Do you know what a Brony is? There is a show called My Little Pony
Friendship is Magic. Millions of people
watch this show that was designed for little girls. The episodes each have a lesson of some sort
and the Ponies generally get along great, as friends should do.
Many other people started tuning in
to the show and liking it. There is now
a cult following of the show. This
following is mostly made up of older teenaged boys and young men in their early
to mid-twenties. There are also older men
who love the show. Many girls and women
of all ages have found the show to be cute, sweet, and have a great message.
This fandom of the show calls
themselves Bronies. Bronies share
stories and pictures online through countless forums and there is a great deal
of music that is made to go along with fan fiction of the show. Hasbro is great about supporting the Bronies. There are conventions all over the world of
Bronies. This movement has added a great
deal of money into the economy. People work extra hours or do extra jobs to get
money to go to the conventions.
When a Brony convention comes to town,
it brings a great deal of money.
Hundreds and sometimes thousands of Bronies flock to see their favorite
voice actors and to celebrate the show. Vendors
provide toys and other memorabilia, and the local hotels, restaurants, gas
stations, airlines and others all benefit from the event.
This year was the second annual
Fiesta Equestria held at the Merriott Westchase in Houston. The Bronies gathered, had concerts and
celebrity panels, and got to meet and greet famous talent from around the world. Last year, my son and two daughters
attended. This year my son is in Marine
boot camp (and is in the medical recovery unit because of a reaction to vaccinations
which caused pneumonia), but my two daughters went. They had a great time.
Fiesta Equestria is a place where
people interact with one another and share good times. Most people get along well. There is a real sense of comradery.
It appears that there are some
jerks out there that just cannot let people get together and have a good
time. Bronies are not picking on
anyone. Bronies are not bullies. Bronies actually raise money for children’s
cancer treatment via an auction at Fiesta Equestria. Bronies are not wimps either. Some Bronies are cops; some are
firefighters. Some have wives or
husbands and children. Some are
children.
Many Bronies like to dress up like
their favorite pony. Some will work for
months to put together the right cosplay outfit. Some are very elaborate. But, no one is hurting anyone by wearing a
costume in a hotel where the convention is being held.
It seems that there are bullies in
the world. There is a radio talk show
host named Micheal Berry at KTRH in Houston who has nothing better to do than
be a bully and mock and make fun of Bronies.
The producer for Berry’s show went
to Fiesta Equestria and interviewed people at Fiesta Equestria with the sole
intent of mocking them and making fun of them, just like a bully back at
school. These thugs interviewed these people,
took excerpts from the interviews, and played them in such a way that put them
in an unfavorable light.
They interviewed a man who is very
sweet and has autism. They tried their
best to put him in as bad a light as possible.
Why is it important to Berry and his four or five listeners to make fun
of people who are not hurting anyone?
The producer interviewed a former
Marine who (I believe I am right in saying) was shot in Afghanistan. He was wounded while serving his
country. Berry stated that the man was “Kicked
out of the Marines for undisclosed reasons”.
What type of journalism is this?
Berry went on to say that he will
get a lot of anonymous comments from people who are too afraid to speak out
otherwise. Well, guess what? I am not afraid to make a comment to you, Mr.
Berry. I say you are a bully and that
you should not pick on people who are not able to defend themselves. You hide behind your microphone and dish out sarcasm
while attacking people who are not present to defend themselves. For some
reason, Berry was not satisfied with picking on an Autistic man and an injured veteran;
he also managed to malign people with Tourette’s syndrome.
After labeling all of the Bronies
defective in some way or another, Mr. Berry went on to say this is the kind of
people who voted for Obama. How in the
world does someone make that leap? I
sometimes watch My Little Pony (known sometimes as MLP). I voted Republican for President in the last
two elections. My children, who are Bronies,
also voted Republican in the last two elections, at least those who were old
enough to vote in those elections.
It is sad that Berry will actually
accomplish what he set out to do, which is to raise his listenership, at least
temporarily. Why? Because Bronies all over the world will be
tuning in to this little Podunk 50,000 watt station to see how mean Berry will
get.
KTRH is owned by Clear Channel Communications,
which owns several super stations like WSSL 100 in South Carolina and Sunny
99.1 in Houston. You can find a list of
those stations at www.clearchannel.com
If you are a listener of a Clear
Channel station, why not call in and voice a complaint to them? Tell them one
of their stations is acting like a bully and you do not like it.
Mr. Berry, it is no wonder you have
to pick on Bronies. I listened to the
first segment of your show and all you had to talk about for that first segment
was making a purchase out of out of a vending machine. This is real journalism at its best.
By the way, you will notice I am
not posting this anonymously. Rednecks like me are not afraid to face you,
online, in person, on the phone, you name it.
Bullies like you only get their jollies by picking on those who cannot
defend themselves. I hope Clear Channel
gets the message and sends you packing.
Advertisers, remember, we may be
powerless against the stations, but we can withhold our purchases from you.
DisclaimerThe opinions or advice listed in this blog or website should be used as a place to start only. It is not a substitute for the use of a professional.
Please be sure to consult your attorney and/or accountant with any specific questions.
There is no one right answer to any business question that will cover all circumstances. Please Visit McClendon Enterprises
No comments:
Post a Comment