It can easily be fixed with a small tweak to the voice without completely redoing it. There is a certain element there that works, but it needs to be brought out.
Or they could go the completely opposite way and make her sound really smart to juxtapose with her clumsiness.
I love the idea of making it be Liam Neeson. Alan Rickman would work too I think.
Yes, I realized that the VA thought she was a guy. I never believed that any of the show's crew was intentionally trying to insult mentally handicapped people. Nevertheless, the whole scene comes across as "Wow, the mentally handicapped sure do RUIN everything, don't they? That's why it's okay to act really angry with them, like Rainbow Dash is."
To your point, I don't think that's what a child sees. You're assuming that to a kid "Dumb Voice=Mentally Handicapped." If you go looking for that message, yeah, you're gonna find it in that scene. But kids generally aren't so much interested in that as "Ha ha, she fell in a hole. What a dummy."
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The GeekOh-Two Crew, OmeganautRegistered User, ClubPAregular
It can easily be fixed with a small tweak to the voice without completely redoing it. There is a certain element there that works, but it needs to be brought out.
Or they could go the completely opposite way and make her sound really smart to juxtapose with her clumsiness.
I love the idea of making it be Liam Neeson. Alan Rickman would work too I think.
It can easily be fixed with a small tweak to the voice without completely redoing it. There is a certain element there that works, but it needs to be brought out.
Or they could go the completely opposite way and make her sound really smart to juxtapose with her clumsiness.
I love the idea of making it be Liam Neeson. Alan Rickman would work too I think.
If I was one of the writers or animators, my reaction to this would probably be, "whelp fuck you, that's the last time we try to include any fan content in the show". Just because 4chan and the rest are malicious and stupid doesn't mean the writers are. The idea they are making fun of the handicapped is laughably beyond ridiculous. And the idea that it needs to be edited is even moreso. People somehow forget the show is to sell toys and for kids first, and little kids aren't so cynical and jaded by the world as to assume some random cartoon character has down syndrome.
People who complained to the creators have apparently never seen anything on Fox, Adult Swim or Comedy Central.
Or... Looney Tunes. That "slow-speaking-but-well-intentioned loveable idiot" character is an animation staple.
There are so many examples of the character archetype - even in recent, strictly for-kids programming - that the complaints about Derpy are somewhat baffling. Ed (Ed, Edd n Eddy) and Patrick Star (Spongebob) quickly come to mind as two recent, popular principle characters in children's entertainment that are clearly mentally challenged - moreso than Derpy - and are played for laughs.
I am trying to recall as many cartoon characters as I can that are obviously retarded, for want of a better term, yet who get a pass where Derpy has not. Is there anything that they all have in common? Beavis, Gir, Goofy, Homer Simpson, Jimmy the Idiot Boy, Peter Griffin, Pinky, Ralph Wiggum, Stimpy... Well, they are all male. Derpy is not. Does this mean Derpy can not be an idiot without being offensive?
It may seem like a damn stupid thing to ask, but we do have a history of forcing women characters into strict roles. Even outside of animation, women are far more likely to be playing the foil to the lumbering, idiotic male lead who gets all the laughs. The Retard has always been a male character. Perhaps people are rejecting this The Retard because she is a woman. Perhaps this one little change makes her just different enough that she seems to be something we have not seen before, so she gets attacked where her more "normal" male retards slip on by without a moment's thought.
People who complained to the creators have apparently never seen anything on Fox, Adult Swim or Comedy Central.
Or... Looney Tunes. That "slow-speaking-but-well-intentioned loveable idiot" character is an animation staple.
There are so many examples of the character archetype - even in recent, strictly for-kids programming - that the complaints about Derpy are somewhat baffling. Ed (Ed, Edd n Eddy) and Patrick Star (Spongebob) quickly come to mind as two recent, popular principle characters in children's entertainment that are clearly mentally challenged - moreso than Derpy - and are played for laughs.
I am trying to recall as many cartoon characters as I can that are obviously retarded, for want of a better term, yet who get a pass where Derpy has not. Is there anything that they all have in common? Beavis, Gir, Goofy, Homer Simpson, Jimmy the Idiot Boy, Peter Griffin, Pinky, Ralph Wiggum, Stimpy... Well, they are all male. Derpy is not. Does this mean Derpy can not be an idiot without being offensive?
