Derpy's Dilemma

[Dessa]

I'd like my ditzy, clumsy, blond pegasus with the funny eyes back, though, because I find that brand of mentally handicapped people hilarious.

Thank you for making my point for me, even if you were being facetious. There are a lot of people who DO feel this way, and when they express as much, the people around them usually laugh along with them. "You're such a retard" is something people grow up saying without questioning it. Kids do an insulting mimicry of cerebral palsy to make fun of their friends whenever they do something dumb. Can you imagine growing up in this environment and NOT being sensitive about it?

All of this FAN OUTRAGE is nothing more than the privileged asserting their right to make fun of the underprivileged. I pointed this out earlier in the thread, but it bears repeating. Take a look at this guy:

For those of you who aren't knowledgeable about American Baseball, this guy's name is "Chief Wahoo," and he's the mascot for the baseball team the Cleveland Indians. Naturally, many Native Americans find this image insulting, but fans of the team insist he is harmless. That he's friendly and likable, or that this mascot is a "good guy" and isn't really racist because of that. Many of them know some Native Americans who aren't insulted by this character, or even celebrate him. How does "Chief Wahoo" make you feel? I think he's an insulting relic of a bygone era. But what's worth noting here is that those who defend "Chief Wahoo" do so with the same arguments used to defend Derpy.

It's not up to US to say what is and is not insulting, it's up to THEM (and the people that speak on their behalf when they can't). The able bodied don't get to tell the disabled when they do and do not have a right to complain about how they are depicted.

And before the inevitable "but I have a disabled friend" argument comes up, or it is pointed out that not all disabled people are offended by this, do realize that it rings as hollow as the old "I have a black friend" defense. No group is ever entirely in agreement. There are bound to be some developmentally disabled people who disagree on the matter. There were black people in the slave days who defended their slave masters. That didn't make slavery okay.

It's also worth noting that Hasbro has never released a statement about this matter. Everyone is acting like they have inside knowledge of who complained. That it must be "white knights" and not the ostensibly targeted group. This is speculation, and nothing more. Nobody here knows the whole story, myself included. So quit jumping to conclusions.

tl;dr It's complicated. We're better off using this as an opportunity for self-examination than to react defensively. It's worth noting that I liked Derpy too. I didn't see anything wrong with her name or her eyes, and in her voice, my mind immediately went to "Down's Syndrome," but I was on the fence, awaiting the reactions of the parties potentially aggrieved by this.

I do however, like her new voice better, and I'm hoping they use "Ditzy" now instead, because that's a great name, and much more Pony anyhow.

[Skye]

Having read this topic and understanding the emotions and concepts behind it, I think I'm going to lock it against further posts. Reason being is that this has the potential to become quite a passionate and potentially controversial discussion that could turn out very easily to be an argument with hurt feelings. My concern isn't so much of those who are currently engaged in it, but more those who aren't yet, or have been turned away because of it.

So in the interests of keeping the peace and discouraging any flared tempers, I'm going to go ahead and lock this thread. Do keep in mind that I very much understand both sides of this potential, and I'm not condemning nor judging the content.