Yeah, there's nothing at all OOC about Rainbow being annoyed that someone else is clumsy. Rainbow's that person in your social circle with high standards who's kind of a jerk and myopic about her own faults, but you like her anyway because she'll have your back when you need it and she's fun to be around. Just, also a jerk.
So, yeah. I agree that if it'd been Fluttershy, or Rarity trying all the tact at her disposal, or Applejack (if they hadn't been doing this thing for Applejack to begin with) gently giving her something less dangerous to do, or something, it would've been even worse. Maybe if they wanted to treat her sensitively it would've been okay, but there's pretty much no way they wouldn't have gone for the lulz.
And, yes! Very small changes in execution could have made this so much less unfortunate! Derpy as clutzy and absentminded could have been legitimately hilarious because so many of us are clutzy and absentminded and can laugh at that in ourselves. I know I would've been going "HAHA OH MAN DERPY I KNOW THAT FEEL" and that would've been a much more fun reaction to have than "... oh no, Derpy, why..."
Re: Zecora ... yeah, kinda. But I dunno - in practice, "a-racial" is awfully close to "default race", which means the ponies are gonna be coded white in most people's heads anyway. I don't hate the idea of having zebras in MLP, I just... don't want them to be othered so heavily, to the point of being "not ponies".
(Can you picture a background event with a zebra stallion and an earth pony mare walking by, trailed by their adorable and faintly stripey foal as they do their daily shopping? Because that would probably make me explode a little in joy.)
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So, yeah. I agree that if it'd been Fluttershy, or Rarity trying all the tact at her disposal, or Applejack (if they hadn't been doing this thing for Applejack to begin with) gently giving her something less dangerous to do, or something, it would've been even worse. Maybe if they wanted to treat her sensitively it would've been okay, but there's pretty much no way they wouldn't have gone for the lulz.
And, yes! Very small changes in execution could have made this so much less unfortunate! Derpy as clutzy and absentminded could have been legitimately hilarious because so many of us are clutzy and absentminded and can laugh at that in ourselves. I know I would've been going "HAHA OH MAN DERPY I KNOW THAT FEEL" and that would've been a much more fun reaction to have than "... oh no, Derpy, why..."
Re: Zecora ... yeah, kinda. But I dunno - in practice, "a-racial" is awfully close to "default race", which means the ponies are gonna be coded white in most people's heads anyway. I don't hate the idea of having zebras in MLP, I just... don't want them to be othered so heavily, to the point of being "not ponies".
(Can you picture a background event with a zebra stallion and an earth pony mare walking by, trailed by their adorable and faintly stripey foal as they do their daily shopping? Because that would probably make me explode a little in joy.)