Yeah, not buying the theory that internet males watch the show to be ironic and edgy. It doesn't explain why every single internet female I know watches the show too.
I can't speak for anyone else, but the last time I watched a TV show aimed at little girls was...maybe 10 years ago? Not that I've ever felt stigma against doing so (the opposite if anything; I like cute stuff), I was just more interested in, for instance, The Daily Show. It's just...MLP:FiM is fantastic, and I never liked the old MLP (in the 80s, Care Bears were obviously superior!)
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Cats land on their feet. Toast lands peanut butter side down. A cat with toast strapped to its back will hover above the ground in a state of quantum indecision