I want to know why no one has coined a phrase with a known tall man's name that describes the behavior of men who are large and decide to use that advantage against those who are smaller or shorter in stature. After all most bullies are larger than their victims, aren't they?
Heightism is so blatant and acceptable that even an online dictionary or two describes words like 'Shrimp', 'Runt', 'Pipsqueak' and 'Shorty' as merely "informal" ways to describe or address a short-statured person.
COMING SOON! JOE MANGANO'S MOST POWERFUL BROADCAST YET! -- 'THE DEFINITION OF A SHRIMP'
When dictionaries set double standards for short people - AND SHORT PEOPLE ALONE - something is rotten in Denmark. When every disparaging word for any and every group is defined as such and called what it is while disparaging and offensive words describing short people are trivialized as "informal" and literally condoned and even celebrated, it's time to take the gloves off.
Read Joe's powerful letter to www.dictionary.com(This is the first correspondence in history demanding that a dictionary change its definitions of derogatory words depicting short-statured people)
JOE MANGANO FIRST TO SEND
COMPLAINT TO DICTIONARY.COM
Sunday June 7, 2009
Prejudice toward the short-of-stature seems to know no
bounds.Recently, the webmaster was
looking up the definition of a word on www.dictionary.com.A thought came to me to look up the
definitions of certain words; words that are used to depict people of different
races, ethnic backgrounds, religions, sexes, etc. derogatorily or
contemptuously.I looked up the words Nigger,
Sambo, Blackie, Spic, Wetback, Queer, Faggot, Fairy, Dyke, Bitch, Kike and
Fatso and found that in each and every case these words were defined as
“disparaging” and/or “offensive”.I then
looked up the words Shrimp, Runt, Pipsqueak and Shorty and here’s what I found.
Shrimp
2. Informal. a diminutive or insignificant person.
In no case were these words described as either
disparaging or offensive.It appears
that EVEN THE DICTIONARY is guilty of heightism.I’m telling you it’s absolutely incredible!Please listen to my broadcast entitled
“Definition of a Shrimp” – coming soon.
SUPPORTFORTHESHORT
CALLS UPON ALL SHORT PEOPLE TO CONTACT DICTIONARY.COM AND THE MERRIAM-WEBSTER
DICTIONARY ONLINE AND DEMAND THAT THEY CHANGE THEIR DEFINITIONS OF THESE
WORDS AND DEFINE THEM TO BE EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE – DISPARAGING AND OFFENSIVE
TOWARD SHORT PEOPLE.TO DEFINE A WORD
LIKE SHRIMP OR PIPSQUEAK AS MERELY “INFORMAL” IS AN INSULT TO THE
INTELLIGENCE OF ALL SHORT PEOPLE AND IS THE QUINTESSENTIAL EXAMPLE OF
HEIGHTISM COMING – INCREDIBLY ENOUGH – EVEN FROM A DICTIONARY.DICTIONARY.COM DEFINES ONE OR MORE OF THE
OTHER WORDS AS CONTEMPTUOUSNESS ON THE PART OF THE PERSON USING THE DISPARAGING WORD TOWARD THAT INDIVIDUAL.IN THE CASE OF THE WORD “RUNT” FOR EXAMPLE
DICTIONARY.COM DEFINES THE PERSON BEING
CALLED THE WORD AS CONTEMPTIBLE.THIS SORT OF NEGATIVE CHARACTERIZATION OF SHORT PEOPLE IN A DICTIONARY
IS ABSOLUTELY INTOLERABLE AND FURTHER ILLUSTRATES THE INCREDIBLE UNSPOKEN
NEGATIVE ATTITUDES IN SOCIETY (EVEN IN THE DICTIONARY) TOWARDS SHORT
PEOPLE.IT SEEMS ANYTHING GOES WITH
RESPECT TO SHORT PEOPLE – EVEN IN A DICTIONARY.I’M SURPRISED DICTIONARY.COM DIDN’T PROVIDE
A LINK TO THE SONG“SHORT PEOPLE” BY RANDY NEWMAN WHILE THEY WERE AT IT.
Looks like another silly Hollywood twit and two adolescent behaving 30-something males. Oh but that's okay, they're tall. One is the 'strong, silent' type. All a tall man has to do is just simply 'be'. That makes him strong.
This is an audio clip on www.npr.org . Just another buffoon or two making a joke out of short-stature. Naturally "The Song" can be heard. ____________________________________________________________________________
This is Joe Mangano.I discovered a video recently from Youtube
concerning legislation that was attempted to be put forth in Massachusetts concerning discrimination against the
short-of-stature and also fat people.The video was taken in 2008 on CNN and the commentator was a man named
Mike Galanos.The brief 6 minute segment
was about the law that was attempted to be put through by Congressman Byron
Rushing in Massachusetts that would have made height and weight discrimination
illegal in the state of Massachusetts. . . .
Short people once again dissed - this time in Massachusetts.
This is the video the audio of which is
highlighted in the Broadcast of April, 27, 2009.A cinch to
anger any short person. – Any short person who is awake that is.The viewer will notice that the brief ‘debate’
is between a fat woman and another woman over whether laws to protect fat and
short people in Massachusetts from discrimination in the workplace are sensible and
viable.The viewer will also notice that
there is no person representing short people here.(The webmaster was not approached to
speak).There is no one from any “organization” involved in the brief
interview either.This could be because
there is no one from any “organization” competent
enough to speak intelligently about the issue of heightism or anyone willing to
show his face simply out of fear of having their face seen on national TV. There are reasons for this. Here's one. To wit:
""Cal Lutheran is a small school and Chris Hamre is a shining example." So, that was kind of offensive. To me that was a shot across the bow . . . . But I found that kind of offensive and it kind of humiliated me a little bit. so that's one thing that kind of offended me." . . .
Some of the words of one 'Luda'-Chris Hamre at a state senate hearing in Boston, Massachusetts in March 2008. This is another reason why the short-statured are "kind of" not taken seriously. There are like "kind of" more. Who is 'Luda' - Chris Hamre? He is the former $12/hour mailroom worker (and most likely still one) Vice-President of NOSSA, Inc., which, by the way, got started in November of 2006 after the webmaster made complaints to 2 different state agencies about the website www.nossaonline.org being falsely represented as a legitimate incorporated non-profit organization. More on 'Luda'-Chris and his 'leader', Matthew S. Campisi, later.
Pygmy activists from Congo have demanded the United Nations set up a tribunal
to try government and rebel fighters accused of slaughtering and eating Pygmies
who are caught in the country's civil war.
Army, rebel and tribal fighters - some believing the Pygmies are less than
human or that eating the flesh would give them magic power - have been pursuing
the Pygmies in the dense jungles, killing them and eating their flesh, the activists said at a news conference yesterday.
There have been reports of markets for Pygmy flesh, the representatives
alleged.
Although 6 years old this article demonstrates the ultimate in deviant hatred, cruelty and inhumanity leveled at a group for no other reason than their height. This is the "advantage" short people have everywhere else in the world; that is, the "advantage" of not being identified as a group.
