Fury Belle #21 - Positive Action
Stereotype notwithstanding, this is otherwise spot on. Every time the fan base actually accomplishes something to help other people (without any of them expecting personal recognition for doing so) at least one of these so-called “feminists” that does absolutely nothing but circle-jerk about “big, mean, evil BRONIES!” starts whining, and questioning its legitimacy, as if only people with vaginas are allowed to care about the well-being of ALL gender identities.
^ Even 4CHAN has done more for rape victims than all of these Tumblr “feminists” put together.
First of all, not all "people with vaginas" are women. And not all feminists have vaginas or are women. But I get what you're trying to say here.
That said, raising money to help survivors doesn't negate the spread of rape culture. It helps with the results of sexual assault. Which means rape culture has already contributed to an assault. Helping survivors and educating others about the dangers of rape culture are both valiant efforts. But they aren't the same thing. You can't tell me one is better than the other because they're both valuable. And human decency is not a zero sum game where doing a good deed absolves you of an equal episode of wrong-doing. This is just an example, but if you cheat on a routine math test and then years later regret this and turn in someone who tried to cheat on the SATs, that good deed doesn't erase the wrong that you've done. You still cheated. Even turning yourself in at that point doesn't erase what happened. Nobody is gonna change your grade from way back when. The damage is done.
And certainly any community who has donated and helped raise money for survivors deserves the credit for that. But I'm also assuming that the people who raise that money are not the same people perpetuating rape culture. So what you're saying is valid. We should work together on these matters. But by insinuating that the removal of artwork that glorifies rape in regards to a children's program (and yes adults can enjoy it too, that's fine, but it is primarily targeted at children) isn't as important as giving money to survivors, you're not exactly making a great case for "feminist"/"Brony" relations. You can't just throw money at a problem and hope it goes away. Especially not when it comes to rape culture and sexual assault. There are terrible narratives regarding consent, assault, responsibility, and shame perpetuated daily in our society that contribute to sexual assaults and rape culture. And you have to combat that stuff too. You have to tell people that laughing about rape isn't okay. Inserting rape into children's media isn't okay.
And if there are Bronies who want to help sexual assault survivors? I'm guessing they also want to help prevent sexual assault in the first place by attacking the root of the issue.
So, in short. People shouldn't put down others for trying to help, regardless of what TV shows they watch. People also shouldn't negate the importance of preventative measures. We should all work together to raise funds for survivors. And we should all work together, feminists and Bronies alike, to destroy the shittier elements that present themselves in the MLP fandom and ALL fandoms. Because those elements contribute to rape culture and create an unsafe environment for fans of ALL ages and ALL gender identities.
Let's stop blaming each other and focus on what's really important.
