This statement confuses me. Why does the past make a name an opinion? Please correct me, but isn't that basically saying that once something is past, it instantly becomes opinion? I'm missing the connection you're making between opinion and why tense is its deciding factor.
Let us take for example the discovery of America. Most people would say that it is Columbus who first discovered it. Others say that it was the Vikings who came here first. Others, that the Chinese were here before both of the former parties. Who is right? All we can do is present evidence to support our opinion on the matter, such as historical documents, excavated artifacts, ruins, etc. Did it rain today? Maybe it did, maybe it did not. One can prove with wet clothes that it did, or with radar scans of the area that it did not and the clothes were wet to prove a falsehood. Sometimes, of course, it is hard to refute the opinions of others on the matter of history, due to the bountiful evidence. In other cases, no. In he case of Derpy/Ditzy, we can not say which is meant to be canon, since while Derpy is mentioned more recently, that name is obviously not a full name, and the episode WAS removed too. Thus, name is an opinion.
I just don't get why people assume she's mentally handicapped/neurologically atypical. She's just a clumsy pony, possibly because of the eyesight thing affecting depth perception or whatnot. She's always been portrayed as clumsy and silly; dropping stuff on Twilight, pulling the plug from the tub when bobbing for apples, hiding in a chicken coop, etc. No worse than Pinkie Pie, arguably. The name, as far as I'm aware, is just based on "derp", which you say when you've done something silly; being an idiot, I say it about fifteen times a day, having done something ludicrous like putting food in the oven and forgetting to turn it on, or walking into a wall; Derpy seems like an apt name for a pony who frequently does silly things. It can also refer to a silly-looking facial expression; if the character is offensive to anyone, it's cross-eyed people. WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF THE CROSS-EYED PEOPLE?! Honestly, I doubt the target demographic will read too much into it; they probably just see her as a funny pony who keeps breaking stuff. Not to mention that she's only been given a few lines so far, and has mostly been a background character. How do we know there won't be an episode focusing on a previously unshown good quality (she's already established as enthusiastic and good-natured)? However, while we're on the subject, can I just say, as someone who has suffered with mental illness, how offended I am by Pinkie Pie? It's inappropriate to teach children that mentally ill people are needy, unstable, occasionally violent, have a loose grip on reality, and don't understand basic social etiquette! Wait, what? She's not intended to have a mental illness? And ponies can have flaws that aren't necessarily attributed to any medical issue? Well, whaddaya know. As you were.
Like I said before. Derpy is a genius. You just have to go by the standards of horses rather than humans. By horse standars, talking, flying, etc. make her a genius. And I doubt there's a person here who'd say no to owning a pony just like her.
*Slaps him* Get your own! And apparently she does do fine on her own... it's possible the goofy act is so that she never is suspected of being the world's best muffin thief
just funny fact i've just realized yesterday: if you put fanon aside, and look at canon, I don't see any part how Derpy would be described as mentally handicapped (maybe clumsy and bit stupid, but nothing that hasn't appeared in other cartoons million times). However, in Weep and Read, when there was clearly mentally handicapped pony (that Dog Pony from chase), everyone tough it was funny, and it was no big deal.
Ugh. So much arguing and griping and zeal over a cartoon character. Really. Are there not more important things in the real world to argue and gripe and zeal over? *sigh* If you find Derpy offensive your perceptions of her are obviously negative. Derpy is just another character in an imaginary world. To find her offensive is to take something that is meant to be entertaining and turn it into a political debate, which you have done. It's all based on perspective. If you find TV to be so important, then fine. But crusading based on negative perceptions will always turn out badly.
I wore my Derpy Speaks! shirt from Welovefine today and got another compliment on it. Derpy is beloved everywhere. :derpe:
It is sad when an animated talking Zebra is smarter than 89.99% of politicians and humans in general.
Let's not forget Season 2, Episode 15 (The Episode where Rainbow Dash reads). We had a cancer patient, and a mental pony in a straightjacket. Not a single crap was given that day.
Yeah, I just see Derpy as silly and clumsy, and I think most kids would see it the same way. I doubt any kids watched it and thought, "That Derpy pony must be retarded, so let's go pick on retarded kids!" I don't know, I think people are just too sensitive. And many, many examples of similar characters in other shows have already been provided. At the very least, I just hate it that they caved in.
