DarkObsidian 
Smiling Panzerfuchs 2.0
[@Wayneponeth](/forums/pony/topics/unpopular-opinion-time?post_id=5272005#post_5272005)
Well, I can understand you. Very well, in fact. As I always say, the April Fool's joke about Comrade Starlight at the time was what brought me to this site in the first place. But apart from that, I only share your view to a certain extent. Or rather, I see things a little differently based on my experience.
First of all, I don't necessarily get the impression that most fans hate Starlight. Rather that those who hate her are really very loud in order to attract attention, so to speak. Starlight fans, on the other hand, tend to be more reserved. Probably also because each of us has already made the experience that one can hardly debate rationally against irrational hate. Unless you go into rage mode yourself. And that doesn't really bring the whole thing to any good result.
Secondly, I think the hatred of Starlight is irrational from my point of view because it misses one of the essential core concepts of the show. And that is the principle of friendship and redemption. You could argue that Discord wasn't forgiven at the beginning, and that Tirek was locked up again. True enough. But who was forgiven first? Correct. Luna. Fan favorite and for some certainly best princess (not mine). But wasn't Nightmare Moon about to cover the whole world in eternal darkness? And just like Starlight, she had to suffer from this guilt even later. Yet she was forgiven and reformed. Similar to Discord. Only he can't become lawful good because of his nature. And that's basically the funny thing about his personality.
Well, what I'm getting at is: Starlight's redemption is absolutely in the tradition of the show. The problem was that the show took a much different direction with season 5. And that would basically be blamed on Starlight without questioning it. An attitude that is just ... misguided in my opinion, but hey, so what? At this point, fans are welcome to debate whether the show changed for the better, or the worse, with Starlight's appearance. That's fine - as long as one remains polite. Which, due to the negative feelings of some people, can sometimes degenerate into a quarrel. Especially if then such arguments come that the show would have focused too much on Starlight. Even though there are numerous counterarguments to this thesis.
This remains just one last point that comes up again and again: Is Starlight a Mary Sue? Or in the worst case a simple Sunset Shimmer clone? And there again, counter-arguments can be found. Whether one like all this or not, well, that's up to everyone alone, of course. But I can also understand why some fans have their problems with it. On the other hand, as a Starlight fan, you have to realize again and again that some of her "haters" often make it way too easy for themselves. Like ignoring the fact that she wasn't defeated like other villains, but willingly gave up and accepted Twilight's reached out hoof. But such " minor details " are often overlooked in these discussions.
Yes, it's true. As a Starlight "defender" you have to stay a little bit persistent. It is nerve-racking, I admit. But what fandom doesn't have this kind of discussion? The only thing you should always point out to people is that good manners often bring more than just senseless bashing. But it's human nature to want to protect what you love. Even if it sometimes means hurting other people's feelings and not showing consideration for others. Which is a real pity. Especially when, in truth, some "critics" are only concerned about that, in their opinion, their favorite pony is stolen precious screen time. But the show has addressed this problem among other things with "Fame and Misfortune". Even if one may be quite divided about this episode too.
Conclusion: The hatred for Starlight often seems so omnipresent because her character reveals several weak points within the show. Like giving a character a weak background for its motivation. Or no explanation at all for one' s own (magical) abilities. And she stands for a change that not everyone necessarily likes. I wouldn't worry too much about that. Sometimes you have to accept that proxy wars are fought on the back of a character within a fandom. Often that doesn't have much to do with the character as such. At least that's my opinion after all these years. And it certainly hasn't changed my love for Starlight ;-)
[sorry, the wall of text, I'm sick in bed at the moment and had nothing better to do, hust!] ^^
Edit: Nah, I love to write long and extensively, just as Idoam in real life very... talkative, to put it to put it in a polite way. ;-D
[@CORDZ2000](/forums/pony/topics/unpopular-opinion-time?post_id=5272025#post_5272025)
Amen!
||Sometimes I don't know if the writers are lazy or just want to point out in their own way that this is still a big problem even (and especially) in our human society - spreading hatred and resentment among each other and setting people against each other.||
Well, I can understand you. Very well, in fact. As I always say, the April Fool's joke about Comrade Starlight at the time was what brought me to this site in the first place. But apart from that, I only share your view to a certain extent. Or rather, I see things a little differently based on my experience.