The essay that started it all. ___________________________________________________
An Oldie and a Baddie
by Joe Mangano
About 5 years ago, I was thumbing through a magazine and lo and behold I found a wonderful advertisement for a new high-tech color copier from Toshiba. Now Toshiba is a wonderful company. I bought a Toshiba TV set many years ago and it lasted over a decade and a half without any repairs whatsoever. Unfortunately upon reading the advertisement I felt - once again - the sting of the lash of heightism. The ad read:
I do her color copying, I scan all her pictures, I make her look good And she completely ignores me.
The advertisement went on to state that you can ". . . Add finishing touches like booklet making, saddle-stitching, stapling and hole punching and you're sitting pretty. Even if you happen to be vertically challenged."
Short-stature
is not a disease. It is not a physical disability unless associated
with things like Turner's Syndrome or other types of dwarfism. Just what is it then about short stature in a child that causes parents so much anxiety?
Monday, March 9, 2009 3:08 AM BY AMY SAUNDERS THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Aw, you're so little and cute, Gabrielle Dolbin was always told. As an 8-year-old, she typically wore out clothers before she outgrew them -- and she stood a head shorter than her friends. "We though she was cute as well," said her mother, Andrea, of Dublin. "But, at a certain point, . . . (her height) became sort of upsetting." . . .
The article goes on to state that Gabrielle's parents decide to get her growth-hormone therapy "out of a concern for her health, not her appearance". And if we believe that they'll tell us another one.
_________________________________________________
Size matters & color codes
3/5/2009 Moscow News No 08 2009
By Mark H. Teeter
With a meeting between presidents Medvediv and Obama now looming on the near horizon, it's a good time for Russian speakers learning English to consider the two most obvious differences between these gents - think a moment - and figure out how to talk about them without offending anyone (especially the two presidents).
For height-challenged men, finding clothes that fit is the real challenge
3/5/09 4:49 P.M. ET Wall Street Journal
One out of three men in the U.S. is under 1.73 meters tall. You'd never guess the magnitude of the demographic from menswear. "they have stores for big and tall men, so why not for shorter men?" asks Josh Lefkowitz, who describes his height as 1.61 meters.
snip
Yet when standard-size clothes are altered for a man like Mr. Lefkowitz, the final proportions can come out all wrong. simply shortening a suit's hems and sleeves can leave the collar too broad, the pockets oversize, the armholes gargantuan, the elbow curves too low and the rear droopy.
All this can make a small man look even smaller. "Taller men can get away with having things look a little baggy, " says Mr. Lefkowitz. But the wrong fit "can make us look schlumpy."
Height, for a man, is the ultimate power marker.
snip
The bias against short men is apparent even in Mr. Au's Store windows. Unable to buy shorter mannequins, Mr. Au turned to a Hollywood special-effects studio that makes crash dummies for action movies - the kind that get blown up in chase scenes . . .
Short men only good for getting blown up in movies.
_________________________________________________
Fact or Fiction?: It's No Tall Tale, Height Matters
Is it true that short people have a tougher time in life than their taller peers?
SCIAM.com - 24/02/2009
Short people know the sad litany all too well: Numerous studies show that they probably earn less than taller colleagues. They get fewer dates as well as fewer promotions. Their bosses are probably taller than they are - in fact, more than half of U.S. CEOs clock reach six-feet- (183-centimeters-) plus.And if all that wasn't depressing enough, now comes . . .
According to article prejudice against short people due to poor nutrition.
Isaac B. Rosenberg William & Mary Law School February 16, 2009 Utah Law Review, 2009
Abstract: At first blush, the concept of real height discrimination is almost laughable. After all, we don't typically think of height when we discuss types of discrimination. Yet there is no denying that we place a high premium on height, be it social, sexual, or economic, and our preference for height pervades almost every aspect of our lives. Economist John Kenneth Galbraith - who towered at 6'8" - described the favored treatment we afford taller people as "one of the most blatant and forgiven prejudices in our society." If you don't believe it, consider whether you yourself would like to be taller and, if so, try putting your finger on the reason why. . . .
Even a paper about height discrimination on the prestigious 'Social Science Research Network' begins and ends with words from "The Song".
11 February 2009 by Roger Highfield, Richard Wiseman and Rob Jenkins
THE history of science could have been so different. When Charles Darwin applied to be the "energetic young man" that Robert Fitzroy, the Beagle's captain, sought as his gentleman companion, he was almost let down by a woeful shortcoming that was as plain as the nose on his face. Fitzroy believed in physiognomy - the idea thatyou can tell a person's character from their appearance. . . .
The article seems to come to the conclusion that there is some truth to the assertion that our looks do reflect some aspects of our character. The question is, do people "act the way they look" because they and others expect themselves to conform to what their appearance seems to represent or is there some genetic component involved connecting both appearance and behavior? A logical question is, "Would these researchers come to the same conclusions based on race, religion or ethnic background"? Would they even dare ask the question?
At maybe 5-feet-5, the only folks I can look eye-to-eye are middle schoolers and maybe Ken Jenne. It is natural that article about height interest me. The following editorial in Saturday's Daily News caught my eye. This is what happens when we elect a presidentt who plays basketball. So, as they sing in "Guys And Dolls", what's in the Daily News? I'll tell you what's in the Daily News:
An Obama Tall tale
Barack Obama's prejudice has been revealed. The man ia a tallist. Now that he has assembled his whole cabinet, who can ignore the evidence?
Paul Volcker, chosen for a plum White House economics job, is 6-feet-7.
Arne Duncan, picked to be education secretary, is 6-feet-5.
Gen. James Jones, national security adviser, is 6-feet-5.
Eric Holder, attorney general-designee, is 6-feet-3.
Tom Vilsack, the choice for agricultrue secretary, is 6-feet-3.
Ray LaHood, tapped for transportation, is 6-feet-2.
Ron Kirk, new U.S. trade representative, is 6-feet-1.
Obama's idol Abraham Lincoln was 6-feet-4.
Where are the Robert Reichs (4-feet-10)? Or the Madeleine Albrights (4-feet-10)? Or the Michael Bloombergs (5-feet-8 on a good day)?
Clearly, Obama (6-feet-1) looks down on all of them.
The average height of the above people (not including President Obama) is 6-feet-3 and three quarters, an incredible 6 inches above average heights for men if indeed Buddy is accurate. Amazing. In that event I would imagine that this is some of the "Change we can believe in"; although it would appear to be some of the same old doo-doo - only worse. Imagine the comments that would have been made in the media if these folks were 6 inches below average height at 5-feet-3 and three quarters. Imagine.
Customers React Very Differently When Hispanics Denied Service at N.J. Deli
By ERIC HANAN and YARDENA SCHWARTZ
Jan. 5, 2009
It was 6:30 a.m. on a Friday in down town Linden, N.J., when two Hispanic day laborers were struggling with their English as they tried to order a coffee and a sandwich at a deli.
But rather than getting served, they got a string of insults hurled at them from the clerk behind the counter. Their broken-English request for food was met with a barrage of racist remarks, including, "Get back in your pickup truck with the rest of your family." This scene wasn't real. It was all part of a "What Would You do?" experiment designed to find out what action, if any, bystanders would take after watching the men's exchange with the clerk. . . .
