Tom Kando
What is the most universal form of discrimination and victimization? Has it ever occurred to you?
We talk forever about race, ethnicity, gender, LGBTQ, physical handicap, religion, age, obesity, etc.
But what about SIZE? What about being small? (as well as soft-spoken, which often goes with it)?
At five foot eleven, I am average. (At my advanced age, I have shrunk about an inch).
But I have lived in places where I was on the smallish side compared to most other men, and places where my height was average. And you know what? I had a worse time when I lived in places where I was surrounded by many people taller than me - in Holland, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania - than when I lived in places like France and California, where I was of average height.
Say for instance that you go to a bar. You have to wade through a crowd towards the bar to order a drink. This is more annoying in Amsterdam and in Minneapolis than in Sacramento and in Paris. Same difference at airports, subways and other public settings.
For men especially, size matters.
And I am not even talking about Small Man’s Syndrome, the Napoleon complex, whereby small men are overly aggressive to compensate for their small size. They are the exception, not the rule. In general, large size is an advantage.
Size is particularly important when one is young, especially a young male. You compete for everything, including females. Height favors tall men (other things being equal).
When shall we see a social movement advocating for Small People’s Rights? Equality for small people, especially males. Stop discriminating against small people. I can only remember one lonely effort aimed at addressing this social problem - Randy Newman’s song “Short People” in 1977.
One important reason why women have been second- class citizens throughout history is their smaller stature. Not for nothing have they been called the “weaker sex ” or the “second sex” (Simone de Beauvoir). They are smaller and their voice carries less.
Bullying is a lot easier if you are bigger. I certainly remember being picked on by bigger boys in school.
However, for a well-researched and somewhat optimistic analysis of this issue, see Stephen Hall’s
Hall shows that short people can thrive. Despite or precisely as a result of being victimized by childhood aggression and bullying, a person may develop exceptional emotional resilience. Being short can also have advantages.
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6 comments:
Hi Tom, this is a very good article. I have a close friend who for years has said that his life is harder because he is shorter.
A Case for Better Off`` Short
In the realm of classical ballet, when a ballerina stands on pointe, on the tip of her toes, she increases her height by the length of her own foot. Consider a European shoe size 37 or a U.S. size 6, which results in an elevation of the ballerina's height by an astonishing 22.5cm or approximately 8.9 inches. This heightened elevation comes with a unique constraint: the ballerina must maintain a stature that harmonizes with that of her male partner, without surpassing his height. Hence, it often proves advantageous for a ballerina to possess a more petite stature. Eminent examples illustrate this point; Anna Pavlova, a luminary in the ballet world, stood at a diminutive 4 feet 9 inches (1.52 m), while the celebrated Margot Fonteyn measured no more than 5 feet 4 inches (1.64 m).
If you want to go really woke, what about "Tallism"? Those poor extra tall people who have to duck every time they enter an average-sized doorway without nocking their heads? Or can not find a car that will take their full height?
Tom, I love this blog maybe best of all. Why? Because I was one of those "little" guys for most of my early life.
I graduated from High School when I was 18 and was the enormous height of 5' 6". It wasn't until I got into Univ of Fla that I grew in the next 2 years to be 6'1". While I had lots of friends in H.S. they all seemed to be around 6' tall and my brain kept a running tab and comparison going.... in spite of my mother constantly reminding me that I would grow "someday" ... because my feet were so big (size 12) even as a 13 year old. I had almost given up and learned to compensate as best I could with my athletic abilities and "niceness" but deep down only I knew how much it bothered me
And when the growth came, the only way I realized it (since I was inside looking out) was that I got much better at getting rebounds when I played basketball... my other passion besides tennis... and, of course, in tennis size had not mattered.
Anyway, today I am so appreciative that the design inside finally let me realize my dream and I am forever grateful at not having to look "upward" like I used to.
Brilliant, Tom!!! I can use this in my work in progress, Fallen Kings, incels might often be short? Will research. It was so good to see you at the last NCPA meeting.
Thanks for your comments.
Apparently, this theme (which I tried to raise lightly and with some levity) resonates. As several of you mention, the issue IS real (Don, Hutch, with an interesting biography, June ). But one doesn’t want to go too far with wokeness (see second anonymous). The list of characteristics that can be viewed derogatorily is nearly endless (red hair? being left-handed?, acne? voice? speech? foreign accent, etc.). On the positive side, first anonymous’ comment is brilliant. He sure knows what he is talking about, and he expresses it well. Small people enjoy similar advantages in sports, too, for instance jockeys in horse racing and coxmen in rowing competition.
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