Nov 21 2011

Am I on a slippery slope?

Categories:

Weirdness

by PZ Myers

Inspired by Skepticon, several of the speakers at that event have been redrawn as ponies.

Is the next step…furries?

(Also on Sb)

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63 comments

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1

Jen

21 November 2011 at 3:22 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Aw, I want to be a pony!
2

Brownian

21 November 2011 at 3:23 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

A slippery slope? I suppose if you tilt the image it might look like you’re sliding down a hill.

As it is now, you look like you might be ‘scooting’. Do ponies have anal glands and do they become inflamed?
3

fastlane

21 November 2011 at 3:25 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Where are the tentacles?
4

'Tis Himself, OM

21 November 2011 at 3:28 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Where’s the beard?
5

Sili

21 November 2011 at 3:31 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

You even have a Cthutie mark!

When will the custom sculpt be in the shop?
6

feralboy12

21 November 2011 at 3:31 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I believe the proper sequence is cartoon, action figure, video game, breakfast cereal. Then a live action/CGI movie featuring Megan Fox.
Beyond that, the only option is “bilious self-parody.” I recommend getting off the train somewhere after “action figure.”
7

Sili

21 November 2011 at 3:32 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Rebecca has the weirdest boner right now.
8

Moggie

21 November 2011 at 3:43 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

OMG, PZ has a feminist mane!
9

KG

21 November 2011 at 3:48 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I fear it will be PZ Kitty next.
10

Dhorvath, OM

21 November 2011 at 3:50 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Hah! Green no less.
11

montanto

21 November 2011 at 3:50 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Of course not… Welcome to the herd.
12

karleyjohnston

21 November 2011 at 3:52 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Holy crap I’m on Pharyngula again. Joy!

Jen- I did as many as I could with the intention of picking it up again tomorrow. Any request for a cutie mark?
13

Moggie

21 November 2011 at 3:53 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

KG:

I fear it will be PZ Kitty next.

Jerry Coyne’s head would explode.
14

PZ Myers

21 November 2011 at 3:53 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Megan Fox looks nothing like me. Although maybe if she had a beard…
15

billygutter01

21 November 2011 at 4:00 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I will not offer a brohoof. *folds arms, frowns stubbornly*

Frankly, I’m mildly horrified to even know what that is.

Of course, they are cute, rainbow coloured ponies and we all know what the god-folks think about that sort of thing…

I’ve reconsidered: Brohoof!
16

Aratina Cage

21 November 2011 at 4:01 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

The Cthutie tattoo on Pony Z’s rump would make a great Pharyngula “fish” emblem for the back of our cars!
17

Aratina Cage

21 November 2011 at 4:05 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Also, it’s good to see this lighthearted play on a certain someone’s name for a change: Rebecca Trotson.
18

Anri

21 November 2011 at 4:07 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

For those wondering, this looks as if it was done in the Pony Creator, which is the brainchild of a poster on DeviantArt. I don’t have the account name before me at present, (nor can I presently access it – maybe when I get home if anyone cares) but a search for ‘Pony Creator’ on DA should get you to it.

It’s fun!

My spouse and I both have our ponyselves cranked out…
19

Jen

21 November 2011 at 4:08 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

karley – haha, it’s okay! And…I don’t know, surprise me. As long as it’s not cleavage.
20

karleyjohnston

21 November 2011 at 4:11 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Anti- I made them with General Zoi’s character generator. There’s a link on my original blogpost.
21

karleyjohnston

21 November 2011 at 4:15 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Aratina Cage- the chthutie mark is actually a reworked orthoceras logo I was going to put on a tshirt (I just took off the shell). If PZ sees a use for it, I’d be glad to give.
22

Aratina Cage

21 November 2011 at 4:22 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

the chthutie mark is actually a reworked orthoceras logo I was going to put on a tshirt (I just took off the shell)

So it’s a naked orthoceras? That seems very fitting for the author of the Courtier’s Reply.
23

gawdzilla

21 November 2011 at 4:26 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

If only Allah had allowed you to look like that at the Creation Museum!
24

'Tis Himself, OM

21 November 2011 at 4:34 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Looking at the various ponies Karley made, I like Greta Equestrina the best. The glasses on the hip are excellent.
25

Rick McWilliams

21 November 2011 at 4:39 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

A dangerously slippery slope: Next it will be Kittens!
26

geocatherder

21 November 2011 at 4:41 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

PZ, you look good with purple hair. You should try dyeing it in real life.
27

Sastra

21 November 2011 at 4:45 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

You know, those fundies who refused to allow their kids to have any My Little Pony dolls because doing so could allow demons to come into the house might have been thinking something like this could happen some day. Maybe.
28

