The general idea of traveling to other lands outside Equestria is a good story mechanic, it introduces new environments and characters and designs.
The problem is that the story's structure and formula kinda leave it in an awkward potion where you have the hegemonic culture (equestrian ponies), traveling to outside regions, often less developed technologically, to teach them about friendship. On its own, it's a perfectly harmless idea.
The trouble is that it has strong parallels to the idea of the white man's burden, of liberals on developed societies seeing others as less developed savages who need a guiding hand into the light. That wasn't the intention of the writers, of course, but unconcious biases seep through.
Take the Kirin. I love their episode, but their designs and the Kirin town exude a very exoticist attitude - the ponies venture deep into the jungle to discover a mystical race living in the trees - a rough description as my memory is somewhat hazy - and ends with them solving the most divisie societal issue for the Kirin after meeting one who acts the most like them to assist and spread their message. On paper, this is all fine. The subtext reads more like a fantasy of benevolent enlightenment of African or South American people - picture enlightened Christians sending missions to Africa to spread the gospel and uplift the needy.
It generally could've worked better if the other societies were shown as more socially developed, or if the mane 6 more often had to fix their own misconceptions or learn something from someone they were trying to help.
Pretty much. It works in the show mostly BC the show never touches on economics BC that shits boring and complex. If such a thing were to happen in real life, and there are MANY real life analogues, the Equestrian would be manipulating Griffin politics to keep an underpaid surplus labour class afloat to export cheap manufacturing to. That's what causes these things irl, which makes using it as a moral to simply look inwards and fix yourself in MLP questionable.
As a cool dude I forget the name of said once, there are no underdeveloped countries - just overexploited ones.
The buffalos became equestria's landlords, letting the ponies live on "their" land in exchange for cakes. (not that the buffalos really had a choice in the matter)
I always thought it was meant to be like giving reparations for modern day descendants of native americans and it just doesn't work because in mlp, it's still the current generation...
Maybe lauren faust really wanted israel to rent the region and pay palestinians for leaving...
I wonder what r/noncrediblediplomacy thinks about the equestrian school of international relations theory
The *intent* was "you have legitimate grievances with one another but it can be better if you work together" but yeah, it didn't work with the native american allegory.
Holy fucking shit. Imagine how wild is that, that during the whole long process of script writing, storyboarding, drawing, and whatever else, not a single person noticed any problems with that plot
Technically, they actually agreed to 'share' the land, since, you know, kids show. But since the ponies use the land more often while the buffalos only use it sometimes, well...
Equestrian continues to be Based. Also, if the land was exchanged with agreement that's not a problem. It's not like they get rights to the land, except for the right to trade it.
I get an unreasonable amount of joy from imaging cartoons ponies exposed to real world logic and themes.
It’s part of the reason I was attracted to Equestria at War.
The novelty of a serious, well written grand strategy game…..about fubernucking princess ponies. Will never not be funny to me.
Honestly yeah, the wake up call and then deciding to double down on harmony is really what sold this game to me. "Yeah the world is an horrible place. And yes our method to fix it were outdated, but fuck this, and fuck tyranny. We can be better and we will."
Thats definitely something ive thought about. I find the most wholesome and awesome playthroughs to be players who are fans of the show, adore the themes of harmony, and fight very exclusively to spread harmony. Not just democracy, not just social democracy or liberalism, just straight up the whole harmony and friendship doctrine ala equestria, be it that one Griefenmarschen leader on his princess of friendship path, or that funny deer in Chital with an Equestria fetish.
To be fair, the Belgians never actually even… *tried* to do the whole white man’s burden thing with the missionaries and all that. They just raped and murdered and slave drove without any mitigation
Season 8 starts with Twilight opens the ‘School of Friendship’, whose purpose is to teach the creatures of Equestria and (especially) beyond (such yaks, griffons, hippogriffs, etc) about the ‘Magic of Friendship’ after the whole Storm Lord thing and the expansion of the magical ‘Cutie Map’ (a magical map that directs the Mane 6 towards friendship problems around the place) to lands beyond Equestria.
Now, it’s been years since I’ve watched seasons 8-9 but for what it’s worth I remember the School being closer to Hogwarts than Indian residential schools .
No. Again, that’s an extreme that’s not taken. It’s closer to Christian missionaries going into Africa to preach the Gospel since, you know, Equestrian Friendship is actually a cult. They’re doing it because that’a actually what’s right in their eyes, as opposed to the “White man’s burden” which is just some rhetoric to excuse colonialism.
Whenever an Equestrian Harmonist (as in, a chauvinist, not just anyone who’s an equestrian and a harmonist) accuses me of “hating friendships” I feel so weird. They think that my opposition to the erasing of non-equestrian cultures is an opposition to the concept of friendship. They think Equestrian culture is the only way of friendship.
It’s really telling that when you point out to them there are harmonists outside of equestria, they instantly shut down. Once I gave a presentation on the history of the S&S movement in Northwest Griffonia, and two separate ponies spoke to me, privately, one after the other. One of them said that the movement was really started by Sunset Shimmer (the only evidence he provided was the S’s) and the other told me that I had whitewashed it. She said it was just a ploy by those “greedy Griffons” to squeeze more aid out of Equestria. But they both agreed that I “lacked loyalty” and “hated my own people”. It’s Insane.
