# Promotion of irrational thought through popular media.



## Marovan12 (Jun 17, 2010)

Yesterday while I was watching My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic I became concerned about this. While the show is beautifully animated, well written and generally gives good lessons about friendship and tolerance with each episode, I had to call bullshit on this one episode.

You see in this episode it is revealed that Pinkie Pie (ESFP) predict near future misfortunes with sudden involuntary movements of her body. Twilight Sparkle (INTP) remains skeptical about her abilities although all of the misfortunes seem to happen to her. Stupefied by this, Twilight begins intense scientific research that goes nowhere. Things happen and by the end of the episode Twilight ends accepting that Pinkie's powers just are and she can't explain them. At the end she writes a letter to her mentor, princess Celestia with the lesson she learned that day: there are some things that you just have to believe. 

You can watch the episode here.

(Note: the typing of the ponies is entirely my judgement and I might be completely wrong, but let's not discuss that here.) 





While, I have no problem that Twilight believes Pinkie has special powers, there is enough evidence that she indeed does predict future misfortunes regardless of how, but I find the direct message at the end of the episode to be quite disturbing (intentional or not) since this is a show directed at little girls. But I've come to realize that such things are not uncommon today. Media storms the youth with the temptations of conformity and other such things, trends and what not; and the youth swallows all of this. Even though we are at the dawn of the age of information that promotion of rational thought will catch up with all this bullshit is uncertain for me.

What do you people think about this?


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## MartyMcFly1 (Nov 14, 2010)

I agree. I think in particular the way we treat young girls like they are all special little princesses who will eventually be swept off their feet by prince charming doesn't prepare many of them for the world. Television raises more children than we would like to think, and it certainly does instill in people some qualities that will be detrimental to them later in life. Many people who grew up watching a lot of TV are notoriously horrible at determining what is good information and what is bad. People watch television emotionally, so it's easy to sway popular opinion and make it seem like what you're saying is logically sound through the medium of television. I don't wanna watch my lil pony but I get where you're coming from.


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## Emerson (Mar 13, 2011)

....wow Thanks TV. This is why we need more Dexters Lab, he would kick these ponies down.


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## Monte (Feb 17, 2010)

It make sense to religious people.

This is exactly the kind of message that the majority of the population would promote because it's a sneaky way to get kids to realize... oh, shit, obviously god HAS to exist now. And it's just another way for lazy-ass parents to not have to explain anything, they're just reference this episode saying "Sometimes things just happen, like that episode of the pony show you like!" and go about their business.


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## Marovan12 (Jun 17, 2010)

Emerson said:


> ....wow Thanks TV. This is why we need more Dexters Lab, he would kick these ponies down.


The creator of the show admitted that she indeed screwed up the wording of the message and she as in no way trying to promote things such as religion. In fact, she was trying to show how the scientific method works.

But still, people will misunderstand it, they always do.


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## plausible (Jan 20, 2011)

My initial reaction was concern as to why you were watching My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic to begin with...

But I agree with what you're saying, I see this as unintentional simply because of a poor choice of words . Swap 'believe' for 'accept' and it's a tenfold better - in my opinion.


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## nevermore (Oct 1, 2010)

TheRealJay said:


> My initial reaction was concern as to why you were watching My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic to begin with...


You _don't_ watch that show?:mellow:


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## Capsicum (Mar 17, 2010)

TheRealJay said:


> My initial reaction was concern as to why you were watching My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic to begin with...


Damn! I was going to say that! :crazy:


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## plausible (Jan 20, 2011)

nevermore said:


> You _don't_ watch that show?:mellow:


Unfortunately not...


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## nevermore (Oct 1, 2010)

Capsicum said:


> Damn! I was going to say that! :crazy:


One day you'll see the truth.:wink:



TheRealJay said:


> Unfortunately not...


Yes, it is unfortunate. But it's never too late to fix that.:tongue:


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## KaylRyck (Feb 2, 2010)

Whoops. I'm going to play the devil's advocate. 

I very much like the episode's message. 

The scientific method is confined. It can only explain the mechanics of the natural world, and cannot prove or disprove the existence of anything beyond. While I don't believe in old wive's stories of knee-jerk predictions, or the necessity of faith alone in determining reality: I do believe the content of the message, in drawing the limits of science, is absolutely acceptable.

Rational thought does not necessarily require explanations of science. It transcends it.


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## walkthreesteps (Jun 25, 2010)

This is why girls often seem so stupid, we're forced to play into this feminine, woe is me bullshit. The media teaches girls to be fundamentally insecure, to not speak up, to be calm and caring and practical, don't make any huge jumps or discoveries, don't be bold. Girls play into it because they're told it's genetic, well I must be a freak of nature because I'm not nurturing at all. But I have learned to master social arenas, pretending to be soft and kind and caring, I must come off as ditsy. I don't want to do this, but it's become almost habit, I was raised to be feminine. Screw this, I need to stop dressing/acting fem when I don't feel that way, it's a waste of life to be anybody but yourself.


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## Farean (Jun 7, 2011)

I understand what the episode was trying to convey and agree with it. I did not like that it had to come at the purple pony's (Twilight?) expense. Throughout that episode she was getting doors slammed on her, falling into ditches, having stuff dropped on her. It was as if they were trying to beat the message into her. I was wish she would learned the lesson without getting punished for having a hard time understanding and being curious.


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## Nebuchadnezzar (Sep 19, 2010)

natalie1207 said:


> This is why girls often seem so stupid, we're forced to play into this feminine, woe is me bullshit. The media teaches girls to be fundamentally insecure, to not speak up, to be calm and caring and practical, don't make any huge jumps or discoveries, don't be bold. Girls play into it because they're told it's genetic, well I must be a freak of nature because I'm not nurturing at all. But I have learned to master social arenas, pretending to be soft and kind and caring, I must come off as ditsy. I don't want to do this, but it's become almost habit, I was raised to be feminine. Screw this, I need to stop dressing/acting fem when I don't feel that way, it's a waste of life to be anybody but yourself.


Will you marry me?

I was just thinking about it watching the movie Knight and Day.


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## walkthreesteps (Jun 25, 2010)

Nebuchadnezzar said:


> Will you marry me?
> 
> I was just thinking about it watching the movie Knight and Day.


Why not, I probably need to marry another NT  A movie you'd recommend?


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