When you go to the link to the story above you'll see that the 'clerk' in the photo was significantly taller then the Mexicans. It appears that he's at least 6 feet in height, and the Mexicans are probably around the height of about 5'4" - as short as that little shrimp Joe Mangano. Although this little episode was staged, it makes us think a little bit. Could they have staged this with a short clerk and two taller Mexicans I wonder? Or a medium height clerk? Handsome actors are mostly all taller than average. Is the webmaster being heightist stating this? Not at all. It's just so natural to see a larger individual bullying a smaller one or two smaller ones. It's just written into the script - unconsciously. It would look so unnatural with a shrimpy clerk. At least THIS clerk was viewed as the bad guy. I wonder if the clerk had made heightist comments how fast the patrons would be running to the defense of the short men. Don't you wonder?)
IT ISN'T ENOUGH NOW THAT SHORT MEN ARE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST. NOW WE'RE MORE LIKELY TO BE PEDOPHILES TOO _________________________________________________
The Pygmies' Plight
A correspondent who chronicled their lives in central African rain forests returns a decade later and is shocked by what he finds
By Paul Raffaele
Smithsonian Magazine, December 2008
Some 50 Pygmies of the Baka clan lead me single file through a steaming rain forest in Cameroon. Scrambling across tree trunks over streams, we hack through heavy undergrowth with machetes and cut away vinelike lianas hanging like curtains in our path.
snip
With about 250,000 of them remaining, Pygmies are the largest group of hunter-gatherers left on earth. But they are under serious threat.
Over the past decade, I've visited Pygmy clans in several Congo Basin Countries, witnessing the destruction of their traditional lifestyle by the Bantu, as taller Africans are widely known. On this trip, this past February, my companion is Manfred Mesumbe, a Cameroonian anthropologist and expert on Pygmy culture. "The Banur governments have forced them to stop living in the rain forests, their culture's bedrock, " he tells me. "Within a generation many of their unique traditional ways will be gone forever."
snip
Three scowling Bantus brandishing machetes stride into the
clearing. I fear that they're bandits, common in this lawless place.
I'm carrying my money in a bag strung around my neck, and news of
strangers travels fast among the Bantu here. Mesumbe points to one of
them, a stocky man with an angry look, and in a low voice tells me he
is Joseph Bikono, chief of the Bantu village near where the government
has forced the Pygmies to live by the roadside.
At a hair under 4 feet 11, police officer holds his own (NEW)
Emily Nipps, Times Staff Writer In Print: Friday, November 21, 2008
TAMPA
When the Tampa Police department needs a touch of compassion, someone who can roll into any situation and defuse it with a calm, tolerant demeanor, they know just the guy.
He's like a superhero of sorts, a man of may powers. His specialty is children, especially those who have been abused, as he has a knack for dealing with them, literally, eye to eye. His mere presence can calm a thrashing, fighting criminal. Thugs just don't feel like taking a punch when they see him.
His supervisor says he's great for crawling through small windows or tossing on roofs or over fences. He can do it all, it seems . . . except maybe put you in a standing headlock.Or dunk a basketball. . . .
Taller people report higher life satisfaction than shorter people
by Angus Deaton, Ph.D. and Raksha Arora
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Taller people are happier, at least on average. According to recent data from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index study, taller people are more satisfied with their lives than shorter peopole are; are more likely to report experiencing several positive emotions such as enjoyment and happiness; and are less likely to report experiencing negative emotions such as anger, sadness, stress, and worry. Taller people are also less likely to report experiencing physical pain.
snip
The main reason why taller people do better is because they have higher incomes, they are better educated, and they work in higher status occupations.
(Webmaster's note: The results are based on interviews and responses to questions. Dear Angus postulates that because of exposure to disease or lack of good nutrition some children do not attain their full height and Dear Angus seems to think that is a cause of a decreased cognitive ability on the part of the shorter individuals. Dear Angus doesn't seem to consider the prejudice and discrimination faced by those who are short. I guess that wouldn't occur to this distinguished Ph.D.)
This is Joe Mangano. I just happened to see a few articles in the recent past and one caught my eye and that one was on yorkpress.co.uk and the title of that article is . . .
The first column I wrote three years ago dealt with the
single issue that bugged me the most during the 23 years I ran the dating
service LunchDates. Frankly, it was the aggravation caused by this issue that
partially motivated me to start writing these columns.
I am referring to single women's prejudice against meeting
short men. Since I doubt that too many current readers actually saw that column,
I decided to revisit the topic. After all, this is one area in which many women
display all the shallowness and superficiality that they love to accuse men of
possessing.
The same woman who is 10-20 pounds overweight, and who
cannot understand why a man might not want to date her because of those few
extra pounds ...; that same woman often will refuse to meet a man who is 2
inches shorter than her "ideal."
But those men also had to be tall! When pushed to the wall
and asked their reasons, they replied with some of the following excuses:
"I usually wear shoes with at least three to four-inch heels,"
some women responded very naturally. They also frequently pointed out that many
boots have even higher heels. So these women would add at least three to four
inches to their own height just to pull even, then another few inches to make
sure that the man on their arm was still taller.
"My father, my brother, and all the men in my family are over 6
feet, so that is what I am used to," one women stated, insisting that she KNEW
that the average height of men was around 6 feet. When I tried to tell her that
the median height of men was between 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 9 inches, she
got up and angrily marched out of the interview room!
"I am short, and I am looking for a man to father my children,
and I don't want to have short children," a number of women told me, with a
straight face, I might add.
"I just feel safer when I walk down the street with a man who
is much taller than me," was also a common response.
"I am only attracted to tall men, I just can't help it!"
The truth -- from an expert. ___________________________________________________________________________
Living the Petrarchan Motif
Petrarchan Motif Chicago, IL, United States Insomniac former arcane Renaissance Lit scholar cum socially accessible
techno-geek
Sigh. So, apparently the only way I'm going to get
a date at one of these Speed-Dating venues is to hope that I'm not the shortest
guy there. "Ha Ha, yeah, let's all laugh at the poor short men who can't get
dates, glad I'm not that short." Thanks for the healthy dose of multi-cultural
sensitivity, Reuters reporter. Now, if I were a Palestinian short man...
I was reminded of a similar story that John Stossel reported on ABC's
20/20, and related in his book Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity (2006,
p. 45)
Height matters to women too. 20/20 once put short and tall men in
lineups behind a two-way mirror, and then invited groups of women to choose a
date. They always chose the taller guys.
Listening to their comments made me cringe. We told them that one man, who
stood just five foot three, was a doctor, a best-selling author, and a champion
skier who'd just built his own ski house. "He's still too short!" said the
women.
In 1712, a first child was born to the militarist prince Frederick William of
Prussia. A year shy of the throne himself, Frederick had high hopes for his son,
the future Frederick II. But the child was “small, sickly ... delicate,
backward, and puny,” writes the journalist Stephen S. Hall in Size
Matters, his engaging new nonfiction picaresque. The pitiful size of the
crown prince was an embarrassment to the new king,
snip
In 1985, a handful of children in the United States and Britain died after
becoming infected with Creutzfeld-Jakob disease, the degenerative neurological
disorder, from a contaminated batch of HGH. The doctors supervising hormone
treatment immediately suspended the program, but many parents protested. “We’ll
take the risk,” they told one growth expert. He responded, “‘Yeah? For an inch,
two inches?’ And the parents said, ‘Yeah.’”