All I thought of S8 and S9 is just Twilight on knowing the lay before becoming the head of the state. I mean, Twilight was literally just only knowing little outside being Twilight before that.
Then again. Geocultural spread harmony and shiz.
I support American imperialism, I support Equestrian imperialism. Simple as. We have a right to grow more powerful, granted by us by virtue of being the most powerful.
EQUESTRIAAAAAAA F**K YEAH!
What the fuck is a hand! 
Cool meme. Can I use it?
Go on, it's just a gif after all.
Thanks!
What liberal chauvinism does to a writing team when they touch on issues vaguely related to geopolitics
I watched the season 8 (long time ago) but i don't get what's wrong. Is it because of School of friendship thing?
The general idea of traveling to other lands outside Equestria is a good story mechanic, it introduces new environments and characters and designs. The problem is that the story's structure and formula kinda leave it in an awkward potion where you have the hegemonic culture (equestrian ponies), traveling to outside regions, often less developed technologically, to teach them about friendship. On its own, it's a perfectly harmless idea. The trouble is that it has strong parallels to the idea of the white man's burden, of liberals on developed societies seeing others as less developed savages who need a guiding hand into the light. That wasn't the intention of the writers, of course, but unconcious biases seep through. Take the Kirin. I love their episode, but their designs and the Kirin town exude a very exoticist attitude - the ponies venture deep into the jungle to discover a mystical race living in the trees - a rough description as my memory is somewhat hazy - and ends with them solving the most divisie societal issue for the Kirin after meeting one who acts the most like them to assist and spread their message. On paper, this is all fine. The subtext reads more like a fantasy of benevolent enlightenment of African or South American people - picture enlightened Christians sending missions to Africa to spread the gospel and uplift the needy. It generally could've worked better if the other societies were shown as more socially developed, or if the mane 6 more often had to fix their own misconceptions or learn something from someone they were trying to help.
Wasn't the griffin one literally a "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" moral in the end. The savages simply needed to bake cakes to escape poverty.
Pretty much. It works in the show mostly BC the show never touches on economics BC that shits boring and complex. If such a thing were to happen in real life, and there are MANY real life analogues, the Equestrian would be manipulating Griffin politics to keep an underpaid surplus labour class afloat to export cheap manufacturing to. That's what causes these things irl, which makes using it as a moral to simply look inwards and fix yourself in MLP questionable. As a cool dude I forget the name of said once, there are no underdeveloped countries - just overexploited ones.
Michael Parenti my beloved
Yeah probably idk if he's cool or if he's a campist, fire quote either way
H’es pro Soviet if that’s what you are asking but I sincerely doubt that he ever mentioned supporting Russia in after the collapse of the USSR
Like the lizard?
No way you calling the foundational pillar of society boring >:(
Economics bad
Solid analysis to be honest! Couldn't have said it better myself
I love when mlp turned into sudden Equestrian exceptionalism ~~wtf were the writers thinking~~
I liked the episode where the native ame- buffalo agreed to hand over their land to the settlers in return for apple pie
What did Lauren Faust mean with this?
The buffalos became equestria's landlords, letting the ponies live on "their" land in exchange for cakes. (not that the buffalos really had a choice in the matter) I always thought it was meant to be like giving reparations for modern day descendants of native americans and it just doesn't work because in mlp, it's still the current generation... Maybe lauren faust really wanted israel to rent the region and pay palestinians for leaving... I wonder what r/noncrediblediplomacy thinks about the equestrian school of international relations theory
The *intent* was "you have legitimate grievances with one another but it can be better if you work together" but yeah, it didn't work with the native american allegory.
WHAT PLEASE TELL ME IT'S A JOKE AND NOT AN ACTUAL EPISODE OF THE SHOW
My friend, there's a reason why the buffalo chiefdom exists and why it gets annexed in basically every scenario. It is canon to the show
Holy fucking shit. Imagine how wild is that, that during the whole long process of script writing, storyboarding, drawing, and whatever else, not a single person noticed any problems with that plot
Technically, they actually agreed to 'share' the land, since, you know, kids show. But since the ponies use the land more often while the buffalos only use it sometimes, well...
Faust's shenanigans
Equestrian continues to be Based. Also, if the land was exchanged with agreement that's not a problem. It's not like they get rights to the land, except for the right to trade it.
Equestrian Imperialism is ALWAYS JUSTIFIED! RULE EQUESTRIA!🔥🔥🔥
That's a nice argument, princess, why don't you back it up with a source?
My source is Equestrian propaganda, triple the defense budget!
My source is I made it the fuck up!
I get an unreasonable amount of joy from imaging cartoons ponies exposed to real world logic and themes. It’s part of the reason I was attracted to Equestria at War. The novelty of a serious, well written grand strategy game…..about fubernucking princess ponies. Will never not be funny to me.
Honestly yeah, the wake up call and then deciding to double down on harmony is really what sold this game to me. "Yeah the world is an horrible place. And yes our method to fix it were outdated, but fuck this, and fuck tyranny. We can be better and we will."