Rey Fox

21 November 2011 at 4:46 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

What? I saw the title and first few lines of the post, and, having just got back from Skepticon, thought I would spend a few minutes trying to guess the ponies. I couldn’t remember anyone at Skepticon with a moustache though. So I finally checked the caption: PZ? My afternoon has been ruined, and I expect a full refund.
29

karleyjohnston

21 November 2011 at 4:54 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Yeah, I didn’t like the piddly goatee beard that was in the generator, so I just omitted the beard. Use your imagination, or ask PZ to shave.
30

Camels With Hammers

21 November 2011 at 4:55 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Can they pony a camel?
31

maxh

21 November 2011 at 4:59 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I’m a bit worried about how PonyZ is dog-sitting. NOT a good sign. If he doesn’t get on his legs soon the little guy will be in for the chop :(
32

Naked Bunny with a Whip

21 November 2011 at 5:00 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

or ask PZ to shave.

Great, now I’m going to have that “smooth as an android’s bottom” scene stuck in my head on the drive home.
33

William

21 November 2011 at 5:03 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

KG:

I fear it will be PZ Kitty next.

There was someone who named their cat PZ Meowers, as PZ Myers himself noted in a post titled “He looks cute and adorable” two years ago.
34

ibyea

21 November 2011 at 5:08 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Okay, guys, I just made Jack Bauer with the pony creator. Now, I want to put a cutie mark, but I don’t know what to put on him, so I want to bounce ideas off of you guys. Any ideas? :)
35

peicurmudgeon

21 November 2011 at 5:15 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Play the name game – My Little Pony or Porn Star

http://www.sporcle.com/games/sproutcm/my-little-pony-or-porn-star

It’s not as easy as it sounds. Although I suppose if you know a lot about one or the other…..
36

stubby

21 November 2011 at 5:25 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

That looks like PonyZ Myers wearing his Wilford Brimley Halloween costume. Apparently it helps him live a better life.
37

joshuawhite

21 November 2011 at 5:47 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Well some of us are pretty hardcore bronies. When you combine that with,
http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2011/11/20/bwahahahaha/

Sometimes I love being weird.
38

evilDoug

21 November 2011 at 5:47 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Why does that pony have an inverted cuttlefish eye?
39

A3Kr0n

21 November 2011 at 6:07 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

OMG – SkepPonies!!!
40

Axewaquestion

21 November 2011 at 6:12 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I’m tempted to get back into customizing MLP dolls now. Damn you PZ!
41

ThorGoLucky

21 November 2011 at 6:26 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Almost as cute and cuddly as a cuttlefish.
42

Kaitlyn

21 November 2011 at 7:08 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

PZ Myers just got 20% cooler in 10 seconds flat.
43

Hazuki

21 November 2011 at 7:10 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

http://imgur.com/kbprv

It’s gotten me too D: Major major nerd points if anyone knows that symbol…
44

F

21 November 2011 at 7:14 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Where are the tentacles?

He’s sitting on them.

Oh, wait – you wrote tentacles. Never mind.
45

nekohime

21 November 2011 at 7:36 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

As a brony, I totally approve! This is full of win and awesomeness.

Since the link to the pony creator wasn’t posted yet, here:

http://generalzoi.deviantart.com/art/Pony-Creator-Full-Version-254295904

Now go ponify yourself, then tell GeneralZoi that she’s awesome!
46

Merk

21 November 2011 at 10:31 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I’m happy to see some pony and skepticism overlap. I see a lot of good things in the show, from a secular and feminist perspective. That and Rebecca Trotson looks awesome.
47

LoreleiHI

22 November 2011 at 12:01 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

GASP!

You’ve joined the herd!

Heh. Someone should have told the gelato guy that Skepticon would love and tolerate the shit out of him. :p
48

Rumtopf

22 November 2011 at 1:19 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

An anthropomorphic squid professor would be so fun to draw. ADDED TO MY LIST. MUAHA
49

nesetalis

22 November 2011 at 1:59 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

yay more bronies!
50

TrineBM

22 November 2011 at 3:58 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Ponies rule! I like this PZonie
51

Otranreg

22 November 2011 at 7:08 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

The next step is the pantomime horse:
52

Walton

22 November 2011 at 8:13 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Awwwwwwwwwww… this is almost painfully cute.
53

julian

22 November 2011 at 8:22 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Looking at the various ponies Karley made, I like Greta Equestrina the best. The glasses on the hip are excellent.

Seconded.