To some parents it's better their kids are dead than short.
You're settling in for the long flight when you get the urge to recline
your seat. You push the armrest button, give a little shove backward -- and
nothing happens. You try again. Nothing. The seat won't budge.
You investigate, and you discover that the passenger behind you has
locked your seatback in the upright position.
Air traffic controller loses case for 'height discrimination' (9/9/05)
A 6ft 10in man has lost his case for unfair dismissal against the National Air
Traffic Services (Nats) at an employment tribunal.
Mr Sargeaunt-Thomson
had been accepted for the post of air traffic controller but was failed on
health and safety grounds at his medical because he was considered too tall to
sit at his desk on health and safety grounds. He claimed indirect sexual
discrimination, arguing that only a man could reach 6ft 10ins.
(Oh how quick those tallers sue when they're wronged!)
Troops mourn teenage comrade who insisted: 'I ain't no baby'
CNN.com July 2007
Story Highlights
Army Spc. Christopher D. Kube was memorialized by comrades
He enlisted at age 17 and volunteered to be a gunner on
Humvee
The newlywed soldier was killed after eight months in Iraq
"You were like a little brother to us all, "
wrote on soldier
FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY, Iraq (AP) - Army Spc. Christopher D. Kube was memorialized Thursday in a packed theater at this outpost in east Baghdad. Another fallen soldier. Another reminder, far from the public spotlight, of the grief that hits not only families of this war's casualties but also their comrades in arms.
He was 18.
He was a newlywed.
He was killed on July 14, eight months after he arrived in Iraq on a deployment that made him nervous from the start, as one fellow soldier remembered. Back at his home station, fort Carson, Colorado, he drew attention for being so young, so short, so slight and so cheerful.
(Webmaster's note: It is tragic that some short
fellows feel a need to join the armed forces 'To prove they're a man'.
Joining the Armed Forces or professions like security guard or policeman
usually entails carrying a gun. It is not the gun that makes the
man. Sometimes they pay the ultimate price for the
"proof". A lesson the soon-to-be ex-president of NOSSA -
Matthew Campisi - would do well to learn when he gets his next
"adrenaline rush "chasing bad guys".
Sounds like an "Anticipated future" topic for a
new or "upcoming" broadcast or two. A "bad guy" chasing "bad guys".
An appropriate title to say the least.)
Hopefully when you click on the above link - "chasing
bad guys", the Campisi story "My love/hate relationship with law
enforcement" of October 15, 2008, will still be there or not altered or changed from his
original story - but that's a big 'if'. Disappearing acts are one of Matthew Campisi's specialities. (Notice the photo of the cop apparently manhandling - of all things - a person dressed as a clown! A seemingly quite LARGE cop no less.)
A personal story for the experience group: I Am Short
Dec. 3, 2007
Short. I walk into a room and the subtext is short. Women pat me on the head. Men think they can mess with me and they do. Not because they are good or smart, but because they are taller. My boss regularly, openly ridIcules me for being short. Makes fun of the fact that I am short. It's apparently okay to make fun of short people. It's the forgiven prejudice. . . .
(Webmaster's note: The author goes on to state that he rose to the top position in his field and his work has won him international recognition. What I find amazing is that with all this success he claims his current boss "regularly, openly ridicules him for being short". Obviously success isn't always "The best revenge". Which makes me wonder; would we tell a Black man in Mississippi in 1950 something like, "Oh just be successful. That's the best revenge. " This type of advice is just pure nonsense. The bottom line is, success is extremely difficult for the short person, not usually because of any intrinsic inferiority on the part of the short, but mostly due to society's prejudice toward the short - and more importantly - IT SHOULD NOT BE. It is obvious from what this man writes that even somewhat successful short men are still victims - right in the very workplace where a man is in "the top position in his field". This must stop.)
About Short Men: Answers to
the discrimination against this type?
I'll start off by saying I am 6 feet even. By the common
occurences scale I am tall. So why would I ask this question? Because I think
about more than myself and my issues, that's why.
This is one of the biggest social shunning issues in civilization today. When
we hear concerns over body image issues in regards to women and weight (which
are indeed valid) no one ever seems to recognize the utter contempt
people-at-large have for short men. I've seen it at my job with a capable
responsible employee mocked and frequently disrespected by his own co-workers.
And it angered me.
In the dating scene, on the corporate ladder, in daily interactions short men
face staggering disregard as a human being. They pooh-pooh it as "short
man's syndrome" and wonder why many short men have complexes. Well when
you kick a dog on a chain every day all day, how can you NOT expect for the dog
to be messed up? Short men who fight back and try to overcome it all get
negatively called "Napoleons".
(Webmaster's note: I found this at 'Yahoo Answers'. It is surprising to find this kind of insight from an individual removed from the situation. The phrase, "utter contempt people-at-large have for short men" is very illuminating. Imagine people freely showing "utter contempt" for anyone based on skin color, national origin, religion, disability, or anything else for that matter - and in the workplace to boot. The fact that short people have to tolerate this is in the 21st Century is unbelievable.)
I make observations of people occasionally.I make observations of things like their body
language for example; what they wear, how they walk, how they talk, and of
course how short people including myself get treated by others and how those
others treat people who are taller.I
mentioned something along these lines in my essay.I wrote, and this is to paraphrase, ‘Observe
how taller others are treated in comparison to you . . .
Mike Galanos of CNN interviews a fat woman arguing for laws to protect the fat and the short from discrimination. Presenting an opposing view was Katherine Mangu-Ward of reason.com who claimed that:
"There's an important difference between saying that the Massachusetts Legislature has a say and saying my mom should tell me what to do."
Such words of wisdom. Miss Mangu-Ward also claims her mom would smack her if she insulted any short or fat people. But that doesn't mean there should be a law.
This is Joe Mangano. The short-of-stature have to deal with all kinds of unusual things. And unusual things can be very positive or they can be very negative. In the case of the short-of-stature, obviously they're usually very negative. Go into companies, I guess in every state, I haven't been in every state, but in New York City they've got all this stuff hanging on the wall . . .
This is Joe Mangano. I titled this broadcast 'Olympic heights' because as you're probably aware, the Olympics are currently taking place in Beijing China, which by the way is very coincidental because . . .
_________________________________________________
Tall Order! The bizarre Russian clinic that offers leg-lengthening surgery 'if you can STAND the pain'
Last updated at 4:25 PM on 29th July 2008
Throughout her school years, Sara Vornamen, 29, was relentlessly riduculed for her height. At just 5ft tall, she endured regular taunts and was nicknamed 'midget' and 'small fry'. Even as an adult, in her job as a lawyer, she often endured snide remarks from colleagues.
A common enough experience for those on the short side, perhaps. But in Sara's case, she decided that only the most dramatic action would put paid to the comments which were making her life a misery.
