hi! i saw your post on the coded racism of mlp and i was wondering if i could ask you a few questions on how that episode could have been executed better by the writers and other stuff like that. i hope to become an animator who is able to make inclusive cartoons without being offensive, so i want to learn from others' mistakes. i understand if you don't want to have the discussion though.
i think its just a matter of understanding youre not just making content for white people (or white children). people depend so much on consultants without giving it any critical thought, if they even hire consultants in the first place.
that episode was drenched with white supremacy. they constructed a sympathy for the ponies trying to settle and colonize the land. i was actually really shocked they decided to do that? not only that but the whole plot of the episode was based on respect for colonization- the only way to resolve it was "mutual respect" and compromise. the resolution wasnt about any commentary on how destructive and disrespectful invasion can be. it was a completely watered down white perspective on colonization, from the perspective of the (coded white american) ponies.
like im not sure how to explain how thats offensive, its just so obvious? it wasnt necessary to position different species of animals to code for other races- i understand they wanted to play off coding them as native by making them buffalo, but having a theme isnt as important as making sure you're being inclusive and not othering or making white people the default. the default after that episode was solidly, spelled out white. after that episode, taking account of canon, its obvious that all the ponies are coded white americans. if they were native they would be buffalo, if they were african they would be zebras. that alone takes away the ability to relate to them or even sort of the fantasy that this is an entirely different world. drawing parallels has to be done carefully. theres no reason to have ponies colonizing and bullying buffalo around. if they really wanted to touch on native history, they should have made the native characters ponies, too. and it should have been a gentler commentary on how destructive and unjust colonization is- something that will make children understand that there is a history of injustice through taking the homelands of other people.
but most white people dont even want to hear about it, so i dunno. theyre still stuck on cowboys & indians fiction and pretending that the street or state names somehow make up for the 90 million deaths it took to have that house with a nice lawn, or the nice bike trail they love, or the lake they vacation to on the weekends.
mainly, just think about it. educate yourself. understand how youre positioning things to be understood and processed, especially if youre making content for children. dont prioritize whitewashed history or white comfort or white children. being inclusive with the content you make and the stories you tell, especially if they draw parallels to real life issues and races.... it takes a lot of effort and understanding to do it right. look deeper? listen? read up? like really listen.
