Do some collectors scare you

[Scrapper6]

Originally Posted by Nugundam2.0

When grown men start and attend a convention based of a girls cartoon and talking female equine, mmm thats where I draw the line between lunacy or social detachment and "normal" or truth by numbers

Historically speaking I believe some conventions existed prior to the brony movement, my little pony has been around since the 80s after all. Just check out Hasbro's SDCC offerings prior to the 4th generation pony craze began... They were offering pony products there too.

Grown men have been going to pony conventions for as long as there have been daughters/wives to drag them down there. Even if they were a bit of a smaller movement back in the day due to how most of it was fuelled by nostalgia.

I wonder where I've seen that before? Oh right, the first few Botcons.

It became hip and cool again for men to enjoy pony, at least those who are interested in such things. (This does not mean they are lunatics or socially abnormal, it just means certain traits exist that attract them to the concepts. I mean look at some of those off-the wall cult classics that exist from Hollywood and Scy-Fy Birdemic for Christ's sake, that atrocity wouldn't exist or be hyped so much if it didn't attract the interests of people somehow. Again, Lunatics and Socially Abnormal people need not apply.)

We all have guilty pleasures, things we enjoy for no real explainable reason aside that it clicks with something internally. The very definition of fandom implies that there must eventually be something we consider to be fun, intelligent or just plain off the wall bat-shit insane, and yet despite how some of our social circle turns their nose down at us for enjoying these things it doesn't change the fact that we still find them enjoyable.

To behave otherwise isn't being true to who we are as a person and it results in misery, bitter, bitter misery.

[Sureshot22]

Originally Posted by Nugundam279045

Not sure if you are being facetious but yeah I had the unfortunte run in with one. Claimed he bought a house just to store them and bought a house for his wife. Had pictures of one room from floor to ceiling with Mint toy boxes. I think I guessed right, another princeling that had more money than god. I give people like that a wide birth

Nope I actually think those guys are weird lol.

[elburrito]

I should clarify, I have no issue with grown men collecting my little pony. I too was a child of the 70s and my sister's pony collection was just across the hall.

When I could still play mock battles I.e., had the imagination for that, from time to time Autobots and Decepticons would unite to engage the pony threat that existed across the hall.

Wasn't ever interested in having any ponies of my own, they were merely fodder for annihilation along with the Care Bears and the mutant Amazon known as Barbie.

That imagination is mostly gone now. I can only see the battles when my mind drifts just prior to falling asleep. MLP, Care Bears and the Mutant Amazon don't play a roll any more.

I am a defence lawyer and today Transformers are an escape from the reality of human baseness. Maybe ponies are something like that to Bronies?

Anyway, I suppose anything can be taken to far. TFs, MLP, work, building wealth. Life is not to be taken as seriously as we all take it sometimes. We should be happy!

As for getting married, I am and have 5 kids, aged 9mo. to 19 years. Guess I am collecting kids too. My advice for the guys that are single, don't get married.

As for dating, do that as much as possible, with as many different women as possible (the gay mind is a mystery to me so I can't give advice there). Be bold, wear rejection like a badge of honour, this approach will grow your confidence and the rejections will dissappear.

At the end of the day, all of us will die, so we had better spend the time we have on what makes us happy. Whatever that may be.

[protoform_ironhide]

I have never been to any of those local gathering, but I have collect toys for quite a while now. I am enjoying it just because I like these toys. I don't see anything wrong people gather up to meet friends with the same hobby, and I would do it too if only I have the time. And just to let you know, I have a busy life, I have a child, I am very fit. I have none of those traits you described.

[Buhawi]

Originally Posted by Scrapper6

400 IBs? I don't know what cons you're going to, but that far overweight isn't something I see attending the local con here. (One of these days I'll make enough to hit up TFCon.)

Personally I'm a bit overweight myself, in the 200+ range and I'd love to shed some of this damn stomach because it can be a bit bothersome at times health wise. But it certainly doesn't make me a stereotype.

What makes me a stereotype is that I'm slightly insecure, discuss TFs or other hobbies ad nauseum and at length on places such as these and I haven't left home yet to see the world like some, less inhibited and less socially awkward and so on and so forth people do.

I refuse to see any of that as a bad thing, I'm me. I hardly see anybody outside of the cons, but that's the way it is. Because it's my choice, I'm fine with it.