(Webmaster's note: One would think that a lawyer might decide to fight heightism by trying to get legislation passed to protect short people in the workplace or society in general. This is not what this lawyer did. She chose to lengthen her legs instead. I wonder if - if those other lawyers were making comments about her being a woman - she would consider changing her sex. Don't you wonder?)
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I have 2 little words for you S&M whiners, 'grow up'
May 23, 2008 Joel Rubinoff RECORD STAFF
"One hundred years ago," begins S&M: Short & Male (7 p.m. Saturday on CTV), an amusing but delusional doc about the perils of being short, "women took to the streets in New York City to demand equal pay and the right to vote. Fifty years ago, a black student sat at a Whites-only restaurant and asked to be served.
But today, continues narrator Howard Goldberg, there remains on group that has made no progress in the face of rampant discrimination: "shrimps." . . .
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(Webmaster's note: Rubinoff goes on to call the folks in the documentary "self-indulgent whiners who moan and groan about being jostled on sidewalks, rejected by women who find them "cute" and earning less money than their sky-reaching peers, I can't help but feel what they really need is to, ahem, stop whining". Rubinoff is 5'6" in height. The quintessential example of a short man 'identifying' with aggressors and also in a state of denial. The webmaster sent Mr. Rubinoff an e-mail but so far Mr. Rubinoff has not been BIG ENOUGH to reply.)
Have you ever heard of a limb-lengthening procedure? It's an excruciatingly painful surgical process that involves breaking a patient's legs, inserting metal screws and turning them to keep the separated sections apart as the bones grow back into one another, therefore lengthening the leg - a couple of inches.
In this film, 12-year-old Akash undergoes the surgery because being short is too emotionally painful.
Filmmaker Howard Goldberg first stumbled upon the idea of documenting the struggles of short males when his acrophobic painter asked him to climb a ladder and change a light bulb. When Goldberg cracked a joke about the guy's height, he realized they were both about 5-foot-3 and around the same age. A frank and honest discussion about what their respective heights meant followed - a first talk of the sort for both of them. . . .
Smaller guys get the short end of the stick Siri Agrell From Thursday's Globe and Mail Thursday, May 22 8:53 AM
Justin Parfitt remembers one man who arrived early for a speed dating event hosted by his company, FastLife, and sat down instantly. Usually, participants mingle before the flirtations begin, but this man stayed planted in his seat until the bell indicated it was time to date. "It turned out he was really, really short, " said Mr. Parfitt. "But he managed to get through most of the evening by disguising it."
Do height-challenged men come up short against their counterparts when it comes to love, work and life? In the new CTV Original Documentary S&M: Short and Male, short-statured filmmaker Howard Goldberg travels the world, exposing the trials and tribulations of life as a short man.
As Goldberg discovers, many endure painful surgery, growth hormones, discrimination and problems attracting a partner as a result of their height.
Montreal filmmaker Howard Goldberg's battle cry at the beginning of his documentary about physically diminutive men is a characteristic mix of earnestness flavored with a dash of self-mockery.
"In the interests of creating self-awareness, I set out to bond with my fellow shrimps," he states. "I discovered a great group of guys who may have stopped growing physically but never stopped growing up inside, where it counts."
Goldberg takes the viewer to France where people, according to the film, are shorter than average and psychoanalyst Alfred Adler, who gave us the phrase, "Napoleon complex" to describe short men . . .
Chris Knight, National Post Published: Thursday, May 15, 2008
Film review: S&M: Short and Male (2 stars) This film deserves a long review by a female critic, or maybe that wouldn't be fair. Howard Goldberg is no slouch as a filmmaker (at least, I assume he's not slouching), but his racily titled documentary does start as something of a whinge. Short people, its says, got no reason. No, wait, that's the Randy Newman song, which I, the shortest guy in my class until I sprouted into a towering five-foot-eight-and-a-half-incher at age 18, have never liked in the least.
Dully conventional technique exacerbates the shortcomings of this would-be crowd-pleaser about heightism, which premiered in Toronto last month at Hot Docs and now scores a theatrical release. Montreal-based filmmaker Howard Goldberg's concerns about the indignities suffered by diminutive males are not entirely without merit . . .
(Webmaster's note: Correction Mr. Nayman; they are entirely WITH merit.)
The webmasters prepared statement for the hearing before the Massachusetts Committee on Labor and Workforce Development on March 25th 2008 at the Massachusetts State House in Boston.
This is Joe Mangano.You know heightism is your quintessential
‘ism’. And I know I’ve said that before,
but there’s no ‘ism’ like heightism, like there’s no business like show
business.I mean let’s face it; let’s be
candid with ourselves, shall we?Heightism
is a situation where we, you, you’re short, most of the people who listen to
this are short-statured people, listen to these broadcasts.We are victims and we have no redress. . . . __________________________________________________
Webmaster takes 'Project Implict' test and Passes! -- Shows automatic preference for the Short of Stature!
The
webmaster talks about his recent trip to Boston and testifying at a state
senate hearing to discuss the possible passage of a bill to make
discrimination in the workplace on the basis of height illegal in the state
of Massachusetts. _________________________
COMING SOON! JOE MANGANO'S POWERFUL AND MOVING TESTIMONY BEFORE THE MASSACHUSETTS COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ON MARCH 25th 2008 AT THE MASSACHUSETTS STATE HOUSE IN BOSTON.
_________________________________________________
Strip search: camera that sees through clothes from 80 ft away March 9, 2008 Jonathan Leake, Science Editor
A CAMERA that can see through people's clothing at distances of up to 80 ft has been developed to help detect weapons, drugs and explosives.
The camera could be deployed in railway stations, shopping centres and other public spaces.
Although it can see objects under clothes, its designers say the images do not show anatomical details. However, it is likely to increase fears that Britain has become a surveillance society.
[Webmaster's note: Britain already is a surveillance society, what with well over 4 MILLION cameras in public locations. This would be a perfect location for former policeman Matthew S. Campisi's next 'life-changing seminar'.]
You know, radio silence can be a good thing - sometimes. Sometimes you have to maintain radio silence. But there comes a time when you have to tell what needs to be told. There comes a time when you have to let people know the facts and that's really what's being done for the short-of-stature in these broadcasts. The facts are what you mustn't be afraid to confront. You're a victim, and you should admit that to yourself. You've been wronged as well, and you have to admit that to yourself too. You've been a pawn in other people's games; none of this is that hard to admit. It really isn't when you think about it. Many or most of the short-statured are ashamed like little children. You know why they feel like little children don't you? . . .
. . . And that's what he really meant. You could hear it. And you know something, they wouldn't say this about people who are overweight. You know, somebody asked me about weight and height and how they compare, well, you know when you give a description of someone, weight and height usually follow each other in consecutive order. But they're very, very different and the differences are irreconcilable. The simple fact of the matter is: weight is a choice and height is not a choice. That's the simple truth. You can choose not to be overweight. I understand that some people have glandular conditions. I understand about conditioning. I understand that obesity is a big problem in society today, and that there are different factors that affect how much weight one might carry around on their body. Nonetheless as an individual you still have some control over how much fat you have on your body. You don't choose or control your height.
Gary Coleman once vowed he'd never get married. Well, what do 13-year-olds know?
