The Handicaps and Capabilities of Derpy Hooves · 4:26pm Mar 14th, 2014
Because of my story An Epistolary Legal Consultation Between Princesses, I've been devoting some thought to the consideration of Derpy Hooves and specifically her physical (and mental) handicaps. Here are my conclusions on the matter.
(1) It's obvious that she has strabismus, which is to say she's "wall-eyed." This seems to impair her vision and especially depth perception to some degree. Since this is a chronic condition and her life involves flight, she's also clearly adapted to it to some extent (the brain does that with any constant visual condition). This has absolutely nothing to do with her intellect.
(2) She has something wrong with her physical coordination, because she's constantly shown in canon to be clumsy. This often goes as part and parcel of some neurological conditions and specifically might be related to a learning disability. There are learning disabilities which have the effect of impairing coordination because they seem to interfere with how the brain orchestrates and plans out large-scale physical activities.
(3) Her actions in canon shows some degree of social retardation -- she does not seem to always understand what constitutes appropriate behavior. She seems to behave in a child-like and impulsive fashion. This helps to make her more endearing, but it also constitutes an obvious source of danger to herself from unscrupulous individuals who might exploit her lack of understanding of the implications of some of her own actions -- in the story, sexual ones.
(4) In widespread fanon, she has courier-type jobs: starting with a brief canon scene of her doing a delivery, she's been a courier/mailmare. The significance of this is that this sort of job requires at least some intelligence and specifically ability to navigate, which means that she cannot be severely retarded. At worst she is mildly retarded -- if she is mentally subnormal at all. Also, it places a limit on her vision and coordination problems: she couldn't do this job at all if she couldn't see and fly fairly well.
(5) In widespread fanon, she is a single mother. The reason most often given is that she was taken advantage of and left pregnant by a faithless lover. This is sadly all-too-plausible, as Derpy's abnormalities would render her less-than-desirable as a mate even in a culture as friendly and tolerant as that of Equestria. Since her child is a unicorn (and Derpy herself is a pegasus), it is likely that the father is as well.
(6) Also in widespread fanon, she is a really good mother, showing courage and determination in defense and support of Dinky. This places a limit on the degree of her cognitive/emotional problems: she must for example be able to form normal social relationships and manifest normal positive affect to be a good mother. Specifically it implies that she has a strong sense of responsibility. This sense or responsibility would also explain why, despite her handicaps, she can hold down a job.
(7) What all this put together seems to imply about Derpy's mental state is that she is not so much mentally retarded as she is mildly autistic, possibly with some sort of learning disorder(s) on top of that. Clearly, something is neurologically wrong with her, but there is no reason to think that she (for instance) doesn't know what's going on around her or (as in "Stuck") lacks a comprehension of her own sexuality.
(8) Furthermore, Derpy is an honorable Pony. She knows right from wrong and strives to be good, rather than being incapable of making moral choices. (She could neither be a good mother nor a good employee if she didn't). I further reason from this that she is fundamentally-honest and honorable, though her problems with comprehending complex social situations and specifically with accurately modeling the behavior of others cause her to be a very poor judge of character.
And now I'm going to stop, because writing all this makes me want to resolve a certain story I'm writing by having a giant anvil fall from the sky and smear Charlie ("Asshole") Yu into a rather thin paste. Which would be rather poor plotting on my part.
Derpy: "Oh no! And I just got my delivery job back after dropping that piano on Twilight!"
Did you know that the r word is a slur? Seriously, I like your analysis, but that term is a bit dated and is also highly offensive. Just saying.
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I'm using it technically, in its meaning to describe subnormal g-factor intelligence. (G-factor intelligence is overall intelligence, as opposed to specific aptitudes -- it may be an illusion because the brain seems to be more and more inherently modular the more and more we learn about its actual architecture at the neurological level). It has some utility because it describes actual realms of capability -- if one was profoundly (whatever-word-you-care-to-substitute) one could not care for children or hold down a responsible job, for instance; but if one were only moderately so, one could do both.
