Why Stanford Pines is So Important to Me:
Okay, sure, part of it is because heās just a glorious dimension-jumping old man who just so happens to have a fabulous taste in sweaters, but thereās a lot more to it.
So lemme just throw this out there:
As someone with a birth defect, Ford Pinesā six fingers and the way his condition is handled mean the world to me.
Yes, I know Fordās polydactylism wasnāt created with the intention of being overly progressive or representativeāitās a clever trait that gave the author a sense of quirkiness and mystery, and ultimately became an identifiable trademark for both Stanford and the journals.
But in truth, things wouldāve been a lot different if the six-finger thing had been just cast aside as āOh, look at me, Iām the six-fingered author, I just have cooltastic hands and letās never address this again!āĀ No, Stanfordās birth defect was, in fact, more than just a cool trademark.
It was a pivotal part of his life.
Right off the bat, the fact that Ford was born with an āanomalyā shapes his interests in the weird and unique. Ā Itās something heās grown up with, and something thatās normal to him, but the fact that itās abnormal to everyone else only piques his interest in digging deeper, even in childhood.Ā
Itās an authentic responseāalso, itās just downright adorable.
And then thereās the teasingāThis is something Iāve experienced firsthand as someone born with a congenital defect, and the fact that Ford is so eager to get away from it really hits close to home. Ā So many people have dubbed him a freak that he starts to believe it, and while heartbreaking, itās also mega realistic.
But thereās one detail that makes Fordās situation a million times better:
Stanford isnāt ostracized throughout the show for his defect, because there is acceptance in his life. Someone has his back.
Stanās approach to making his brother feel ānormalā was just amazingly genuine and heartwarming to me. Ā Heās never embarrassed, by, pitying towards, or burdened by his brother. Ā He never teases Ford for how he was born or uses it against him, even in moments of anger. Ā In fact, he uses it to emphasize positively why Ford is special. Ā From the āSixerā nickname to their heartfelt tradition of āhigh-six,ā Fordās condition is treated as something unique and, in a sense, almost admirable.
And best of all, that admiration continues! Ā Mabel and Dipper both seem to think that Fordās polydactyl hands are the coolest thing (āWow, a six-fingered handshake! Thatās a full finger friendlier than normal!ā), and as he gets older, Ford never seems to be painted into a corner as a ādeformedā or ādefectiveā person. Ā Heās just the epic guy with the six fingers and heās learned to live as such.
And by learning to live, we come to the thing that makes Stanford Pinesāand his six fingersāabsolutely awesome:
He takes his condition and he freaking owns it.
Not only did Ford overcome his self-judgement about physical things he just couldnāt help, but he actually took them and used them to his advantage. Twisting the teasing and ridicule heād received into his passion and scientific talent, Ford was able to study something that interested him and that he connected to on a personal level. Ā And he was freaking good at it, too!
(Until the whole, yāknow, partnership with a demon triangle. But thatās not what Iām ranting about right now.)
And the six-fingered journal was more than just a quirkāin my eyes, it really symbolized that Ford now saw his ādefectā as something truly special. Ā It was a trait that symbolized him, but not one that condemned him. Ā No one is defined by their conditions, but they can sure as hell be empowered by them, and thatās exactly what Ford did.
So in conclusion, yeah, having six fingers is super-duper nifty, but as someone born in a very similar boat, it just takes on a whole new light for me. Ā Gravity Falls couldāve gone two different routes, either completely and grotesquely ostracizing Ford for his defect or completely ignoring it and acting like these things donāt affect real life at all; instead they went right down the middle and (to me at least) created a realistic yet subtle scenario overall. Ā
In truth, addressing Fordās polydactylism couldāve gone ridiculously amiss. But in the showās case, it felt super genuine.Ā Plus, Ford is just an epic character overall, birth defect or none!
Sure, itās no revolutionary feat in the world of representation, but in the end, Stanford Pines just makes me feel confident in myself sometimes. Ā And if thereās some little kid out there with their own congenital āanomaliesā that feels the same way?
Well, I think thatās what matters most.
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