The 40-year-old former child star has revealed to Inside Edition that he's been married since last summer to a woman who was barely alive when he starred in Different Strokes.
Coleman and Price exchanged vows on the occasion of her 22nd birthday last Aug. 28, on a Nevada mountaintop, the TV tabloid show reported Tuesday.
"Nobody was around but the minister, the preacher, the videographers, the photographer, the helicopter pilot and us, " Coleman said . . .
[Webmasters note: The article goes on to quote his wife as saying that, "he was 10 feet tall to me because he was sweet." The associations of tall height with positives are absolutely relentless everywhere you look. Also, the perceptions of the short-statured as extremely vulnerable is indicated in the way that his wife so freely mentions Colemans temper, "I don't like the violence, I really don't," Price said. "He's got to damage something before his anger stops." It's difficult to imagine any star's wife commenting so freely about violence in her spouse, especially this early in a marriage - unless of course they are divorced already. It's as if she's not concerned about it too much because, 'Oh well, he's not big enough to hurt me anyway'. Hollywood marriages typically are not long-standing affairs in any case. Shall we take bets on when the bliss is going to end and Shannon proudly breathes a sigh of relief -ala Nicole Kidman- that she can now wear high heels again?]
Hello.My
name is Joe Mangano and I’m gonna be talking about discrimination against the
short-of-stature which is referred to as Heightism.Heightism is the belief – usually – that the
short-of-stature are inferior to the tall-of-stature or the tall-ER people or
even average height people.It’s a
long-standing belief among humanity; it’s usually not verbalized, it’s usually
accepted as gospel truth, and it’s usually set in stone and no one questions
it.No one has ever questioned it; no
one has ever said anything about it.The
short-of-stature are victims very much like people of different races or
religions or nationalities who’ve been victims, but no one has ever looked at
it that way and very few short-statured people view it that way.I happen to be one of the few short-statured
people in this world that looks at it that way.I’ve approached short-statured people and many of them, as I’ve
mentioned on other occasions, are in a very bad state of denial, which is
unfortunate.The reason that they’re in
such a bad state of denial . . .
(Webmasters note: The number one most important characteristic of 'Mr. Right' according to this article was the man's height. Not looks, not weight, not hair, not muscles, not money, not education, not health, not race, not number of previous sexual partners. These criteria seemed to be based on information from www.UKdating.com. It was HEIGHT that was most important to these women whoever they were. The webmaster made a comment to this article among about 15 other comments or so. The webmaster's comments have not as yet been posted. We must assume there is some sort of problem with the webmaster's comments as viewed by the 'Daily Mail'. The webmaster will try again shortly.)
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THE CUTTING EDGE
What's Fair?
Equity in Educational Practice
by Gary K. Clabaugh and Alison A. Clabaugh
. . . Short Stature
Height, particularly in men, is another physical attribute associated with negative stereotypes and discrimination. A 1992 study by researchers from Michigan State University demonstrated that short men are often judged inferior to tall men . . .
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Short men: Live it up or live alone
It should be so obvious to woman and short men alike. Short men have it tougher in the dating arena, and really REALLY need to maximize their other attributes to level the field. In other words, they had better have a great face, a stunning body and be very charming. Of course, there is a chance of being labeled with the (inherently false) "Napoleon Syndrome" and hence "overcompensating". However, I, and likely other self-respecting short men would much rather stick up for and improve ourselves and deal with the stigma. The alternative is to be meek and "nice', and still get no dates while be "run over" by society in general. Thanks, but no thanks . . .
________________________________________________
GLADWELL.COM
Why do we love tall men?
This excerpt is from the part of "Blink" where I talk about the things that throw off our powers of rapid cognition. I've just been talking about a test--called the IAT--which measures your level of "unconscious prejudice." That's the kind of prejudice that you have that you aren't aware of, that affects the kinds of impresions and conclusions that you reach automatically, without thinking.
Or what if the person you are interviewing is tall? On a conscious level, I'm sure that all of us don't think that we treat tall people any differently from short people. But there's plenty of evidence to suggest that height--particularly in men--does trigger a certain set of very positive, unconscious associations . . .
I am a short person. My mother is short, my father is short, and so are my sister's and my cousins and my aunts. I grew up almost completely unaware of my shortcomings. However, there were a few clues that I was longitudinally lacking. For one thing, I reached my full height of 5'3" before the advent of the Petitie Department. This meant that I had to trim approximately 5 inches of material from every article of clothing I bought. I figure that the exesss material cut from garments purchased between 1958 and 1973 would make a quilt the size of North Dakota.
The prejudice that short men face in society is monumental. It is part of the scenery of life-meaning it is acceptable everywhere one may go. Whether it's the United States, the Orient, or anywhere else in the world, heightism is a worldwide phenomenon that is rarely acknowledged, let alone discussed. Film-makers Howard Goldberg and Ina Fichman tackle this most neglected of topics in their ground-breaking documentary that is soon to be aired titled, "S&M: Short and Male".
(Instinct Films has recently posted two excerpts on youtube. Joe Mangano was interviewed for this first time film expose of Heightism. That's the webmaster being interviewed in the New York City taxi in the first clip.)
This is Joe Mangano.There isn’t a great deal of literature out there about the topic that is the focus of these broadcasts, and that topic of course is heightism.I’ve only found a few hundred articles in the last 6 years or so.So scanty is the information on heightism, that if you did a Google search for the word ‘heightism’ and then did one each for racism, sexism, homophobia, or any other kind of ‘ism’, you could think of, you’d see the tremendous disparity in the number of hits, an almost astronomical disparity.Many of the articles are dismissive of the whole topic.Some even joke about the ridiculousness of even discussing the topic at all, and that really folks, we should get back to more important things, like who won the latest Yankees-Red Sox game or what happened in the last episode of ‘Sex and The City’.
You know, what information is out there, I take and integrate it with my own experience-which is considerable.It’s unfortunate that much of the discourse on some groups on the Internet is of such low quality, but I guess that’s to be expected given the nature of this topic.
There are only a tiny handful of books that have been written about any issues connected with height. One of the most informative books-probably the most informative book out there-if you know how to interpret the information in it-is ‘The Height of your Life’ written by Ralph Keyes. Even though ‘The Height of Your Life’ was written over 25 years ago, it is probably much more relevant today . . .
WIPO in Crisis Over Chief's Age Change Thursday October 4, 10:07 am ET By Bradley S. Klapper, Associated Press Writer UN Patent Agency Faces Prolonged Deadlock Over Top Official's Age Change
GENEVA (AP) - The U.N. patent and copyright body could face two years of deadlock after the United States and European countries blocked its $537 million (378 million euro) biennial budget, while developing countries fiercely defended the agency's top official who used a false birth date for over two decades. . . .
(Webmaster's note: Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) - Dr. Kamil Idris - it appears gave an erroneous birth date on WIPO personnel records, thus making himself appear older than he really was. It would appear according to the article that his perceived older age allowed him to get jobs and promotions that would not have been available had he been perceived as his actual age. This seems to destroy the myth that, "It's good to look young" - a line which many short-statured people have heard. There are a multitude of short people who cannot rise above their current position simply because they are 'perceived' as being younger than they are and are discriminated against on that basis. And of course there are no protections or defenses for the short-statured as there are with other recognized 'groups'.)
