Being part of the MLP fandom has changed - and saved - my life. I love it. I've made lifelong friends through it.
But stuff like BABScon having a table at MareFair, while MareFair has things like the attached image on their schedule, undermines BABScon's inclusive history - and sends the message the fandom finds this okay.
(And no, "it's just the name of a kids' book! There's no other meaning!" doesn't excuse it. The /mlp/ gang have been throwing around that word to apply to zebras - who are, in the show, African-coded - for years.)
It's not okay. It's not what the fandom should be about. And when we say "eh, it's just /mlp/ being /mlp/" that enables it.
I will never understand these "as long as the output is the same, what does it matter??" takes. Bizarre and anti-human nihilistic crap.
Human interactions are about empathy and communication. Ability to make fluent words doesn't, on its own, demonstrate empathy or communication, and humans can tell the difference. #AI
