@gasmaskangel  
I’m honestly touched and impressed by your apology; while I didn’t say anything really harsh against you specifically in either comment thread, I hope nothing I said upset or angered you.  

FLUTTERSHY DIED FOR YOUR SINS!

Alright, upon reflection I am being an asshole about this. Even if I dislike this and its companion piece, I really shouldn’t be adding to the belligerence surrounding it. Especially since that will accomplish nothing. No one’s mind will be changed, those who like it will feel attacked and so on.
 
So… sorry for being a dick about it. I remain unimpressed, but if you are I can’t take that away from you and should not have wasted time trying do so.

@Barhandar
 
“Word-ized”?
 
@scorchedwing
 
I’d argue that many (if not most) people would only recognise a crown of thorns as associated with Christ. If, for example, you showed me a bearded fellow wearing a crown of thorns, I’d automatically assume it was supposed to be Christ.
 
Kind of like how if you saw a guy in a toga holding a thunderbolt and another with a trident, you’d likely assume they’re Zeus or Poseidon.

@scorchedwing  
>while thorn crowns symbolize folly
 
Ah, so that’s how it can be word-ized.

@gasmaskangel  

Try empathy instead. The message in these is for poeple who - astounding as it may seem - don’t think like you do. Many people out there have yet to become as jaded and bitter as such stalwart internet warriors as yourself.
 
That’s an interesting comparison, by the way. Quite an impressive leap of reasoning there.  

More concepts that you seem to have missed: thorn crowns existed before Jesus; not everyone is a Christian; flower crowns are often used to symbolize innocence and virtue, while thorn crowns symbolize folly and punishment.  
Furthermore, “It can only be read as…” My, how conceited and pompous can you get? Judging by the wide range of opinions in this comment thread, it can definitely be read as many other things than what your psyche dictates.  

Ignoring the commercialism part because that is presented as an opinion, where did the “cry for help” analysis come from? There is a statement of warning, and there is a picture of a pony that learned the lesson by direct experience. It is a warning to not make false assumptions about the motives or actions of others by expecting them to think or behave only as you would yourself.
 
Oh, wait, not judge the actions or intents of others solely on your own opinion alone? I see now why it bothers you so much, since the bulk of your argument is based on this very assumption. Try heeding it instead of ignoring it.

@untraceablelarry
 
“If you were going to always hate this, don’t bother looking,” is generally a good rule of thumb on Derpibooru. I can’t stand things like baby-play, anthro artwork that’s clearly just a human body with the pony’s head slapped on or anything with the tag, “Allahu Akbar.”
 
But I understand other people might like it so I either add them to my list of hidden tags (like I did with diaper fetish) or give it a cursory glance and move on (like I do with anthro artwork, which I don’t want to tag because anthro includes some artwork I do like, such as Shepherd81’s stuff).

@untraceablelarry  
See, this is why I downvoted and made snide remarks on both images. If it had just been a sad pony and the mawkish “feel sorry for me!” message, I’d hardly have noticed… but that crown of thorns. Its a bit like telling someone that you know exactly how it feels to have your home destroyed in a natural disaster because someone once spilled juice on your keyboard. The comparison destroys any possible sympathy I might have felt.
 
That’s what pushes it over the edge for me. It can only be read as the pony, or more likely the artist, comparing themselves to Christ which is at best stupid and tasteless.
 
On top of that, them being commercialized makes me feel that this is less a cry for help, and more something supremely tacky in the worst possible sense of the word.

@LightningBolt  
No offense, but that “this” image looks really silly because of how the post is directly below the up arrow. The quoted version isn’t much better. Also, I feel that a mod of all people should not being saying “don’t like, don’t watch” when it comes to basically anything that isn’t porn… or maybe Flash Sentry. I assume you mean in a “if you were going to always hate this, don’t bother looking” way rather than a “stop criticizing what I like” way, right?
 
The Jesus comparison is a bit much, I must say… That makes this a bit more melodramatic than it needs to be. This is probably why it is as downvoted as it is… It might work better without that element. At the same time, a crying Fluttershy with a depressing message does not sound like it would have much appeal…
 
How doesn’t this count as a mouthpiece, exactly? Would you ever hear anything like this from the show or this character? I mean, an image that simply says “You don’t have to be a bully to be strong” with Fluttershy on it has the mouthpiece tag, why shouldn’t this one have it?
 