First of all, I don't necessarily get the impression that most fans hate Starlight. Rather that those who hate her are really very loud in order to attract attention, so to speak. Starlight fans, on the other hand, tend to be more reserved. Probably also because each of us has already made the experience that one can hardly debate rationally against irrational hate. Unless you go into rage mode yourself. And that doesn't really bring the whole thing to any good result.
Secondly, I think the hatred of Starlight is irrational from my point of view because it misses one of the essential core concepts of the show. And that is the principle of friendship and redemption. You could argue that Discord wasn't forgiven at the beginning, and that Tirek was locked up again. True enough. But who was forgiven first? Correct. Luna. Fan favorite and for some certainly best princess (not mine). But wasn't Nightmare Moon about to cover the whole world in eternal darkness? And just like Starlight, she had to suffer from this guilt even later. Yet she was forgiven and reformed. Similar to Discord. Only he can't become lawful good because of his nature. And that's basically the funny thing about his personality.
Well, what I'm getting at is: Starlight's redemption is absolutely in the tradition of the show. The problem was that the show took a much different direction with season 5. And that would basically be blamed on Starlight without questioning it. An attitude that is just ... misguided in my opinion, but hey, so what? At this point, fans are welcome to debate whether the show changed for the better, or the worse, with Starlight's appearance. That's fine - as long as one remains polite. Which, due to the negative feelings of some people, can sometimes degenerate into a quarrel. Especially if then such arguments come that the show would have focused too much on Starlight. Even though there are numerous counterarguments to this thesis.
This remains just one last point that comes up again and again: Is Starlight a Mary Sue? Or in the worst case a simple Sunset Shimmer clone? And there again, counter-arguments can be found. Whether one like all this or not, well, that's up to everyone alone, of course. But I can also understand why some fans have their problems with it. On the other hand, as a Starlight fan, you have to realize again and again that some of her "haters" often make it way too easy for themselves. Like ignoring the fact that she wasn't defeated like other villains, but willingly gave up and accepted Twilight's reached out hoof. But such " minor details " are often overlooked in these discussions.
Yes, it's true. As a Starlight "defender" you have to stay a little bit persistent. It is nerve-racking, I admit. But what fandom doesn't have this kind of discussion? The only thing you should always point out to people is that good manners often bring more than just senseless bashing. But it's human nature to want to protect what you love. Even if it sometimes means hurting other people's feelings and not showing consideration for others. Which is a real pity. Especially when, in truth, some "critics" are only concerned about that, in their opinion, their favorite pony is stolen precious screen time. But the show has addressed this problem among other things with "Fame and Misfortune". Even if one may be quite divided about this episode too.
Conclusion: The hatred for Starlight often seems so omnipresent because her character reveals several weak points within the show. Like giving a character a weak background for its motivation. Or no explanation at all for one' s own (magical) abilities. And she stands for a change that not everyone necessarily likes. I wouldn't worry too much about that. Sometimes you have to accept that proxy wars are fought on the back of a character within a fandom. Often that doesn't have much to do with the character as such. At least that's my opinion after all these years. And it certainly hasn't changed my love for Starlight ;-)
[sorry, the wall of text, I'm sick in bed at the moment and had nothing better to do, hust!] ^^
Edit: Nah, I love to write long and extensively, just as I
[@CORDZ2000](/forums/pony/topics/unpopular-opinion-time?post_id=5272025#post_5272025)
Amen!
||Sometimes I don't know if the writers are lazy or just want to point out in their own way that this is still a big problem even (and especially) in our human society - spreading hatred and resentment among each other and setting people against each other.||