As you can imagine, this was a very difficult time for me. On a daily basis I was called words like "midget," "shrimp," "small-fry," "shorty," and a number of other derogatory terms. Life on the playground wasn't easy either. I was always the last one chosen to play on any sports team. I was laughed at in gym because I was so much smaller than everybody, that I couldn't run as fast as everybody else. Basketball was a joke. I was always pointed and laughed at whenever I had the ball in gym class.
I was so small that the gym teacher wouldn't allow me to climb across the stall bars like all the other children. Instead, I had to climb up, hang for a few seconds, and then climb down. So, again, I was singled out because of my height.
Take all these factors, and it's no wonder that I became a bad student. I was detached and alone most of the time, and the last place in the world I wanted to be was at school . . .
. . . When I hear of studies that conclude that short kids don't suffer psychologically because of their height I know they are mistaken. You see, these short kids have to be tough; to build up a thick skin just to have the confidence to go to school everyday. So, when they're in a study and somebody is asking them whether or not their life is different because they're short, what these kids have to tell themselves and others is: "No, of course, I'm perfectly normal." And this comes out only after a great deal of trust and time is spent with each of these patients, may the truth possibly surface. And, in most cases, it doesn't. . . . Kids do not want to open themselves up to that sort of interrogation in a clinical setting. It's just not going to happen. . . . What bothered me most as a child was that I was treated according to my height and not my age. At age seven, people spoke to me as though I were four or five years old.
Deno Andrews’ statements at a meeting of the Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee of The Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, June 10, 2003.
In the same meeting Dr. Margaret MacGillivray in concluding statements displayed a video of a former patient of hers.The patient stated:
You know, you can blow it off when it's just your older brother making fun of you, but my friends and my peers were always saying, "Oh my God, she's so short," and "Oh, you're not old enough to be hear," and like normal people that I passed on the street, or, you know, when I was shopping in the mall didn't take me seriously . . .
Webmaster’s note:Never in this 8-hour meeting was the issue of discrimination or prejudice by society against the short of stature even mentioned or addressed.There didn’t appear to be any psychologists or psychiatrists on the panel either. (I guess they were busy treating those poor disadvantaged Tallers)
This is Joe Mangano.About 2 or 3 years ago I was traveling on a passenger jet -economy class-unfortunately-and I had a seat next to the window.After about 45 minutes or so on the flight, I pressed the button-I think it was a button- that allows you to recline your seat slightly because I thought it would allow me a more comfortable position for the remainder of the flight.As I pressed it and forcibly leaned back I didn’t feel anything move.So I tried again.I finally tried a third time and still I found I could not recline the seat, so I gave up trying and resigned myself to sitting with the seat in the position it was in for the remainder of the flight.I got very annoyed at this but I didn’t make a complaint about it because I’m usually not the type to make complaints about this sort of thing, so I never mentioned it to any of the stewardesses or airline people.But I thought it peculiar nonetheless.Did you ever say to yourself words to the effect of, ‘If I only knew then, what I know now.’That’s a little something we say to ourselves sometimes when we wish we had done things differently in the past, because if we had been in a more advanced state of knowledge we most assuredly would have done differently.It was a couple of years later, not too long ago as a matter of fact, as I was browsing the Internet searching for articles about height and heightism that I discovered the likely reason why my airplane seat would not recline.Before I discuss the reason why . . .
New world's tallest man stands at a towering 8ft 5ins by REBECCA CAMBER
He has spent years shrinking away from the limelight and at school his nickname was 'titch' because he was so tiny.
But Ukrainian Leonid Stadnyk has now officially become the world's tallest man standing a t a towering 8ft 5ins in tall.
Measuing an impresive 8incs taller than the previous record holder, Mongolia's Bao Xishun, it has long been suspected that Stadnyk should hold the official title of the world's tallest man.
________________________________________________________________________________________ Tall order
Tuesday August 21, 2007
When we were hunter-gatherers a man's height mattered, but does size really matter today? The answer is yes, absolutely, according to Dr. Thomas Stuttaford. No one who wanted a second invitation to dinner or to lecture to a learned society would dare to show any evidence of gender bias, racial or religious prejudices, ageism and (other than the disparaging remarks about toffs that are for some reson acceptable) class prejudice . . .
'Over the top' security sees pilots revolt By David Millward, Transport Correspondent Last Updated: 1:41am BST 08/08/2007
Pilots are in open revolt over what they describe as "heavy-handed" security checks at airports.
More
than 70 have submitted official complaints to the Civil Aviation
Authority while others have voiced their anger on a number of websites.
One
pilot has even left the industry after a confrontation with a security
guard which led to him being arrested, even though he was later cleared.
Many
have registered their anger on the Chirp website, the UK Confidential
Human Factors Incident Reporting Programe. Although independent, it is
sponsored by the Civil Aviation Authority and approved by the
Department for Transport.
One pilot said: "When dealing with
the police one has certain rights and a well-defined procedure if you
are not treated correctly. This is not so with airport security who
seem to be a law unto themselves using the knowledge that you are on a
tight time schedule to ride roughshod over any rights that you might
have."
________________________________________________________________________ N.J. Officer Sues Dept. Over height Harassment Bayonne Sgt. Says He Was Tormented Because He's Short by Christine Sloan
BAYONNE, N.J. (CBS) -- A police officer who claims his fellow officers harassed him because of his height and supervisors did nothing to protect him from the harassment has taken the law into his own hands and slapped the department with a lawsuit.
Sgt. Patrick Burns of the Bayonne Police department said fellow officers at the station tormented him, making fun of him for being short and pinning insulting posters around the headquarters that poked fun at him.
"The Bayonne Police Department is excellent, but there are a few individuals there who have made it their mission to torture Sgt. Pat Burns for reasons unknown to us, " said Patrick Toscano, Burns' attorney.
Burns said officers took a picture of Napoleon, who was said to be only 5-foot-2, and superimposed his face on the body of the French emperor.
NY Police Report Bomb to Frame Activist as Terrorist "By the time the government finds out, you'll be in the hole thrity days" 9/11 Truther is Told by Officer who Admits to False Accusation of Having a Bomb
Aaron Dykes & Alex Jones Prison Planet Saturday, April 28, 2007
Two persons identifying themselves as New York police officers interrupted a 9/11 Truth demonstration on a public sidewalk in front of the new WTC 7 Building to intimidate free speech, stating "Larry [Silverstein] doesn't want to hear it, " before accusing We Are Change founder Luke Rudkowski of having a bomb and that his cell phone was "a gun." . . .
When we were hunter-gatherers a man's height mattered, but can it really matter today? Yes, say the surveys: tall men attract women and are better paid. Dr. Thomas Stuttaford explains why the last of our prejudices refuses to go away
No one who wanted a second invitation to dinner or to lecture to a learned society would dare to show any evidence of gender bias, racial or religious prejudices, ageism and (other than the disparaging remarks about toffs that are for some reason acceptable) class prejudice.