Also the hair on Rebecca Trotson is gorgeous.
54

Pinkamena, Panic Pony

22 November 2011 at 12:35 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

GOOBLE GOBBLE
GOBBLE GOOBLE
WE ACCEPT YOU
WE ACCEPT YOU
ONE OF US
ONE OF US

And to think, two years ago I would’ve thought (and wouldn’t have been alone in thinking) that this was weird.
55

vexorian

22 November 2011 at 6:16 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I did hear some less desirable things about that show, like the one episode in which a pony is bashed throughly for not believing in magic, but I wonder how accurate the description of the events is.
56

Alisa

22 November 2011 at 6:37 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

@vexorian

Unfortunately. See, magic is standard for 1/3rd of the ponies, but then there’s this one non-magic pony who can apparently predict the (very short term) future. So the magical science-loving pony goes out to investigate, and in conclusion she can’t find an explanation, gives up, and just accepts that something is weird. Apparently the moral of the story was meant to be ‘open-mindedness is good’, but it then got twisted into ‘blind faith is good’.

The episode’s writing isn’t very good, so I’m glad that the writer for it has only done one other episode. And, it’s only one bad episode out of the 33 currently out (with more coming out every week at the moment). If you just ignore that one episode, or even ignore its last 5 minutes, it’s perfectly fine because the weird foresight concept is never mentioned again, ever. It’s a totally worthwhile, high quality, feminist cartoon in general, and I just like to pretend that one episode doesn’t exist.
57

Just_A_Lurker

22 November 2011 at 7:06 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

BROHOOF!

This pegasis is so excited to see more bronies here!
58

Pinkamena, Panic Pony

22 November 2011 at 11:26 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Alisa @#56: I took away the moral of “if you can’t explain it, it’s not unreal, it’s just not explained yet”. Maybe it’s just me.

Anyway, my roommate and I had a discussion on the way home. It goes like this:
1. MLP:FiM is a show.
2. In this show, talking ponies exist.
3. These talking ponies live in a world with things like magic, dragons, and living goddesses.
4. Twilight Sparkle is the most likely pony to be a skeptic, considering she’s shown skeptical tendencies.
a. She is a unicorn, and can use magic.
b. Her teacher is one of the aforementioned living goddesses.

<BillOTheClown>Can’t explain that!</BillOTheClown>
59

GravityIsJustATheory

23 November 2011 at 3:00 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Why are My Little Ponies making such a come-back?

I see people making references to them all over the net these days (including really wierd things, like a MLP-themed mod for Dwarf Fortress).

How have they managed to escape from the ’80s?
60

Pinkamena, Panic Pony

23 November 2011 at 3:57 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Gravity @#59: There’s a new series, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It’s become popular among the 20-something crowd since it’s well-written and made so parents can watch it without wanting to shrivel up and blow away.

And if you think the Dorf Fortress mods are bad, don’t look up the TF2 stuff.
61

rickpikul

23 November 2011 at 8:41 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Lauren Faust has admitted that they messed up the moral in Feeling Pinkie Keen and that it should have been more on the lines of “sometimes you can’t explain things.”

As for the show in general it gets thumbs up for a number of reasons, two for me in particular:

Of the mane six characters, two are hard-core introverts and this is not treated as there being something wrong with them. Sure, they do have issues that stem from their introversion, but strongy extroverted characters also have issues[1].

The central character is one of those introverts, a serious bookworm[2] and the brain of the group. Even though one of the themes of the show is her needing to break out of her shell and make friends, this is not done at the cost of her having to dumb herself down and/or act ‘normal’. In fact her intelligence is regularly celebrated and her reading is sometimes the answer to problems.[3]

[1] Such as a mouth that writes cheques her horn can’t cash.[4]

[2] She lives in a library.[5]

[3] Just how would you defeat an ursa major?

[4] OK, there was no reason to assume that an ursa major just happened to live within an easy walk of the small town she was performing in, but still.

[5] Not meant metaphorically, her bedroom is upstairs.
62

Emrysmyrddin

24 November 2011 at 1:18 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Cross-posted from Blag Hag. I’m one of the World’s Biggest Fans Evah of General Zoi, the creator of the pony generator. She’s a verrrry clever lady – she used to design and animate custom Sims objects, something for which you need a hell of a lot of grey matter and patience (EA hates customisers with a passion and makes it as awkward as possible). I released an involuntary ‘squeee!’ when I saw the name, and went to the site to confirm that it was her. It was!
63

GravityIsJustATheory

24 November 2011 at 2:33 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Of the mane six characters

I see what you did there…