Also, the message is kind of stupid… Who expects people not to hurt them just because they wouldn’t hurt them? I can think of many reasons as to why I think that my friends, family, and most people in general won’t hurt me, but “I wouldn’t hurt them” is not one of them. Am I missing something?
 
On a less serious note, you can get this image or its companion on a shirt, a sticker, an iPhone case, or an overpriced notebook… So, if you want to wear a shirt with a crying pony with a depressing and kind of stupid message on it, go buy that up.

@amess  
I’m not always good at following through on those beliefs, but yeah, me too.

@WM-R  
Basically this, plus certain parts of… er, let’s just say the philosophy I strive to follow after says that you should try to show love to even your enemies.

@LightningBolt  
The whole “comments are for agreeing, not criticism” mentality doesn’t really apply since I wasn’t criticizing the image. I was pointing out how others who attacked it were behaving.

@Background Pony #C1D0  
Look, a sweeping generalization, how accurate. Oh wait, it’s not.

@Background Pony #C1D0  
Don’t like it? Then move on with your life instead of complaining. Plenty of tags to hide.

@Background Pony #3B4A  
Not to mention the “fee-fees” and “whiner” and general tone of “your problems are worth less than nothing and you’re evil for having your feelings hurt”. It’s rather obvious that the backlash isn’t about how the message is conveyed, but about the message itself.

@Background Pony #3B4A  
@LightningBolt  

@LightningBolt  
I needed that laugh; thanks.
 
@Eggonaught  
And if people just said “these images are trying too hard; the artist is using a megaphone when a regular speaking voice would do”, I’d be perfectly fine with that. Instead there’s all this “3edgy5me” and “annoying emo art[ist]” and “tumblrite SJW describing themselves” crap, and yes, “LMAO walk it off you kitten” chest-thumping. (Moreso on the Pinkie Pie image than here, I think.) If you can’t see that, or can’t understand why others might not agree with that sort of response, I don’t know what else to say.

@amess
 
Adjustments would be a good idea. I generally prefer to wait for a second (or even third) experience before concluding whether or not I want anything to do with someone.
 
My reason being perhaps my approach was wrong, or the person made a misstep, or both.

I know this feel, even extend a hand in friendship and open up a bit as a token offering only to have them take the opportunity as the ideal chance to try and rip my face off.
 
Fool me once, shame on me.  
Fool me twice, TCH! Like I would even give you the chance?!
 
 
… Though I have been considering making some adjustments to this policy for various reasons.

@Eggonaught  
Those are “story” images, this is a simple piece of advice (or reminder of common sense) and would require a far more complex image to deliver.
 
Be honest, the negative reaction to this is purely because of the spooky scary SJW boogeyman lurking to corrupt your precious ponies.
 
See how >>957735, an animaged gif from the show with some text on it, is way way more “now feel this” than this image, but got near universal appraisal.

@The Smiling Pony  
I went over a few sad/feels pics to see what people’s reactions were.  
>>558964 >>573183 >>634953 >>492623 >>227690 >>932517
 
There’s not much “LMAO walk it off you kitten”, and a whole lot of “ouch, right in the feels”.
 
People just react better to subtle cues than mouthpiece banners going “NOW FEEL THIS” like a sitcom studio applause sign.

This is good advice I keep screaming at the screen whenever we get characters who don’t seem to get that sometimes, pacifism and peace simply aren’t options.
 
The best example I can think of was from How To Train Your Dragon 2, where the hero kept insisting peace was possible when virtually everyone warned him that wasn’t possible with the villain they were facing. Yet he kept insisting, right up to the point he got his father killed.
 
By all means, be kind, open and caring. Just be aware that some people will be more than happy to take advantage of that kindness. Being firm is also a form of kindness, after all.

@The Smiling Pony  

@Eggonaught  
And then we’d get drama about how Angel Bunny is just a kid or whatever instead.
 
The only way an image like this wouldn’t have people whining on it about “the edge” or “fee fees” is if it’d just say “lmao walk it off you pussy”. With Flutters laughing or giving a shit-eating grin.
 
Everyone’s been so obsessed with mocking SJWs and the like that they’ve turned into the same absolutist, bithy, intolerant crap.