I first heard of Randy Newman when I heard his song from 1977, "Short People." It is (I assume) a satirical ode to the reason that short people don't belong and there is no place for them. While I like the humor in the the song, some of what he writes do hit close to home. I hold no negative feeling to Newman, but I'm going to quote parts of his song for this post.
"...Short people got no reason to live..."
If you haven't seen me in a while, I'm still short. I like to tell people I'm 5 foot 3 inches tall. I think my driver's license says I'm 5'4". But here's a secret, I'm probably closer to 5-1 or 5-2 on a good day. For you Europeans out there that's 157cm.
No matter what I choose to say, all of those numbers are well below the average height of a man, 5'9" in the United States.
I think I have always portrayed my self on the outside as having the attitude that my height was not something that bothered me, but since I'm lying to the DMV to gain an extra inch or two, I guess at least unconsciously, it must on bother me.
"...Don't want no short people 'round here..."
It's hard to overcome a first impression. And I think its pretty obvious at first glance when someone is short. And I think that does lead to some preconceived ideas of what a short person can do.
I know that it has affected my ability to do things athletically. My time playing basketball and soccer both ended in junior high. I realize that basketball players in my height range are few and far between (Spud Webb is the shortest one I can think of at 5'6"), but I think I was a good soccer player when I started high school. The game was played mostly in the air at that point with headers, and I was one of the first cuts at the beginning of tryouts as a high school freshman I honestly believe because the coach didn't look past my height. Luckily I found sports in high school that my height wasn't an issue in track and cross country.
"...Short people got nobody to love..."
There have been studies that short people do get less recognition in the workplace. People look at being short as something they need to make accommodations for. In some ways they are right. I am always looking for a stool or ladder at work.
Is being short a disability? Being short is something people are and have no control over. It is something that we shorties definitely have to overcome. Kind of sounds like a disability to me.
I am not equating being short to any other mental or physical disability. I'm not asking for it to be recognized by the ADA or anything. I just wish it wasn't the expectation short people can be made fun of or in some situations ignored. You can't call someone fat in public, but it seems to be ok to make fun of someone who can't reach the top shelf.
I hate internet dating sites (that's a different rant), but there have been studies that once a woman finds out a man is a short person he gets swiped left (rejected). It's ok for a woman to put in their dating profile they wont date someone under 5'10" or whatever. If she were make the same statement about race or religion that would be called discrimination. But its ok to make that statement about a short person without a second thought.
"...Short people got no reason to live..."
This has gotten a little long, and turned into a little bit of a rant. I don't want people to think that I hate my life because I'm short. I found a great wife who was able to look beyond my height (maybe because she's shorter than me) and a great family (with kids who can reach the top shelf). I was fortunate enough to find a career where my height has not been a detriment and was able to spend significant time on a cramped submarine only seldomly bumping my head. Now any time I spend looking for a ladder to reach the ceiling is time well spent since Kaiser pays me by the hour.
I just wish that people wouldn't look as at a tall person as someone to idolize and look at a short person so negatively. Is is impressive that LaBron James is such a great basketball player? He's 6'9" and 250 pounds. What else was he going to do? I'm sure he works hard, at basketball. He is an expert, at basketball. But to idolize him and follow his beliefs just because he is big is ridiculous.
People should be looked at and respected due to the people they are. Regardless of their sex, religion, sexual preference, disability, wight or height they should be treated and compensated based on what they are capable of.
On the other hand we need to realize that all people are not created the same and some people are better suited to some tasks. While I do think paying LaBron what he makes is a lot, he does have a special talent and brings in hundreds of millions of dollars to the NBA every year, and deserves to be paid for that league revenue. We should not hold it against anyone who is getting paid commensurably for their talents (which in his case is being tall and flopping even with lightest contact so he can while to the referee). Oops, this kinda went off the rails and turned into a LaBron negativity post.
I close on this. Everyone needs to be able to laugh at themselves. I've laughed at the "Short People" song for 40 years. The world was much less stressful when someone could make a little joke about someone's haircut or clothes or weight or height without being concerned about the how everyone will react or the mental health implications of everyone in the area. I'm not saying we should take the reigns off and allow all talk about all subjects. But as the world has gotten smaller from the internet and cultures are more mixed it is hard to know what words may offend people, sometimes people are afraid to say anything at all. I propose if a joke or statement is made at our expense and we are offended you have the right to say so either there or in private. Give the person a chance to apologize or have an open dialogue about why it was wrong to say what they did.
If you made it this far and are still reading, I admire your fortitude for putting up with my rant. Now go watch Toy Story to hear some other Randy Newman songs, that's what I'm about to do.
.jfif)
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