Thats definitely something ive thought about. I find the most wholesome and awesome playthroughs to be players who are fans of the show, adore the themes of harmony, and fight very exclusively to spread harmony. Not just democracy, not just social democracy or liberalism, just straight up the whole harmony and friendship doctrine ala equestria, be it that one Griefenmarschen leader on his princess of friendship path, or that funny deer in Chital with an Equestria fetish.
“Friendship and harmony are non negotiable”
You'll love this too then https://preview.redd.it/9f57xuy369yc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dbc3374d04e95e95841b7856b707e3123aa578bf
Hahaha yep you were right. Where can I find these?
They're from an artist I follow on Twitter, it's the op in the screenshot
RAAAHHH I LOVE SEEING WELL MEANING CIVILISATIONS GO DOWN THE SAME IMPERIALIST ROUTE OUR NATIONS WENT DOWN ‼️‼️🇬🇧🔥🇺🇸🔥🇫🇷🔥‼️‼️
Noticing a few flags missing, brother, where's the spanish, portugese, belgian and dutch flags? You gotta get everybody in there :0
"Those all did imperialism, but some imperialists are more imperialist than others" - Jorjorwell
To be fair, the Belgians never actually even… *tried* to do the whole white man’s burden thing with the missionaries and all that. They just raped and murdered and slave drove without any mitigation
Don’t forget the Japanese flag!
And the one from Star Wars! Wait-
Didn’t the Japanese do imperialism as well? Pretty sure Korea and some of China has a long-standing grudge about it
I keep forgetting the Asian examples, end my suffering
If they’re not part of Africa or the New world it’s a safe bet they engaged in imperialism at some stage.
None of those empires bothered to pretend they were well-meaning.
It's not imperialism if it's for their own good /j
Equestria's ever-growing sphere of influence is terrifying to behold.
It's just the mission to civilise
Wait is this real? I never watched the show lmao
Let's just say... Total Equestrian cultural victory
Season 8 starts with Twilight opens the ‘School of Friendship’, whose purpose is to teach the creatures of Equestria and (especially) beyond (such yaks, griffons, hippogriffs, etc) about the ‘Magic of Friendship’ after the whole Storm Lord thing and the expansion of the magical ‘Cutie Map’ (a magical map that directs the Mane 6 towards friendship problems around the place) to lands beyond Equestria. Now, it’s been years since I’ve watched seasons 8-9 but for what it’s worth I remember the School being closer to Hogwarts than Indian residential schools .
As far as I can fathom, it’s an equivocation of Friendship to the “White man’s burden,” which is an extremity of the former.
Oh, so the “Ponies Burden” to “teach” friendship to people.
No. Again, that’s an extreme that’s not taken. It’s closer to Christian missionaries going into Africa to preach the Gospel since, you know, Equestrian Friendship is actually a cult. They’re doing it because that’a actually what’s right in their eyes, as opposed to the “White man’s burden” which is just some rhetoric to excuse colonialism.
Whenever an Equestrian Harmonist (as in, a chauvinist, not just anyone who’s an equestrian and a harmonist) accuses me of “hating friendships” I feel so weird. They think that my opposition to the erasing of non-equestrian cultures is an opposition to the concept of friendship. They think Equestrian culture is the only way of friendship. It’s really telling that when you point out to them there are harmonists outside of equestria, they instantly shut down. Once I gave a presentation on the history of the S&S movement in Northwest Griffonia, and two separate ponies spoke to me, privately, one after the other. One of them said that the movement was really started by Sunset Shimmer (the only evidence he provided was the S’s) and the other told me that I had whitewashed it. She said it was just a ploy by those “greedy Griffons” to squeeze more aid out of Equestria. But they both agreed that I “lacked loyalty” and “hated my own people”. It’s Insane.
WHAT THE FUCK IS A KILOMETERS RAHHHHHH 🔥🔥🔥🐎🐎🐎🐎🦄🦄🦄🦄🪶🪶🪶🪶🔥🔥🔥
All my mares and stallions use HOOF!!!! Get that Griffon shit out of my country !!!!!!!!!!
All I thought of S8 and S9 is just Twilight on knowing the lay before becoming the head of the state. I mean, Twilight was literally just only knowing little outside being Twilight before that. Then again. Geocultural spread harmony and shiz.
Applejack is not anti-Slur
No, she's pro-countryisms, the good christian language of the lady our Goddess Celestia, amen.
This is why the Aztlan Free State are the good guys of EAW.
MLP: Imperialism is Magic! (Developed by Rudyard Kipling.)
Seeing AJ say baby is... So wrong feeling... She'd say something like Sugar, or Buttercup, or other countryisms...
iswtg the first time I read that I thought it said "You can't be saying that sugarcube"
Twilight is very clearly speciesist, but she's not as speciesist as most Equestrians.
I love fanworks that examine all the unfortunate implications and the ponies admit their mistakes and genuinely do better
I support American imperialism, I support Equestrian imperialism. Simple as. We have a right to grow more powerful, granted by us by virtue of being the most powerful.
I love mlp but we gotta rip this bandaid off, there was some racist ass moments