Do you think the show is fat-shaming some of the characters?

[snake]

Originally Posted by Coola Yagami

Failed clone or not.... April Derp was clearly mentally retarded.... and there lies the insult.

Honestly I kinda didn't want to hear that word in a TMNT cartoon. The term is far from outdated too. 9Gag uses it all the time in their Derp and Derpina strips.

C'mon dude, she was just a failed clone. She wasn't retarded or anything like that.

[BubblyShell22]

Exactly. It was just one sound and that's it. Besides, she probably won't be coming back anyway, so I really don't see what the issue is here.

[ssjup81]

I thought they called her April Derp because she said it a lot. Mikey even called the other clones April Derps.

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by snake

C'mon dude, she was just a failed clone. She wasn't retarded or anything like that.

Ughhh yeah... She basically was. Clearly she didn't have a fully developed brain which is what causes mental retardation.

Gah. Why did the show had to touch on such a touchy subject.

[Powder]

Failed clones & creatures made by man that are not fully man, are a big part of horror & sci-fi culture, which this show pulls from immensely. It's not a touchy subject, it's just folks like you choosing to put a liberal spin on things, creating problems where there are none.

[The Big Bad]

Originally Posted by Powder

Failed clones & creatures made by man that are not fully man, are a big part of horror & sci-fi culture, which this show pulls from immensely. It's not a touchy subject, it's just folks like you choosing to put a liberal spin on things, creating problems where there are none.

Yes, she draws from a series of established tropes. But here's the thing: failed science experiments, zombies and whatnot tend to be treated sympathetically, as people who bear no culpability and whose deaths tend to be considered undesirable and undeserved. Here, however, the April clone is not only named by the writers after an ableist slur, she is made fun of over and over again by the script, and is killed without any sort of consideration, despite the fact that she is a sentient creature who was simply lashing out after being held captive all of her life. What, exactly, makes her any different from any of the turtles--similarly accidental genetic misfits--and why is she undeserving of the empathy the writers expect us to have for them? What makes her deserving of being defined solely by her perceived lack of intelligence?

[TurtleMaster4]

A person's a person no matter how small....... Or big!

I don't see any "Fat Shamming" as you call it, the only one was with Timothy, there were time I feel like they were trying to use is weight as a joke in the first episode. I call that bad comedy, not shaming.

Actually, pretty much everything with Timothy is bad comedy, I have a hate hate relationship with that character, but if I spoke on that It might take a few threads!

Anyways, Mr. Muricami (I know I spelled it wrong) was heavy, but he was also awesome! They need a Muracami show!

[BubblyShell22]

Originally Posted by The Big Bad

Yes, she draws from a series of established tropes. But here's the thing: failed science experiments, zombies and whatnot tend to be treated sympathetically, as people who bear no culpability and whose deaths tend to be considered undesirable and undeserved. Here, however, the April clone is not only named by the writers after an ableist slur, she is made fun of over and over again by the script, and is killed without any sort of consideration, despite the fact that she is a sentient creature who was simply lashing out after being held captive all of her life. What, exactly, makes her any different from any of the turtles--similarly accidental genetic misfits--and why is she undeserving of the empathy the writers expect us to have for them? What makes her deserving of being defined solely by her perceived lack of intelligence?

Maybe because in this context she's the villain created by the Kraang. After all, why should we have sympathy for the villains anyway? That's the way I look at it, and I really don't care about her or how she was modeled. You just like to look into things too deeply and try to make it seem like the show's doing such a horrible thing when it's not. Lighten up.

[plastroncafe]

Originally Posted by The Big Bad

Yes, she draws from a series of established tropes. But here's the thing: failed science experiments, zombies and whatnot tend to be treated sympathetically, as people who bear no culpability and whose deaths tend to be considered undesirable and undeserved. Here, however, the April clone is not only named by the writers after an ableist slur, she is made fun of over and over again by the script, and is killed without any sort of consideration, despite the fact that she is a sentient creature who was simply lashing out after being held captive all of her life. What, exactly, makes her any different from any of the turtles--similarly accidental genetic misfits--and why is she undeserving of the empathy the writers expect us to have for them? What makes her deserving of being defined solely by her perceived lack of intelligence?

Powder saying so, obviously.

Originally Posted by BubblyShell22

Maybe because in this context she's the villain created by the Kraang. After all, why should we have sympathy for the villains anyway? That's the way I look at it, and I really don't care about her or how she was modeled. You just like to look into things too deeply and try to make it seem like the show's doing such a horrible thing when it's not. Lighten up.

No.
One note villains are boring characters. They're a product of lazy storytelling.
Villains, GOOD villains, should be sympathetic. They're supposed to be the heroes of their own stories. Being three dimensional characters makes for better drama. It gives the hope of redemption, and by extension makes the heroes more heroic by comparison.

