Voidus Posted July 30, 2015 Posted July 30, 2015 So, I've been thinking of finally coming out of the closet on being a brony. On facebook. However, when I brought this up, my mom shot down the idea, because she's afraid that people will start throwing insults at me. How do I change her mind on this? Introduce her to the 17th shard where every second member is a brony?
Delightful Posted July 30, 2015 Posted July 30, 2015 So, I've been thinking of finally coming out of the closet on being a brony. On facebook. However, when I brought this up, my mom shot down the idea, because she's afraid that people will start throwing insults at me. How do I change her mind on this?Erm.....just do it? It's your Facebook. Disclaimer: I have no idea what I'm talking about.
TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her Posted July 30, 2015 Posted July 30, 2015 So, I've been thinking of finally coming out of the closet on being a brony. On facebook. However, when I brought this up, my mom shot down the idea, because she's afraid that people will start throwing insults at me. How do I change her mind on this? I don't know how to change her mind, but if you wanted to do it in a less-obvious (and therefore less likely to attract insults) way, I'd recommend liking a few MLP-centric pages first. Follow Twilight Sparkle or Discord or Rainbow Dash, share some of their pictures, and then, when you feel like you're ready, post a link to the latest episode and ask if anyone else saw it.
Jo and the Bush all/any Posted July 30, 2015 Posted July 30, 2015 So, I've been thinking of finally coming out of the closet on being a brony. On facebook. However, when I brought this up, my mom shot down the idea, because she's afraid that people will start throwing insults at me. How do I change her mind on this? Depends on why you want to do it. Are you trying to get attention for something? (Be it the fandom, yourself, or some cause?) Then nuke the Closet from Orbit. Make sure it's impossible for anyone to not know you're a brony. Are you doing it because rumors are spreading? Just make a single post confirming/denying the rumors, and answer any follow up questions about it. Don't make a big deal about it. Are you doing it because you're tired of trying to keep it hidden? Don't bother making a post, just stop hiding the fact. Make more references to the show. Maybe wear a shirt if you have one. Are you doing it to see people's reaction? Just post a single picture: Are you doing it to try to find other closet bronies? Go with what Twilight said. Yes, I have thought about this subject a lot. 5
Delightful Posted July 30, 2015 Posted July 30, 2015 Okay, please excuse my total ignorance. Why is MLP a closet and why is it such a big deal to come out? 2
Claincy he/him Posted July 30, 2015 Posted July 30, 2015 Okay, please excuse my total ignorance. Why is MLP a closet and why is it such a big deal to come out? Because it's "childish" and "girly" so why would any grown man like it? *sigh* Sure it's a "kid's" show, sure it's about ponies and unicorns and the magic of friendship. That doesn't mean guys can't like it. Personally from what I've heard and the little I've seen of it it's not really something I'd like that much, but I certainly don't have anything against it or people who watch it. 3
Delightful Posted July 30, 2015 Posted July 30, 2015 Because it's "childish" and "girly" so why would any grown man like it?And therefore? You'll be what, socially outcast for having an unusual interest?
Edgedancer he/him Posted July 30, 2015 Posted July 30, 2015 And therefore? You'll be what, socially outcast for having an unusual interest?Sadly, that is more likely than it ever should be. There's even been a case of an 11 years old Boy being bullied to the point he attempt suicide over liking the Show. I really don't understand all the hatred that's sometimes thrown at the Show.
Delightful Posted July 30, 2015 Posted July 30, 2015 That's frankly ridiculous. Can I say, if someone's gonna bully you for liking MLP or anything else, then they don't respect you and aren't really your friend and you don't need them? I.....I don't geddit.
Edgedancer he/him Posted July 30, 2015 Posted July 30, 2015 That's frankly ridiculous. Can I say, if someone's gonna bully you for liking MLP or anything else, then they don't respect you and aren't really your friend and you don't need them? I.....I don't geddit. Neither do I.
Voidus Posted July 30, 2015 Posted July 30, 2015 Some people are just terrible. Sad state of affairs. On the plus side though some people write awesome books and tv shows and take pictures of their pugs.
