The Double Edged Sword of Abelism

Derp. What do you think of when you read that word? At this point, “derp” is synonymous with making a funny face or saying something foolish or questionable. It’s also used in ragecomics, but it’s used in that context as onomatopoeia for generic activities (e.g., derpin' around outside) or as a replacement for the names of real people. Of these two examples, I am going to be talking about the non-ragecomic usage, as it has more significance.

Why?

Because “Derp” is an extremely abelist term, whose usage in referring to having trouble speaking or making weird faces is a blatant reference to the effects of Down Syndrome.

Why bring this up now? Because the Warriors of Social Justice have begun a crusade against this demeaning word. Being a neutral party, I’ve tried my best to stay out of the field of battle. But the Warriors are very vocal about it, and with good reason. It’s hard to ignore, and though I may be Apathetic regarding many things, that does not mean that I have no Good path on my moral compass. Abelism really upsets me, and in this particular case it effects me directly, because I am a proud member of the Guild of Bronydom, and our reverence towards those cute little equines has spawned a character called “Derpy Hooves.”

The Bronies noticed an animation error in one episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, possibly a joke thrown in by one of the animators, wherein a background character was seen with “derped” eyes. Her popularity among the Bronies has not gone unnoticed by her creators. Derpy soon went on to make many more cameos in other episodes, complete with her signature walleyed stare. Even the creator of the show, Lauren Faust, has used the name “Derpy” when referencing the gray pegasus pony.

Despite her popularity, the connotations of Derpy Hooves’ name have gotten some Bronies into an uproar about the ethics of calling her by a name that makes light of and even pokes fun at mental disabilities. I personally prefer to call her by the name of an unseen, presumably klutzy pegasus referred to as Ditzy Doo, but we have no way of confirming that these two ponies are one and the same. As it stands, the existence of this character and the acknowledgement of her name by the production staff of My Little Pony is disconcerting, to say the least.

But before we brand the internet meme of “derp” as something to be shunned, abolished, and otherwise hated, read a few more words and think about them.

Stupid. Moron. Imbecile. Idiot.

I’m going to assume that, upon reading those words, you thought of this guy:

or this guy:

or, if you’re into anime, you might have thought of this guy:

(And possibly the fans of his show, depending on your tastes, but that’s neither here nor there.)

The word “idiot” is used in normal society as away of referring to someone who is foolish or commits folly. But in its original meaning, it referred to someone who had an IQ below 25. In that same vein, “imbecile” referred to someone with an IQ between 50 and 26, and a “moron” meant someone with an IQ between 70 and 51. These meanings fell out of use in the psychological field in the early part of the 20th century, and have since evolved into derogatory words meant to be used as insults.

And don’t get me started on the word stupid. That word has been around since the mid 1500s. Language evolves over time; words and their meanings can sometimes change drastically. Consider the word “lame”. It was once used to reference a physical handicap, but, after having left the English vernacular for a time, is now a slang word that generally means “not living up to expectations” or “boring”.

I have mixed feelings about the word “retard”, because while it may be offensive to some, it also seems to me to be a very poor name choice. The word comes from the Latin word for “slow”, which isn’t exactly a misnomer, but it is somewhat misleading, as the “slowness” associated with Mental Retardation is not the most prominent symptom. The word from which that name is derived is also used in other places. Flame retardant fabric slows the progression of fire, water retardants seal wooden decks, and a musical term that denotes playing slowly is called “Retardando.” It almost begs the question of whether giving names to mental disabilities should be given more thought.

I am not, by any means, trying to condone using abelism in everyday speech. However, it’s always important to remember that the English language, like all languages, is ever-evolving, and abelist remarks are no exception to this rule. As much as it pains me to say it, I think that “retard” has already entered the common English vernacular as a slang word akin to “idiot”, and “derp” is headed very quickly down that same road thanks to its popularity on the internet. Unfortunately, Derpy Hooves’ name may just be here to stay.

There is no easy answer to this problem. One way or another, someone is going to have to lose this battle. And no matter how much I wish that the opposite were true, the Warriors of Social Justice have no logical means of winning. The teaming masses of blind fools that inhabit the Internet who hold their “derp” meme so dear will never succumb to the good intentions of the Warriors. Even those with good intentions use the “derp” meme without knowing the full gravity of its meaning. The bottom line is, this battle can have no happy ending.

I, however, am content to sit by, without getting any more involved than I already have by writing this. Hopefully you’ll give this topic some thought on your own, but I have no opinion to give you, one way or the other.

Except that doing the Down Syndrome “wrist to chest” movement in public is a huge feux pas and there's no excuse for it.