I don’t like to rattle the cages like this
but I feel like I just have to say something.
So let’s break down what happened here.
1. Animators make a background character wall-eyed as a joke.
2. Fans think this is hilarious and fall in love with said character, nicknaming her “Derpy.”
3. Creators of show promise that “Derpy” will have a speaking role in the future. Fans rejoice.
4. Derpy gets a speaking role and is addressed by name for the first time, canonizing fan input. Fans are outraged.
I’m sorry, what? What? …What? People are upset because Derpy is portrayed as dumb? Why is it okay and hilarious to laugh at a wall-eyed background character but when she’s portrayed as dumb and klutzy it’s horribly offensive? Don’t pretend like you expected her to be an elegant intellectual. You people fucking NAMED HER DERPY. The writers of the show didn’t name her that. They didn’t even intend for her to be anything but a generic background character. They didn’t create the persona of Derpy, YOU DID. FANS OF THE SHOW CREATED DERPY. People have been laughing at Derpy and drawing fan-art like this for almost a year, and NOW it’s not okay? NOW it’s offensive?
Where are the crusades against Homer Simpson? Patrick Star? Cosmo? Heffer? Michael Scott? Peter Griffin? Moose? Fry? Beavis and Butt-head? Ron Burgundy?
People have been laughing at stupid characters since fiction has existed. But because this one character happens to be wall-eyed, it’s not okay for people to laugh at her? Even though that’s exactly what the fans have been doing since her debut?
It’s important to remember that there is a world of difference between being offended by something and something being offensive. A lot of people might be offended by interracial marriage, or gay marriage, or abortion. That doesn’t make it offensive.
And look, if people were offended by Derpy, I’m certainly not saying they don’t have that right. Of course anyone has the right to be offended. I’m sorry people were offended. I’m sure the creators of the show are sorry people were offended. But that doesn’t make it offensive. The writers didn’t sit down and go, “This’ll teach little girls to think that people who are different are stupid.” They sat down and went, “This oughta make the fans happy.” And, for the life of me, I can’t understand why it didn’t.
(Source: riccaby)