Quiver he/him Posted July 30, 2015 Posted July 30, 2015 (edited) Sadly, that is more likely than it ever should be. There's even been a case of an 11 years old Boy being bullied to the point he attempt suicide over liking the Show. I really don't understand all the hatred that's sometimes thrown at the Show. The story that got me into the fandom. Seriously. I have to say, there is a lot of stuff about the MLP fandom I dislike -the size of it means that, invariably, you end up with some people who are distinctly unpleasant- but everytime I read about how the community provides support, to charities in general or individuals like Michael or Keyframe, it make's me really proud to be a part of the fandom. Edited July 30, 2015 by Quiver
Claincy he/him Posted July 30, 2015 Posted July 30, 2015 (edited) Basically: -People like to feel that they are valuable/important -One way of doing this is to "demonstrate" how they are "better" than someone else -The "reason" for the abuse doesn't really matter to them, but anything different or seemingly out of the ordinary can be used, bonus points if it relates to something stereotypically associated with someone from the opposite gender -A lot of the people who do this have moderate-serious self-confidence issues -Some people join in just to fit with the crowd -Neither is an acceptable excuse for that kind of behaviour It's possible I'm a tad cynical on this point. Being bullied by someone in a class and watching the rest of the class either try to ignore it or laugh along so as to be included will do that to you. One guy wasn't, but that's cos he was a target too. Edit: To be clear, this was years ago now. That said there are (obviously) plenty of people who don't do that though Edited July 30, 2015 by lord Claincy Ffnord
Blaze1616 he/him Posted July 30, 2015 Posted July 30, 2015 So, I've been thinking of finally coming out of the closet on being a brony. On facebook. However, when I brought this up, my mom shot down the idea, because she's afraid that people will start throwing insults at me. How do I change her mind on this? All right, so I don't know how important your relationship with your mother is (in regards to parent/child), but my suggestion is to not listen to her? Anyone who insults you for liking MLP simply rules themselves out of the pool of people who could be your friends. Friends are people who don't judge you based on what interests you have, so long as you aren't harming yourself or anyone else. Beyond that, who cares what other people think? It is your life, why should their opinions even matter? Anyways, if I were you I'd Nike up and Just Do It. 1
Haelbarde he/him Posted July 30, 2015 Posted July 30, 2015 Just started a new course in Intelligent systems (AI), entirely new programming language with completely different syntax, all good I like a challenge. Then I discover that the standards are completely different. Statements end with a full stop and a semicolon is used for OR statements. To those not used to most programming language imagine that someone insisted that you type by capitalizing every letter EXCEPT the start of sentences and proper nouns and you'll receive a somewhat similar experience. My borderline OCD probably doesn't help but I think I almost had an anxiety attack in the middle of class. D: That sounds awful. What language? Going from VB to C derivatives/JS etc was a bit weird, I can remember.
Left he/him Posted July 30, 2015 Posted July 30, 2015 ? Is there somewhere you could volunteer, at a library or charity or something? It sounds like you've been looking for water related jobs, but have you tried retail, or restuarants? You could pick up a skill, like, I don't know, cooking or crafts or learn how to dance or draw. Could you go back to that job offer and say "hi I'd love the job but I can't work on Sunday"? They might respect that, give you the job and then get someone part time to fill in for you on a Sunday. If it's too hot to run - why don't you swim, or find an air conditioned gym -It'll be cool and the exercise will probably help with the depression. You're more than welcome to rant here, Head Scholar and Baron of Newcago. This is practically the 17th Shard support group. During the school year I volunteer at the elementary school, but there aren't a lot of other opportunities that I know of right now. When I get as far as a job interview, than I do bring it up, but for both the Y and Waffle House it was important for them so there wasn't really anything to be done. I've applied to a lot of different places, and I haven't been able to get to an interview most of the time. I do need to find a new hobbie aside from cooking, reading, gaming, and running, but I'm not really sure where to start. Learning some new dance moves is a good idea though, it's something I'd be able to use anyway. Frankly I think I need to learn how to do that. Because of my dad I always feel like I need to toughen through every single bad thing in my life. While my life is ok, I feel like it's getting worse. I'm getting anxiety about everyday things that I have never had anxiety for before. I think it might be from holding back more then ten years of anger and sadness. Don't get me wrong it's not like I was mad or sad every minute of my life, It's just I hold back anger and sadness whenever I feel like I'm about to show emotion. Those moments tend to stick in my memory longer. I really understand this. I did it for something like five years, and I'm sure it worsened my depression during that time and made it stronger. Learning how to stop bottling, and vent in a good way has been incredibly hard though. I think I lost at least one friend, who had been a really good friend, because I just had no idea how to let go without spewing forth way more than was necessary. Letting things out feels so much better than holding back any/every negative emotion. That's not to say that self control and ruling your emotions instead of them ruling you isn't important, but it's my experience that not letting yourself feel and express them is far worse.
Voidus Posted July 30, 2015 Posted July 30, 2015 D: That sounds awful. What language? Going from VB to C derivatives/JS etc was a bit weird, I can remember. Prolog. It was one of the most insane lectures of my life. I'm pretty sure I nearly had an aneurysm or something when we started coding. It's really interesting but no one will ever convince me that ending statements in full stops makes sense. It's just wrong.
