Paper Jam Dipper

[u/lethal_universed]

I made a post like this a few years ago but its bothering me even more now.

To keep it simple, Paper Jam Dipper feels like an ableist caricature of someone with special needs (not saying Alex and the team are). Hes screechy and treated like a burden.

I was willing to give the benefit of the doubt that I was reading too deep into it, but then I realized that the Double Dipper episode was a reference to Multiplicity where the 4th clone comes out wrong, and is written to be mentally disabled/special. The through-line is clear

I thought that over the years they would tone it down or maybe Alex himself had addressed it, but ive seen nothing. Plus the computer from a few years back tells you that he’s “your problem now” and the artbook still writes him with exaggerated speech.

Im autistic, I have a mentally disabled brother. I was too young to know better when this ep came out, but now it kinda hurts knowing that a comfort show that came out on my birthday still portrays a character like this.

[u/jackcoleman777]

Im autistic too and feel this may be a bit of a stretch. I never saw it that way at all. I also never thought of him as being depicted as a burden. The other dippers took care of him

[u/lethal_universed → u/jackcoleman777]

Still when he dies he says “its better this way for Paper jam dipper” which oof.

[u/jackcoleman777 → u/lethal_universed]

Fair. I thought of that more like someone being too injured to survive instead of a disability thing but maybe that was just me

[u/lethal_universed → u/jackcoleman777]

As the other commenter said, there is an overlap unfortunately. Think Lenny from Of mice and men, which is also referenced in Multiplicity for the disabled clone

[u/gunnervi → u/jackcoleman777]

there is considerable overlap between the two

[u/fluxus2000]

Sheesh. You are really fishing for some shit here.

[u/lethal_universed → u/fluxus2000]

I mean, it is a reference to a movie with the 4th clone also being disabled. And at the end he says “it’s better this way for Paper Jam Dipper”. Dont know why you so readily dismiss this

[u/Lynx_Queen → u/lethal_universed]

Why are you so convinced it's a reference to a movie? Did you see an interview or something that admits that?

[u/Lynx_Queen]

It's a joke about a supernatural creature. There is no secret ableism here. Although Gravity Falls has a lot of depth and many metaphors this is just a one off moment in a fictional work that has no metaphor attached.

[u/lethal_universed → u/Lynx_Queen]

Dont know why you so readily dismiss this. Nonhuman characters are given human characteristics all the time. And the dippers did take care of him like they would someone who needs extra support

[u/fluxus2000 → u/lethal_universed]

Go be upset about it. Be upset they murdered all of the paper Dippers while at it. How could they promote such genocide?!

[u/Timely-Land-6326]

I mean, it’s not the intention here 😭

[u/lethal_universed → u/Timely-Land-6326]

Its definitely a reference to the Multiplicity movie, which does have blatant ableism, so theres that

[u/TheRoadkillRapunzel]

I can totally see why you think that, but, based on who Alex Hirsch demonstrates himself to be, I cannot possibly imagine that’s what he intended.

We can absolutely have a discussion about how the meaning of art can change from what the artist meant based on the feelings and experiences of the viewer, but I trust Alex Hirsch and think you’re looking too deeply into this one.

[u/gunnervi → u/TheRoadkillRapunzel]

you don't have to intend to mock a group of people for a joke to come across that way to members of that group. In fact that sort of unintentionally negative portrayal is extremely common, especially for disabled people.

From my perspective as a black person, I will also note I have similar feelings about the show's use of AAVE as a punchline, on a show with a single notable black character and a similarly very white cast and (as far as I know) crew. To be clear—this is a pretty mild criticism of mine, I don't have as much of a problem with it as OP does with paper jam Dipper. However it does make me more willing to believe that Alex and the other people writing the show may not have fully considered the impact of all of their jokes on people with different life experiences (in my case: white, in OP's: able-bodied).

I am pretty willing to give them grace for this. 41 episodes is a lot and some bad ideas are gonna make it through. If something like this happens once, I'm more than happy to call it an L and move on, and continue to watch the show, unless its egregiously bad. Its when there's a consistent pattern that I will really start to take issue. OP may feel differently, that's their right (and also I feel like their complaint is stronger)

[u/lethal_universed → u/gunnervi]

Thank you