[The Big Bad]

Originally Posted by BubblyShell22

Maybe because in this context she's the villain created by the Kraang. After all, why should we have sympathy for the villains anyway?

In this particular case? Because she has absolutely no say in her situation and is being held captive for reasons having nothing to do with her actions. Because her understanding of her situation and the consequences of her actions are suspect at best. Because other people treat her as a monster because of her appearance and intelligence--including, sadly, our heroes.

It's interesting to compare "The Kraang Conspiracy" with the Fast Forward episode "D.N.A. is Thicker than Water". Faced with their own version of the April clone--Sh'Okanabo's turtles--the writers of that episode understood that the characters' circumstances didn't curtail the possibility for them to do good, and made it so that the (non-clone) turtles knew it as well. Even though the clone turtles are far more responsible for their actions than the April clone was, the 4Kids turtles were nevertheless sympathetic enough to try and reach out to their "brothers", something that the episode portrays as good and turns out to pay dividends, as the clone turtles end up being more kind to one another. Was that episode wrong? Were they not deserving of the sympathy they got?

[alpaca witch]

I like how apparently "you're looking into it too deeply" is somehow considered a valid argument. Yes, TMNT is primarily a kids show that also caters to older audiences but that doesn't mean it's exempt from analysis and criticism. It's not really even grasping at straws at this point, we've pointed out a scene (or series of scenes) that blatantly happened, not some random hidden easter egg or something like that. Again, I'm sure the writers had no intentions of making it offensive, as most seem to just think "derp" is a random silly internet word, but it still came off as cringe worthy and just... needlessly touchy.

Back to the April reject discussion though, it was really messed up how she was dealt with all things aside. I mean the kraang just shoved her in some hole in the floor and then forced her out to try and fight the turtles. From what I remember she seemed pretty harmless, and just didn't know her own strength. I mean for heck's sake she hugged the turtles then went on about how she loved hugs. I never once felt like she was a legit threat, if anything I actually felt bad for her since I'm sure she would have rather just played with the turtles. But then she exploded, along with a whole gaggle of other Aprils. Weird episode, even for TMNT.

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by Coola Yagami

Failed clone or not.... April Derp was clearly mentally retarded.... and there lies the insult.

Honestly I kinda didn't want to hear that word in a TMNT cartoon. The term is far from outdated too. 9Gag uses it all the time in their Derp and Derpina strips.

You must be one of those.... ummm... people.... from that failing, asswipe "everyone gets a trophy" generation, huh?

Some things are jokes, kid. Learn to laugh and make stands on real issues.

[Metalwolf]

Originally Posted by alpaca witch

Back to the April reject discussion though, it was really messed up how she was dealt with all things aside. I mean the kraang just shoved her in some hole in the floor and then forced her out to try and fight the turtles. From what I remember she seemed pretty harmless, and just didn't know her own strength. I mean for heck's sake she hugged the turtles then went on about how she loved hugs. I never once felt like she was a legit threat, if anything I actually felt bad for her since I'm sure she would have rather just played with the turtles. But then she exploded, along with a whole gaggle of other Aprils. Weird episode, even for TMNT.

Yeah, I felt sorry for her too, even for the other clones. I'm guessing they also felt that they were April, and that their whole feelings were based on something that was never true.

Although with so many things of the show to talk about, why does it end up being that the most in depth multi-page discussion of it is how it's insulting to fat people and special needs? That's an odd thing to pull from a TMNT show.

[Klap Klap]

Well… uh…


It's not uncommon for a cartoon show to scratch the surface of bad taste from time to time. It'll probably happen again for the sake of a cheap laugh.

My thoughts? April Derp would have best been suited as a scrapped idea. It was obviously going to ruffle a few feathers. Not everything has to be tip-toed around, but come on, it wasn't even that funny. Also, if I may be sensitive for a moment, Casey calling Irma 'nasty' was baffling. It's humorous to mistake Splinter for Irma, but why add on 'so nasty'. Is it because her style illustrates typical adolescent angst? Is it because she's a little overweight? I don't see anything repugnant about Irma.

[BubblyShell22]

I don't think Casey was referencing her appearance in that comment but more about what she was talking about. You know how she loves rats and often goes on tangents about them and other things. She was probably discussing something that Casey didn't find amusing and thought it was nasty, hence why he called her that.

[MCLeo28]

Originally Posted by BubblyShell22

I don't think Casey was referencing her appearance in that comment but more about what she was talking about. You know how she loves rats and often goes on tangents about them and other things. She was probably discussing something that Casey didn't find amusing and thought it was nasty, hence why he called her that.

This. You honestly can't overlook Irma's reaction to the rat droppings in "Of Rats and Men". Those are instances where we have seen Irma being considered an "odd ball". That, and since Irma talks about rats which we know Casey doesn't particularly enjoy just emphasizes why Casey considers Irma nasty.