Just because someone is not personally bothered, or someone has not personally heard something be an insult, does not mean that it is not used as an insult, that it does not hurt people, possibly deeply, and that it is not worth the effort of finding another word or phrase to use.

I agree it COULD be used as an insult, but that's not the intent, as Yumi and Sele already pointed out. Also, they are right, people are oversensitive nowadays. Please pardon me for this reference, but an animation error caused a pony in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic to have eyes that spun in circles. Thus, she was named Derpy Hooves by the fanbase. Now, she is one of the most LOVED ponies in the show. It was never intended as an insult by the bronies, and the use of the word derpy was not intended as an insult by the admins. If anything, the word now has a positive connotation.

I completely disagree that just because something is not intended to be an insult, that automatically makes it okay. I think people need to keep an open mind to how other people view things differently based on their different life experiences, cultural background, etc, and not look at people who are sensitive to something that we are not and say that automatically makes them wrong. I think "people are so sensitive nowadays" just means that people are starting to open up about the things that have maybe been problems for a really long time.

I absolutely completely believe that the admins here would not ever want to hurt anybody. Sometimes hurt happens unintentionally and that's why I think it's so cool that the wording is getting changed. This whole thing doesn't make me think less of the admins, but more.

edit: I think I'm going to have to bow out of the discussion as I don't have the energy to keep going, so if I ignore anything else please forgive me as I really don't mean to appear like I'm trying to have the last word and then leave - I doubt anything I say will make an impact but I did just want to clarify that I'm not mad at the admins or anything like that and I feel I have explained fully now.

Just in case this gets out of hand -

As stated, we will be removing the word when we redo the nurturing aspect of the site. The word was never intended as an insult. I have always associated the word to mean ditsy or silly, not as 'retarded'. However, because some people do seem to take issue with it, we will be changing it when we redo the nurturing aspect of the site. :)

I've always seen the word as "silly". In fact, the definition of derpy is foolish/silly - so there really is no insult. The only problem I see is how culture twisted the meaning and added a negative connotation.

However, as Far pointed out, there are problems with how the community has viewed the word. I suggest switching the word to one of the synonyms - foolish or silly.

Hey guys, I'm always one to refer to articles written by people who are more articulate and have more information than me, so I'd really love it if you guys would read this one. It does a very thorough job of explaining how "derpy" is just the new term for "retarded" and it gives you a really good idea of how ableism is treated in the US and online.

Trigger Warnings include: discussion of ableist and racist slurs and cussing (hopefully that's all and I didn't miss anything)
http://americandramedy.blogspot.com/2013/06/derp-is-ableist-and-offensive-stop.html

Now, if you don't have the patience to go read that whole thing (it's pretty long) then here are a few excerpts that I think get the point across, so please, at least read this.


" In the past year or so, the term "derp" has become rather popular with folks under forty. According to Know Your Meme, its first use was in the late nineties, but it suddenly gained popularity and became a feature in myriad image memes and "rage comics" fairly recently. It's used in various ways:

Noun: You are a derp.
Verb: You derped.
Adjective: You are derpy.
Adverb: You acted derpy derpy.

This is one of those instances where I hate the Internet for its ability to spread "harmless fun" that's actually extremely oppressive and offensive. If you just look at that Know Your Meme page, you'll see lots of images of people with crossed eyes or below societally average levels of attractiveness behind the word "derp" or its forms. One of the most egregious examples is that gorram Derpy Hooves from My Little Pony: ..."

" "Derp" has spread like wildfire as a replacement for "retarded." It, like the pejorative sense of "retarded," has underlying ableist assumptions, hierarchical structures, and normative values embedded within it. You don't believe me? Look at some of those pictures on Know Your Meme again. And look at some of these- they all either have "derp" directly in the image, or use what I'm calling "derpspeak," the incredibly offensive and ableist dialect meant to simulate cognitive or learning disability; some use actual disabled persons, others have modified the faces to make the person in the image look more "derp-like," as in look more like stereotypical imagery of mentally disabled individuals: ..."

" I'm hoping you're understanding me now. These memes are all attempts at humor, and the punchline is disability. That's exploitative and entirely oppressive of persons with disabilities.

And here's the thing. The "no harm, no foul," or "all in good fun," arguments are deplorable. All that does is prove how little consideration persons with disabilities get on a regular basis, and just how entirely dominant the paradigm of ableism really is. Sure, no harm from an ablesit perspective- it's not like those pictures are meant for anyone with a disability, so what's the big deal, right? Well, it's not like white guys saying the n-word is meant for black people, yet that's obviously frowned upon. All in good fun? Well, some people like offensive humor, sure, but when the community being made fun of has no say in the matter, the joke is 100% at their expense- and they don't even get the opportunity to strike back. They're being completely suppressed. ..."

" I know I'm being morally high-horse-ee, here, but if you're a friend that cares enough about me to read this, then you'd most likely understand my perspective. And if you're someone that only knows me through the blog, then realize I have a very intimate history with oppression in a lot of forms, and ableism in particular. In either case, if you feel like I'm being annoyingly self-righteous or something, I want you to consider how quickly whistle-blowers on various "ism"s get accused of being hypersensitive or seeking out things to be angry about. And think about how many times you can remember someone claiming something was oppressive of persons with disabilities actually being taken seriously- you probably can't think of any, or can count them on one hand. Maybe Derpy Hooves and/or the stuff about "retarded" being removed from the DSM I just talked about are all you can come up with, hard as you try. I wouldn't be surprised, nor judge you negatively for it- it's society's fault, not yours. But think about that- why do we all hear so much more about other "isms" in society, when we don't even consider ableism as an option? ..."

" But I do ask a few things of anybody that has taken the time to read this.

1) Think about the power of words and how they serve to reinforce discourses of oppression and marginalization. (Also, keep in mind that by "discourse" I don't mean just speech patterns, but also norms of behavior and interaction.)

2) Consider that "derp" is a new(ish), Inernet-savvy way of saying "retarded," meaning it's pejorative and devaluing of disability and/or anomaly.

3) Consider checking yourself and avoiding using it in the future. Maybe even consider calling it out if you see it being used, either online or in person. "