It may seem like a damn stupid thing to ask, but we do have a history of forcing women characters into strict roles. Even outside of animation, women are far more likely to be playing the foil to the lumbering, idiotic male lead who gets all the laughs. The Retard has always been a male character. Perhaps people are rejecting this The Retard because she is a woman. Perhaps this one little change makes her just different enough that she seems to be something we have not seen before, so she gets attacked where her more "normal" male retards slip on by without a moment's thought.
Yeah, people are freaking out over the possibility of a character supposedly making fun of the mentally handicapped, I wonder how many cartoons besides this one they've actually watched? It's not exactly uncommon to have a character that's supposed to be stupid for laughs.
Lord_Asmodeus on
Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if Labor had not first existed. Labor is superior to capital, and deserves much the higher consideration. - Lincoln
The FiM movie will be all about Scootaloo getting her wings (or rather just actually using them) with the help of Derpy and Berry Punch, everypony else just has cameos. Calling it now.
The derpy thing might be a test but they obviously didnt stop there...the Dr. whoves in charge of timekeeping says that. Frankly i think its kinda cool, dont get the fans who created derpy and think this ruins the show. People complain when they listen to the fans now?
Stercus, Stercus, Stercus, Morituri Sum
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The GeekOh-Two Crew, OmeganautRegistered User, ClubPAregular
The derpy thing might be a test but they obviously didnt stop there...the Dr. whoves in charge of timekeeping says that. Frankly i think its kinda cool, dont get the fans who created derpy and think this ruins the show. People complain when they listen to the fans now?
Rather, I believe they're complaining because people originally thought Derpy was just a klutz, but later voice actors made her sound kinda stupid, which some people feel is a dig against mentally challenged people. Of course, having a character who's funny partially because they're sort of stupid is an old old thing in cartoons, whether that's alright or not is up for debate. Also up for debate, does someone being stupid necessarily mean they are mentally challenged?
Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if Labor had not first existed. Labor is superior to capital, and deserves much the higher consideration. - Lincoln
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Caulk Bite 6One of the multitude of Dans infesting this placeRegistered Userregular
People who felt uncomfortable with her portrayal are "whiners" now? Really? Really?
I was a fan of Derpy before the episode, but that voice . . . It wasn't just that it was deep or slow, it was the cadence of it. You should've seen how rapidly my face went from to as she started speaking.
Feeling uncomfortable is fine, and expressing that is also fine. That Is Complaining. But if people start asking that someone else's artistic product be altered for their own moral edification, THAAAAT is WHIIIINING.
This pretty much is what it comes down to, for me.
The scene didn't come across to me as making fun of the mentally handicapped, but rather of someone who's oblivious and klutzy.
Well they've already had Snips and Snails in the show, and they're definitely not the brightest crayons in the box. No problems there, though, we've seen the bumbling male character type a million times. But if they give a female character similar traits, oh, obviously she's intended to be mentally challenged. I really hope this nonsense doesn't result in Derpy being taken out of the show, because I'm kind of fond of her. She reminds me of me when I was younger.
MH3: B77AE9 - Natou
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AbsalonLands of Always WinterRegistered Userregular
edited January 2012
What came to me first when I heard about this latest fooferaw, my first thought was "Man do they even know how some mentally challenged people sound and behave, on average?" Because a slight drawl and breathy quality is not exactly a sure sign, nor is clumsiness or simplistic emotional changes.
Because, before you are outraged on "their" behalf, it might be dandy for you to meet some of them. I haven't had any continuous exchanges with any mentally challenged or neuro-atypical people, but I've never heard anyone sound or act like Derpy.
Absalon on
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Werewolf2000adSuckers, I know exactly what went wrong.Registered Userregular
Johnny ChopsockyScootaloo! We have to cook!Grillin' HaysenburgersRegistered Userregular
I wasn't a fan of the first few Derpy lines, but that was more of a delivery-based quibble than anything. The delivery improved for the rest of the lines, but I certainly didn't get any whiff of mentally-handicapped mockery in there. Mostly because in my early teenage years, I was basically Derpy Hooves. I was awkward as hell, more than a little oblivious and a klutzy tornado of unintended destruction.
Also, when did "Derp" become synonymous with "retarded"? Did I miss that Internet meeting? I always thought that it was basically someone failing at something (Mr Derp failing at being wacky and funny, Rob Schneider failing at making movies, etc etc).
