I read this article from the Weekly Standard on the My Little Pony / Dudes phenomenon (ht: Challies)
The author tries to track the origins of the “Brony” (that is, bros-who-like-my-little-pony) movement, and a theme emerges. Several times, it seems, the idea emerges: liking My Little Pony genuinely is a way to fight cynicism and (unsaid, but my inference) hipster irony.
Now, look… I dislike my own cynicism. I’m not a huge fan of your cynicism either. I’m a big fan of genuine. I’m trying to do that better.
But, why my little pony? It still plays like an inside joke that you haven’t let the rest of us in on. In the words of Michael Scott, “I love inside jokes. I’d like to be a part of one someday.” But I’m not that interested in being part of an inside joke about My Little Pony.
The answer to cynicism isn’t to find something dumb and like it genuinely. It’s to find great things and love them genuinely. It’s okay for those to be things that other people don’t think are great. If it was four or five dudes telling me how great My Little Pony is, I might be convinced that it was genuine. But when it’s 12.4 million, I’m convinced it’s about joining a movement of people trying to fight cynicism, rather than actually just trying to fight cynicism. There is a difference, an important one.
It’s good to like things for their own sake. But, when you decide to like My Little Pony so that you can stick it to the cynical masses, you’re not liking My Little Pony for its own sake. You’re liking it for the sake of sticking it to the cynical masses. See what you did there?