Cirrus Light 
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On Starlight choosing to believe Twilight was deceiving her rather than taking it at face value: I can believe that emotion makes people that illogical. I'm seeing it right now with people wanting to torment her. I see it all the time. It's why there's wars, crime, terrorism, genocides, why people don't forgive and why I'm arguing on the internet instead of reading, writing, or studying. But I think I'll get to that now.
But fwiw, psychology has shown well that often people make decisions for emotional reasons and come up with logical justifications after. It's easy.
People are mad. They want to see her choke on rope or be tormented by having her life stripped away by prison or something else. So they come up with justifications. "We've got to make an example of her!"
Given Equestria, do you really think making a big deal of punishing her would make any future cult leader not? I think it's pretty obvious if there even are any, it would just make them be sure to not get caught, maybe even make them feel more rejected and want to start their cult to feel accepted, or even as a sort of rebellion even if it's not one exactly. And worst of all you'd just be telling them it's possible.
As it is, so few ponies know about it you're best staying silent. And even if it became a big deal, it might be best just to have her give some speech saying how friendship changed her life and stuff. Then you'd positively effect a lot more people, too. And stuff like that works to a decent degree. That's why advertisers and churches use it so much.
Punishment would really probably just make_*ponies_* more sympathetic to her, even if not openly. But secretly is even worse, because then you don't know who secretly supports her, and you can't shut down secret talk in basements and backrooms.
You will last longer making friends than enemies.
I ramble. I'll try not to reply until tomorrow or Wednesday or something.
And to be clear, making her state more explicitly probationary might have been better, or made her serve her town for a while or something. But that all happened in a kind of fast forward abridgement, so you can imagine there was a lot more to it that the episode just wasn't long enough for.
I'm not opposed to some monitoring or punishment, I just don't think she deserves to rot in a prison or anything super harsh. Or rather, I have no objections for showing mercy, as long as it's consistently done for those who are penitent/remorseful.
Sciencepone of Science!
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[@Cirrus Light
On Starlight choosing to believe Twilight was deceiving her rather than taking it at face value: I can believe that emotion makes people that illogical. I'm seeing it right now with people wanting to torment her. I see it all the time. It's why there's wars, crime, terrorism, genocides, why people don't forgive and why I'm arguing on the internet instead of reading, writing, or studying. But I think I'll get to that now.
But fwiw, psychology has shown well that often people make decisions for emotional reasons and come up with logical justifications after. It's easy.
People are mad. They want to see her choke on rope or be tormented by having her life stripped away by prison or something else. So they come up with justifications. "We've got to make an example of her!"
Given Equestria, do you really think making a big deal of punishing her would make any future cult leader not? I think it's pretty obvious if there even are any, it would just make them be sure to not get caught, maybe even make them feel more rejected and want to start their cult to feel accepted, or even as a sort of rebellion even if it's not one exactly. And worst of all you'd just be telling them it's possible.
As it is, so few ponies know about it you're best staying silent. And even if it became a big deal, it might be best just to have her give some speech saying how friendship changed her life and stuff. Then you'd positively effect a lot more people, too. And stuff like that works to a decent degree. That's why advertisers and churches use it so much.
Punishment would really probably just make
You will last longer making friends than enemies.
I ramble. I'll try not to reply until tomorrow or Wednesday or something.
And to be clear, making her state more explicitly probationary might have been better, or made her serve her town for a while or something. But that all happened in a kind of fast forward abridgement, so you can imagine there was a lot more to it that the episode just wasn't long enough for.
I'm not opposed to some monitoring or punishment, I just don't think she deserves to rot in a prison or anything super harsh. Or rather, I have no objections for showing mercy, as long as it's consistently done for those who are penitent/remorseful.