AbsalonLands of Always WinterRegistered Userregular
edited January 2012
Derp is associated with cross-eyed expressions and a low level of intelligence and misspelling in related image memes "Derp Im a hors" and then an image of a wacky-looking horse doing something silly. Also, sometimes used in image macros featuring people with Down's syndrome. Because people are creative on the internet.
I'm still less worried about that than I am the "Nobody told me Derpy was a girl" bit. I mean, it would explain some of the voice, but if she's got lines in upcoming episodes and voices have already been recorded for those, we could get more of the lower-pitched boyish-sounding voice instead of the yeah-that-sounds-right part in the middle.
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Caulk Bite 6One of the multitude of Dans infesting this placeRegistered Userregular
edited January 2012
Solution: Autotune Derpy.
like T-Pain.
and have the other characters act as if it's normal
It's definitely a delivery thing. The lines after Rainbow Dash fell in the hole were right on the money. I would be happy if she sounded just like that in any further lines she gets.
And I'm going to have to agree that a lot of the people that complain Derpy sounded disabled don't really know any disabled people.
It kinda bothers me that when Derpy was just a clumsy, she was just clumsy. Now there's the voice...and that makes her disabled in some way. It's.... I don't know. I can see their point but assuming someone is disabled just because of that seems kinda awful to me
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I love the idea of making it be Liam Neeson. Alan Rickman would work too I think.
To your point, I don't think that's what a child sees. You're assuming that to a kid "Dumb Voice=Mentally Handicapped." If you go looking for that message, yeah, you're gonna find it in that scene. But kids generally aren't so much interested in that as "Ha ha, she fell in a hole. What a dummy."
and now, to wait for the inevitable PMV
Knowing Bronies, we'll have it by noon.
I am trying to recall as many cartoon characters as I can that are obviously retarded, for want of a better term, yet who get a pass where Derpy has not. Is there anything that they all have in common? Beavis, Gir, Goofy, Homer Simpson, Jimmy the Idiot Boy, Peter Griffin, Pinky, Ralph Wiggum, Stimpy... Well, they are all male. Derpy is not. Does this mean Derpy can not be an idiot without being offensive?
It may seem like a damn stupid thing to ask, but we do have a history of forcing women characters into strict roles. Even outside of animation, women are far more likely to be playing the foil to the lumbering, idiotic male lead who gets all the laughs. The Retard has always been a male character. Perhaps people are rejecting this The Retard because she is a woman. Perhaps this one little change makes her just different enough that she seems to be something we have not seen before, so she gets attacked where her more "normal" male retards slip on by without a moment's thought.
EEyup.
I love this
Yeah, people are freaking out over the possibility of a character supposedly making fun of the mentally handicapped, I wonder how many cartoons besides this one they've actually watched? It's not exactly uncommon to have a character that's supposed to be stupid for laughs.
unlike that mspa thread
ughhhhhhhhhhh
Who needs that thread!
it's
gamzee
obv
Source
In case you don't get the reference.
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Using the wrong homonym makes me want to punch people.
Rather, I believe they're complaining because people originally thought Derpy was just a klutz, but later voice actors made her sound kinda stupid, which some people feel is a dig against mentally challenged people. Of course, having a character who's funny partially because they're sort of stupid is an old old thing in cartoons, whether that's alright or not is up for debate. Also up for debate, does someone being stupid necessarily mean they are mentally challenged?
This pretty much is what it comes down to, for me.
The scene didn't come across to me as making fun of the mentally handicapped, but rather of someone who's oblivious and klutzy.
Because, before you are outraged on "their" behalf, it might be dandy for you to meet some of them. I haven't had any continuous exchanges with any mentally challenged or neuro-atypical people, but I've never heard anyone sound or act like Derpy.
EVERYBODY WANTS TO SIT IN THE BIG CHAIR, MEG!
Also, when did "Derp" become synonymous with "retarded"? Did I miss that Internet meeting? I always thought that it was basically someone failing at something (Mr Derp failing at being wacky and funny, Rob Schneider failing at making movies, etc etc).
Steam ID XBL: JohnnyChopsocky PSN:Stud_Beefpile WiiU:JohnnyChopsocky
like T-Pain.
and have the other characters act as if it's normal
And I'm going to have to agree that a lot of the people that complain Derpy sounded disabled don't really know any disabled people.