Raduga

a new character appearssss

her name is Raduga, she's a griffon from mountain country. Pls don't be dissuaded by her habit of swallowing rodents and eating bones, equines have such delicate sensibilities, goodness. Is only natural, darlings!

Equestria has been undergoing a massive culture shift in recent decades. After the establishment of Twilight's University of Friendship, the kingdom has begun mingling with other nations, resulting in ponies traveling and settling down in faraway lands, and other creatures immigrating to Equestria, causing unprecedented growth in previously minority populations. The reigning princesses are very proud of the growing success of their diversity initiative.

Of course, these changes haven't been met with universal acclaim. The show has given us many examples of pony xenophobia. Some ponies fear the population growth of griffons, hippogriffs, changelings, yaks, dragons, etc. Their cultures are foreign and different, and many ponies fear that difference. These new citizens of Equestria are sometimes pushed into isolated little pockets, out of pony schools, away from pony jobs, and especially away from pony wealth.

Canterlot is the capital of Equestria, simultaneously the richest and most conservative. Some of the rich elite obtained their wealth through innovation and noble intentions, but the truth is that trillions of golden bits were plundered from the exploited working class. Rather than part with a single coin, the Canterlot uppercrust have turned to political fear-mongering, encouraging xenophobic attitudes toward other species. Griffins are often stereotyped as cruel, disloyal, and moneygrubbing- which is a helpful idea to push when you'd rather not let griffons build businesses that could threaten your own.

Raduga seeks to challenge these attitudes and demand an end to non-pony discrimination.

Soapbox time: MLP introduced a fascinating character in Chancellor Neighsay, the openly-racist (species-ist?) leader of the educational system. He's xenophobic in very believable ways, masking his hate as concern for his own kind. I think Hasbro goes wrong, however, as depicting Neighsayer as some sort of outlier, just a bad egg among a good-hearted majority. Hateful ideas don't come from nowhere. It's dangerous and disingenuous to portray racism as simply the moral failing of mean individuals. Racism is institutional.  Good people can and do perpetuate racism, deliberately or not.  I do like that Neighsayer was shown learning and later apologizing for his attitudes to the people he hurt. It takes time to unlearn hurtful ways of thinking, I'm glad MLP addresses that, instead of having the guy just get kicked by a yak for a gag or something.

I think MLP's gotten way better about race than in earlier seasons. The characters begin using more inclusive language ("everycreature", rather than "everypony"......even tho they could just use "everybody" i'm just sayin), and the show teaches that harmony and friendship aren't limited to ponies. The Young Six all come to love each other and stand united, teaching children that diversity makes us stronger as a society. And I really like that! Bravo, Hasbro!

In one of the newer episodes, Rarity gets caught off guard and says something like "Oh! I didn't realize griffons worked at the Ponyville Post Office!". This isn't a xenophobic statement, but her surprise is interesting. It kinda signals that it's a very peculiar thing for griffons to actual be working at jobs within ponykind, signalling that integration still has a way to go, it seems. 

...At least things are better than in Season 1, back when Rarity called Zecora's stripes garish