Kobold King he/him Posted July 30, 2015 Posted July 30, 2015 (edited) And therefore? You'll be what, socially outcast for having an unusual interest? Oh poor, innocent, naive Delightful. You see, humans need three things to be happy: Life, Liberty, and the ability to shun and revile a select group of people who don't live up to societal norms. On the subject that's more-or-less at hand--my entire household is brony, so this was never an issue for me. However, I've taken the nuclear option when it comes to advertising my preferences. I walk out of the house all the time in my blatantly MLP t-shirt, and I've never run into any insults or stigma for it. Plus, I even met a fellow brony at the checkout counter of Walmart. If you want to come out of the closet, make sure you destroy said closet with a sonic rainboom on your way out. And then, proceed to care as little as you humanly can for any stigma you receive. If it helps, imagine everyone who bullies you with the face of Diamond Tiara. That's basically what they are. Edited July 30, 2015 by Kobold King 3
Delightful Posted July 30, 2015 Posted July 30, 2015 (edited) no one will ever convince me that ending statements in full stops makes sense.As a non-programmer here, that statement is hilarious;Edit: ninja'd Oh poor, innocent, naive Delightful. You see, humans need three things to be happy: Life, Liberty, and the ability to shun and revile a select group of people who don't live up to societal norms. On the subject that's more-or-less at hand--my entire household is brony, so this was never an issue for me. However, I've taken the nuclear option when it comes to advertising my preferences. I walk out of the house all the time in my blatantly MLP t-shirt, and I've never run into any insults or stigma for it. Plus, I even met a fellow brony at the checkout counter of Walmart. If you want to come out of the closet, make sure you destroy said closet with a sonic rainboom on your way out. And then, proceed to care as little as you humanly can for any stigma you receive. If it helps, imagine everyone who bullies you with the face of Diamond Tiara. That's basically what they are. So yeah....if someone shunned me for liking something they didn' approve of, I'd tell them to bugger off and if stop talking to them. Such a person is not your friend. Why MLP is a bigger deal than anything else I'm still not sure. Edited July 30, 2015 by Delightful 1
Claincy he/him Posted July 30, 2015 Posted July 30, 2015 Prolog. It was one of the most insane lectures of my life. I'm pretty sure I nearly had an aneurysm or something when we started coding. It's really interesting but no one will ever convince me that ending statements in full stops makes sense. It's just wrong. Oh, I should have guessed. Yeah learning Prolog was an....experience I know exactly what you mean though, ';' should be the end of a statement, not '.'
Haelbarde he/him Posted July 30, 2015 Posted July 30, 2015 As a non-programmer here, that statement is hilarious; Heh. Now that you point it out, this amuses me. I guess (without actually looking up the language), they tried to make the syntax be even more human readable by matching it to English a bit more. 1
ThirdGen Posted July 30, 2015 Posted July 30, 2015 (edited) programmers_Weird = TRUE; Edit: Psst... it's not any specific language. Don't overthink it. Winking emoticon. Edited July 30, 2015 by ThirdGen 2
Guest Posted July 30, 2015 Posted July 30, 2015 Basically: -People like to feel that they are valuable/important -One way of doing this is to "demonstrate" how they are "better" than someone else -The "reason" for the abuse doesn't really matter to them, but anything different or seemingly out of the ordinary can be used, bonus points if it relates to something stereotypically associated with someone from the opposite gender -A lot of the people who do this have moderate-serious self-confidence issues -Some people join in just to fit with the crowd -Neither is an acceptable excuse for that kind of behaviour It's possible I'm a tad cynical on this point. Being bullied by someone in a class and watching the rest of the class either try to ignore it or laugh along so as to be included will do that to you. One guy wasn't, but that's cos he was a target too. Edit: To be clear, this was years ago now. That said there are (obviously) plenty of people who don't do that though My personal experience with bullies is that most bystanders generally disagree with them but are afraid to intervene. When you are subject to bullying, back in my days, people would say: "Laugh with them" or "Ignore them" or worst "Try to become their friends"... My personal experience is this never ever works. As long as they see you as a potential good victim, they will keep on their bullying, but the second you start being more threatening, they will usually leave towards an easier one. Sadly, bullies rarely stop being bullies as the reasons behind their bullying often is a life of abuse and very low self-esteem. They need help, professional help in most cases, but most probably won't get it. The only times I have seen bullies walk away is when they were attacked back, when the victim responded or got support. To Silverblade5 I understand the fear of openly expressing love towards a show considered "girly" and "childish". I do agree some people make take it as an excuse for bullying as it would give them munitions. It does not have to end up this way though, but you've got to be ready to stand up for yourself and fight back. In a perfect world, people would just state their preferences and everyone would be fine with them, but this is not the perfect world. If you are assertive, self-confident and proud of your interests, people should leave you be. I have seen people with very shameful, unusual interests back in secondary school that weren't bullied for it because they just were so above all of it, but I have also seen the contrary and sadly, as I said earlier, the only effective way I have ever seen to chase bullies away was open very public confrontation.
Haelbarde he/him Posted July 30, 2015 Posted July 30, 2015 programmers_Weird = TRUE; No var/type declaration? 1
Orlion Blight he/him Posted July 30, 2015 Posted July 30, 2015 Why MLP is a bigger deal than anything else I'm still not sure. People make it a bigger deal, they make it a main event. Most people do not care about your personal interests until they can 1) Gain social points by opposing them or 2) Those interests are "shoved in their faces" to the point they decide they have to say something about it. Ultimately, these things should be approached with maturity and naturally, much like Twi's advice. There's nothing wrong with letting others know your interests, but if you bombard their walls with ponies against their will, they will probably be a bit annoyed. As far as bullies, deal with that if it happens. You don't need to treat people like enemies before they've done anything antagonistic. 1
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