I’ve been seeing a lot of humorous posts lately about bronies.  Bronies–in case you haven’t heard the term bandied about–are adult male fans of My Little Pony.  They watch the TV show and movies, collect the toys, dress up in costume and go to conventions, etc etc.

The gender aspect of this doesn’t bother me at all.  I don’t care if it’s women or men that are into the pony thing.  What scares me a little is the concept of any adult–male or female–playing with My Little Ponies.  On the one hand, it’s a sign that we live in a prosperous society–prosperous enough that we can afford to be a little childish.  On the other hand, we are surrounded by plenty of other cultures which still take life with a deadly seriousness, including the idea of defeating us when it comes to technology, business and military power.

Everyone should be free to pursue their favorite hobbies.  I just have an uneasy feeling that China is about to eat us alive–at least in the economic sense–and that we’ll be too busy playing with dollies to notice.