My father gets upset because he sees no future for me collecting toys, thinks I indulge way too much, and has a bit of a problem understanding why I do it honestly, but haven't we all experienced this from a parent or loved one at some point. In his defense though I do find myself overspending a tad some months... Which is what sales threads and passing beloved toys on to others is for, so no to the hoarding thing, but yes to the IKEA cases not in the house yet due to space and financial necessities. (Also those damn cases may be highly praised, but they don't look very accommodating space-wise for 900+ Transformers in robot mode... Maybe I just lack depth or vision or something in seeing it... On average just how many figures can you fit inside a Deltof?)

Er, anyway, I digress.

Life is what you make of it, so I'm not married, so I'm still enjoying my fondest childhood memories, so what? I ain't bothering anybody with my hobbies, or creeping people out by walking up to them all filthy and junk, I do understand the basic concepts of personal hygiene. The only reason that stereotype persists in my mind is due to negative media surrounding such things. Hell the guy they interviewed might have not had time to take that shower he wanted to because he had like, a massive collection to get ready for filming, and time vanishes pretty damn fast when you're putting stuff on the shelf.

If all you're seeing is the stereotype, perhaps that's how you're perceiving yourself and just projecting it on others to rationalize.

Although come to think of it, I've seen really skinny dudes with bad odour problems... Which could be attributed to hundreds of other things besides poor hygiene skills. Halitosis for one is a really difficult issue to deal with, even if you do everything your dentist says. Then there's the overcrowded building with thousands of people acting like a massive furnace due to body heat build up, that shit for sure is going to affect the overweight crowd first and more harshly due to the large surface area needing to be kept cool and comfortable.

Logic may not dictate all, but it certainly helps explains certain facets a bit more pleasantly than just negative stereotyping it and calling it a day. (Seriously, do you have any idea how hot three thousand people in an enclosed space can make it? Try sitting on a crowded bus sometime and see if you don't get a bit rank after twenty minutes, you know, provided you aren't wearing deodorant that day or something.)

I don't know dude but sometimes you have to stop, look around you and see what your own family is seeing.

[Buhawi]

In regards to the ponies, yes the documentary does show some parallels between fandoms but mostly talks about fandom cradling the socially inept rather than teaching them to be independent. The latter is the problem with a lot of fandoms.

There's the overdulging aspect in collecting which I know everyone here questions many times over or at some point I hope. Sales threads pop up and everyone's happy.

I have to say that in my experience between the anime fandom and TF fandom, TF fandom is more level headed. I remember in the early days of anime, one guy had to chose between food/transportation and the ability to purchase master tape copies, he chose the latter. What a guy.

[Metroflex]

They don't scare me, but I do pity them. I've met quite a few who are tragically timid and shy. So introverted that talking to someone new is terrifying for them. For years I've urged these shut-ins to get off the internet, get out of the house and interact but there isn't much point anymore.

[Scrapper6]

Originally Posted by Buhawi

I don't know dude but sometimes you have to stop, look around you and see what your own family is seeing.

What are they seeing? They see things, I see other things, sometimes we see the same thing, more often than not I don't see a problem with having a hobby. Other times I start purging and that's a good thing because it frees up your conscience and your collection of keeping figures just for the sake of keeping them. It is what it is, I'm not quitting and ignoring what I like to do in life in favor of becoming yet another miserable, debt laden, barely scraping by middle class worker who never has anything and always suffers because of it some way or another.

[Robimus]

Originally Posted by Nugundam2.0

Its just so bizarre to waste money like that and not save for later in retirement or traveling and seeing the world.

It is pretty funny what the socially accepted norms are in society.

Someone going out and dropping a few hundred dollars in a bar, getting wasting, smoking dope and very likely driving home drunk on occasion = normal.

Originally Posted by Nugundam2.0

When grown men start and attend a convention based of a girls cartoon and talking female equine, mmm thats where I draw the line between lunacy or social detachment and "normal" or truth by numbers

You already drew the line with overweight people, so you will have to forgive me if I ignore your flip flopping

[funkmasterke]

Actually now that you mention it, I do think the concept of Bronies is a little messed up. Grown men watching a show that's marketed to little girls is a tad creepy. I tried to watch the show to see if I could figure out why dudes liked it, I thought MLP would be like adventure time in which it's a kid show where the jokes are more aimed at adults, but... It was pretty much just a children's show for girls...

Then I ended up seeing pictures for bronie meet-ups, now that made me sick to my stomach. Fedoras and neck-beards everywhere, not even a magic the gathering tournament could compare.

I thought it couldn't get any worse then I found out what cloppers were...

I'm not big into judging people for what they like and do in there spare time, but furries, Bronies and people who are into beastiality really make me cringe.