And note: I don't think Derpy is actually (whatever-word-you-prefer). Instead I think she has a few key low aptitudes, but is otherwise of normal intellectual capability.
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Heh, I wasn't envisioning her dropping it. Though I could see why she might have briefly entertained fantasies on just that topic.
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In 2010 Rosa's Law went into effect here in the States and replaced 'mental retardation' with 'intellectual disability', so even the DSM V has recently replaced the term mental retardation. This was a fairly recent change, and I still see 'mental retardation' on plenty of paperwork at the nonprofit agency I work for, so I can see both points.
As for everyday usage, even handicapped, disabled and challenged aren't considered politically correct enough. So one could say 'a pony with a mild intellectual disability' and be correct, but not 'an intellectually disabled pony' or even 'a handicapped pony' since it defines them by their diagnosis.
The problem is, even as a newer term is invented to sound nicer (IE, handicapped is what we used when I was young in the 80's) it ends up being used as a slur and gets replaced after a while. If you look at the older terms-- in 1846, it was 'simpleton', and even the term 'moron' was coined by a psychologist (Goddard) to replace 'feeble-minded'. If you look at really old records, you'll see imbicille and idiot used as as professional diagnosis, too. All of these became slurs, but I think it's interesting that the older ones have less punch now.
Y'might have guessed that I work in the field, and we were trained to always refer to them as 'individuals', and never 'clients' or 'patients', too.
Also, at least here in Pennsylvania, there is a very strict set of individual rights, which is a far cry from what it was like before the state de-institutionalized. (If you ever want some nightmare fuel, watch the old 80's documentary on Pennhurst.) The individual I work with on a regular basis holds down a job and is engaged. I do not have the power to force her to do anything unless it involves pushing her out of the way of a speeding car, and even then there'd be an investigation. Derpy as a functioning member of the community and a mother is something I can absolutely see. What always pisses me off is the barking-dog pony from the hospital, and the way authors write her in as a permanent resident most of the time. While there are still mental wards, they have changed a great deal and are not a 'lock the crazies away from society so they won't make anyone feel uncomfortable' solution these days.
Huh. This came out a bit garbled. Oh well.
I like to think that Equestria, being a very community-oriented culture, has plenty of wrap-around services and supports for Derpy and Dinky.
1933310 Language is a tricky issue. Patients, clients, even individuals... Why shouldn't that give way to people like anyone else'd be called? And, well, not every disabled person likes person first language. And we need to remember that the reason we're picky about language is for kindness' sake. And the last thing we'd call kind is the denial of autonomy, ie, not letting disabled people pick what language they like best, among other things. I know that as a disabled person myself, I like identity first terminology, because my disability is a large part of my identity. By stating that I identify with my disability, I'm saying that I'm okay with it, that it doesn't detract from my worth. Or, well, that's my intent.
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There's also the original reason why they started using the term "retardation" -- they were referring to a measure of intellectual development versus chronological age. It's true that "intellectual disability" might be a more precise term, because that is more easily related to function in the area of cognition rather than years of development -- hence more of a specific than general factor approach to intelligence.
The assumption I'm making is that I'm translating Equestrian to English, so the words I pick are to some extent chosen for indication of social context. For instance, at one point in Nightmares Are Tragic, Nightmare Moon wonders if Pinkie Pie is mentally disabled, and I render her exact thought into words as "Is she simple?" I did this because Luna's version of Equestrian is archaic, and I know that "simple" was an earlier term for "retarded."
(Incidentally, Pinkie isn't mentally disabled: she's actually as brilliant as is Twilight Sparkle -- just in a very strange way).
Ok, I'm straight out not using the first formulation because it is very clumsy wording, as is very common with extreme euphemisms. Though at least it's accurately descriptive, unlike (say) "African American" (almost none of whom are actually born in Africa), "Asian" (too broad a scope) or "person of color" (everyone has a "color"), all terms I refuse to use and find rather silly to hear or read.
