characters to fully develop and reach their full potential. Such impatient fanboys. :P
Comments
"All the ponies in this town are CRAZY!" - Twilight Sparkle
But the whole resignation to ignorance is really bad. It's like saying, "You'll never understand this, so don't even try." That bothered me more than anything.
Note too that our main characters are the leaders of all the teams in the Winter Wrap Up. We're watching a show about the exceptional ponies, not the everyponies.
Truth be told, that is primarily how I was raised. Replace "Battlestar Galactica" with "Masterpiece Theater" and you're good. Yes, but they're the ones with which the audience is supposed to identify. That's obvious. So, the show is telling kids that they're the exceptional ones. It's the problem with a lot of "educational" entertainment; it teaches you that you're going to be awesome if you try hard, and that can just lead to disappointment.
Remember Mike Rowe's TED talk about "following your dreams?"
EDIT: Not that I'm saying it's a bad thing to teach kids that they could be special or unique or exceptional. It's just that it's unrealistic to teach them to expect that they will be.
Also, Twilight goes about looking for the 'how' Pinkie's abilities work. In the end, the how is still a mystery, but the fact of the matter is that there is observable evidence that suggests a strong coloration between Pinkie's twitching and weird shit happening. While coloration is not evidence of causation, it certainly warrants more investigation. To me, it's an argument to further study the unknown, not just believe any bullshit someone drops on you.
Special doesn't mean the same thing. Special means that you have some characteristic or quality that creates a wide separation between you and everyone else. I will always remember my 10th grade English teacher. "Michael Jordan is Special. You are not special."
Also, while in another episode this could've been passed off as a metaphor for some other kind of "leap of faith", in this episode it clearly was not. Besides, I dislike the term altogether, because its primary meaning does in fact tie in heavily with faith. Yeah, that annoyed me also, and it took Twilight down a couple of notches in my pony awesomeness scale.
And then 9 episodes later, she's all like, "Fuck this. Investigating is hard."
PONIES ARE FUCKING MAGICAL
Maybe they'll make up for it later by proving that some pony creation myth really has a secular origin.
EDIT: But seriously, Twilight, get your shit together. I want to see some pony fireball action.
I was just more right.
They're super-secret right now, but I might give a few out to forum kids if I get them into production.