History: In the very first episode, one of the background ponies used to fill space had an animation error: crossed eyes. The fandom latched on to this character, developed a personality, family, etc, with a common theme being her struggles with being accepted due to her handicapped eyes and clumsy nature. Over a year later, this character (dubbed Derpy) ascended into the show proper, given a 2 minute scene and actually being named.
Then a week later the new episode she was in was taken down.
Then a month later, the episode was re released, with the name removed, crossed eyes "fixed," and a new voice.
Comparison video of the modified scene:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKIqF_SoI9sOfficial PR
response:
The 'My Little Pony Friendship is Magic' series has always been about acceptance and inclusion, and the series strives to convey that through the playful antics of a diverse cast of characters," Hasbro spokeswoman Nicole Angello told us over email. "Some viewers felt that aspects of the episode 'The Last Roundup' did not stay true to the core message of friendship which is the heart and soul of the series. Hasbro Studios decided to make slight audio alterations to this single episode.
Facts:
- Curiously the response says nothing about the eyes and name, which were changed as well.
- It's hard to deny Derpy has a handicap with her eyes, but it's more ambiguous as to whether she has a mental handicap as well or just clumsy. Either way, her handicap(s) were played down.
- The name (which was removed) could potentially be construed as offensive, given its origin, but it's ambiguous whether that's the reason they changed it or some sort of issue trademarking it (popular character they could make a lot of money off of)
- Negative response among internet fans was minimal, so if viewer response really motivated the change, it was from the target audience's parents.
- Notably, networks outside the US have censored parts of the show in the past. Canada's Treehouse network censored the word "loser" from one of the earlier episodes, for example. Issues distributing this episode to squeamish networks very well could have played a part.
Now why I think it's bullshit:
First off, I don't really care about the character. She's been a fandom favorite I've mostly ignored over the past 8 months. Also, I actually like the new scene
better; it's funnier and the new voice doesn't sound so stupid (figuratively and literally).
The problem is their reasons for the change. By doing this, they're saying a handicapped individual is inappropriate to show on screen.
Positive discrimination at best, outright bigotry against handicapped individuals at worst. I'm going to assume positive discrimination because it's most likely and far less, well, evil.
So we have a character in a slapstick situation. Other characters in the show have been in similar situations in the past. The only difference is the eyes and voice. By removing the handicap from the character, they're saying it's inappropriate to put a handicapped character where any other character would fit just fine. Tiptoeing around minorities like this is offensive to everyone involved; you're saying the minority is "special" and needs to be treated "different," rather than you know, treating them like a
human being (or pony, in this case). Placing minorities on pedestals and treating them like they're fundamentally different is the
opposite of "friendship and inclusion," which is what the PR response says was somehow violated in Derpy's original scene.
This is additionally grating to me, because the fundamental heart and soul of the show according to the original creator is thus: There is more than one way to be a girl. By changing Derpy's scene, they're explicitly stating that there's a "wrong" way too: her original portrayal. Tell me, if a 6 year old handicapped girl saw the original scene, do you think they'd interpret Derpy as making fun of them, or would they interpret her as a funny character to relate to? I think the latter. Now, the new scene isn't going to change much; the target audience won't take away any of the unfortunate implications I've been talking about. But if they ever hear the history behind this, they will.
So then, what do you think? Original scene being a degrading stereotype, or just a handicapped character that happens to also be in a slapstick comedy situation? Would there be a better way to do that scene while keeping both the comedy and handicap? Should we tiptoe around minorities (handicapped people especially) in media, or should we treat them like anyone else? Are there character types that are "not allowed" for minorities but fine for others?
Also of course this isn't just about ponies; please do not bring up the pony fandom or their reaction(s). This is about treatment of minorities in media, and thus extends well beyond this one little scene. Feel free to bring up examples you think relevant from anywhere else.