I'm guessing that she has some sort of madness -- possibly magical in origin -- which is not curable by Equestrian magic or technology. Who knows -- perhaps she's a demonstration of just why transformation spells are dangerous?
She may actually be dangerous, to herself or to others. Most obviously, if she imagines herself to be a dog, she might go into inappropriate places or do inappropriate things. For all I know, she may actually have a dog's soul transferred into her body -- this is a world with powerful magics, after all.
Equestria is in many ways a rather c. 1900 sort of society, but I do hope they treat their mentally-ill more humanely than we did back then.
1934350 Well, it isn't like anyone can force person-first (I'd forgotten what it was actually called!) terminology on you, hehe. I'd get fired, though!
Anyways, it's much easier when I don't have to worry about HIPA and can just, y'know, use someone's name, heh.
1934569 I hope they treat everyone better in general, and the show usually seems to pan that out. Hadn't thought of her actually being a dog in a pony body, but most of what boils my blood is the author (fanfic) treatment of her that I've seen (which I probably didn't communicate very well in the first post.)
You guys are both really knowledgeable about this stuff, it's really nice to chat about it on the internet without explosions!
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I (cynically) suspect that this is because what the professionals really want to do is maintain status-language, and that they would themselves now be highly-insulted if they were termed "individuals" (like their patients).
Well, also you're being addressed or referred to in that context because of your disability. I'm a diabetic, and I see no problem with being called a diabetic when the issue of my disease is at question, as in "the diabetic patient" if I am trying to get a prescription for insulin. I guess I would be annoyed if people referred to me in the context of my writing as "the diabetic writer," since my disease has nothing to do with my writing.
If this is not too personal a question, from what sort of disability do you suffer?
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Yes. They want to keep their privilege, their existential high point as they see it. That is, if they realise it. They might not... *Shrugs.* Does it make much difference?
Disability... Disability... Disability I suffer from? Hmm, you're right. Asking a person what causes them to suffer is incredibly personal. As it stands, if I didn't also have a mood disorder, I'm not so sure that I would suffer. I would be very, very happy. A decent bit derpy on my planning skills, and finding short term memory difficult, but not suffering. I might be embarrassed more often than others, but if I didn't have a mood disorder, I would not suffer. Sorry, suffering is also a term that generates contention.
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I think there is an inherent tendency for medical professionals to overestimate themselves and underestimate that of their patients. In the case of mental health professionals, it is easy of them to forget that a mental illness often only affects some aspects of clear cognition or appropriate emotional affect, and often only some of the time, and imagine their patients to be utterly-helpless creatures who are as animals compared to themselves.
There have been some terrible consequences of this attitude, most notably when health professionals decided that "animals" could be extended to "experimental animals" and that the ordinary law of the land did not apply to such elevated beings as doctors and those who did the bidding of doctors. Far too often, the authorities in various countries have actually supported, rather than shattered, such pretensions.
You have similar problems to those of my wife -- mood swings and short-term memory malfunctions. I have some memory issues now as I get older (I'll be 50 this year) but she is only 30, and this distresses mewhen I see it in her.
I hope that you are ok with medication and so forth, and that your condition remains stable.
Of course . . .there was that incident where she got the birds wrong TWICE (and it's been Rainbow Dash doesn't enjoy working with her).
And fanon HEAVILY has her be a friend with a crazy time traveling pony, and is the mother of both Sparkler and Dinky (though how much the girls are related to each other, or their mother, varies by fanon).
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I go with the (highly-improable) concept that Sparkler is the orphaned half-sister of Dinky by Derpy's seducer through HIS LEGITIMATE WIFE, simply because it's so insanely kind of Derpy to take her in under the theory of "kin." Even in Equestria, very few Ponies would do that.
My Derpy is a true heroine, much-misunderstood.
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Given how completely insane some of my own fanon is, I have no right to complain.
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I'm sure you've both noticed by now, but, for the record, Screw Loose was shown in a halfway house in "Just for Sidekicks".