The law has accepted that discrimination on grounds of race, disability or sex is illegal and has recently added age to the categories of prejudices that are not only socially unacceptable but can result in legal consequences. . . .
When a 5ft 6in BBC reporter was sent out to interview a German MP (6ft 4in in her high heels) the production team had difficulty getting them both into the shot . . .
Forget Napoleon, taller men have the shorter fuse by JULIE WHELDON
Ever since Napoleon Bonaparte picked a fight with the rest of Europe, there has been a popular belief that little men are more aggressive. But research suggest it is nothing more than a myth.
Scientists took a group of men of differing heights and gave them a game to play in which they were exposed to deliberate provocation. They found that taller men flew off the handle more quickly than shorter ones.
Researchers concluded that the myth could have evolved simply because when a short person loses his temper it is the first explanation that springs to mind.
The idea that men below average height have fan inferiority complex and try to compensate for it in other ways was put forward by Austrian psychologist Alfred Adler.
_____________________________________________________________ Toll Road Checkpoints to Deal With Dissenters Jackbooted thugs given stop and search powers for people suspected of removing tracking tags, arguing with officials merits 6 month jail sentence
Paul Joseph Watson Prison Planet Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Tony Blair's toll road surveillance and taxation grid is to be enforced by a new cadre of jackbooted inspectors who will be given powers to stop and search vehicles where owners are suspected to have removed their tracking tags. Arguing with the officials will be punishable by a 6 month prison sentence, according to a leaked government memo . . .
Montreal - Documentary filmmaker Howard Goldberg's latest film is personal. At 5'3", Goldberg stands at a below-average height. And that, he says, led him into his investigation of attitudes towards the short for Short & Male, an hour-long doc that will air on CTV in the fall.
"A lot of people dismiss the height issue," says Goldberg. "But it can be a very profound thing for some men. It has everything to do with who you are, and at the same time nothing to do with who you are."
While some have dismissed the feelings of shorter men as simply "short men's complex," Goldberg delved into research on the topic and was taken aback at what he found. . . .
Why Short People Suffer the Height of Prejudice by Adele Horin
Ever
since King Frederick William I of Prussia formed his regiment of giants
in the early 1700s and discovered that taller soldiers could thrust
their bayonets further, it's been cool to be tall.
Yes,
it's old news that tall people on average earn more, get more respect,
and have higher-status jobs than short people. But you might have
missed the latest disturbing news: tall people earn more because they
are smarter.
If
you are oblivious to this disturbing research by two Princeton
University economists, it must be because you are a tall person. Short
people, such as myself, who live close to the ground and miss little,
devoured the findings with anger and disbelief. The economists, Anne
Case and Christina Paxson, in their paper called Stature and Status: Height, Ability and Labour Market Outcomes,
concluded after looking at four long-running studies in the US and
Britain that taller people are on average smarter, and the difference
in ability is apparent by age three. "Throughout childhood," they
write, "taller children perform significantly better on cognitive
tests."
Little Big Man Getting over our obsession with height. By David Wallace-Wells
In
1712, a first child was born to the militarist prince Frederick William
of Prussia. A year shy of the throne himself, Frederick had high hopes
for his son, the future Frederick II. But the child was "small, sickly
. . . delicate, backward, and puny," writes the journalist Stephen S.
Hall in Size Matters, his engaging new nonfiction picaresque. The
pitiful size of the crown prince was an embarassment to the new king,
but it was also, Hall suggest, a private incitement.
Between his
ascension in 1713 and his death in 1740, Frederick more than doubled
the ranks of the Prussian army-from a considerable 38,000 men to an
intimidating 83,000-but the fugure that concerned him most was not the
size of his army but the height of his soldiers. Modestly built
himself, Frederick had fallen in love with tall men.
This brief youtube video depicts Randy Newman singing and also talking about his infamous song, "Short People" along with a few clips of what appears to be teeny-boppers dancing to his trashy song circa 1978. The now gray-haired and overweight Newman talks a little about why he chose short people to debase in his prejudiced song. According to Newman, since short people don't have cabals after them with regular meetings planning lynching strategy, it is therefore okay to lambaste the little bastards. What he really meant was that it's okay to create garbage, uh, I mean, a song about short people, because he knew instinctively that there would be few repercussions. Imagine a song entitled 'Black People', 'Hispanic People', etc. with similar words like "no reason to live", "go around telling great big lies", "nasty little feet", "little voices that go peep, peep, peep", etc. Imagine ridiculing the physical characteristics of any group like this - AND GETTING AWAY WITH IT. IMAGINE.
The world clearly prefers tall to small, the author of a new book argues. But being short has its advantages, particularly for adults who grappled wit discrimination as children, he explains.
"There is a long history of both positive qualities like moral rectitude that's been associated with tallness," award-winning jounalist Stephen Hall told CTV.ca in a phone interview from Brookln, NY.
"There is a longstanding social association of tallness with fits like strength. I think it's much less important now, but think there's probably a cultural and evolutionary carry over from the early importance of physical size," said Hall, author of "Size Matters."
"Short men thrive in spite of bias, author says"? I guess that makes it okay. I guess that because there was bias against Blacks in the 1950's a few successful Black people thriving makes it okay. Does anybody see the 'Disconnect' here? ___________________________________________________________________________
Oct. 25, 2006
Tall girls, short boys: Using hormone therapy to shape children's height to social norms
U-M researcher provides insight into the use of hormone therapy to alter height during the past 50 years
ANN ARBOR, MI--In the 1950s and 1960s, tall girls were coming up short in life. Viewed as unfeminine and less attractive to marriage suitors than shorter girls, many otherwise healthy tall girls were given estrogen treatment to stunt their growth.
While estrogen therapy today for tall girls is rare, its use to conform a child's height to fit social norms may provide valuable insight into the present-day use of growth hormoe treatment for healthy boys of short stature.
_____________________________________________
Do Pretty People Earn More? Kate Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com Editor,
Studies show attractive studens get more attention and higher evaluations from their teachers, good-looking patients get more personalized care from their doctors, and handsome criminals receive lighter sentences than less attractive convicts. But how much do looks matter at work?
Humanity may split into two sub-species in 100,000 years' time as predicted by HG Wells, an expert has said.
Evolutionary theorist Oliver Curry of the london School of economics expects a genetic upper class and a dim-witted underclass to emerge.
The human race would peak in the year 3000, he said - before a delcine due to dependence on technology.
People would become choosier about their sexual partners, causing humanity to divide into sub-species, he added.
The descendants of the genetic upper class would be tall, slim, healthy, attractive, intelligent, and creative and a far cry from the "underclass" humans who would have evolved into dim-witted, uply, squat goblin-like creatures.
_______________________________________________ Light Sentence for Short Sex Offender Under Fire
LINCOLN, Neb. - A judge's decision to sentence a 5-foot-1 man to probation instead of prison for sexually assualting a child has angered crime victim advocates who say the punishment sends the wrong message.
But supporters of short people say it's about time someone recognizes the unique challenges they face.
(Webmaster's note: This is the Associated Press report that contained the statements that Matthew S. Campisi a former airport policeman and security guard and his then fake organization NOSSA, Inc. lambasted the webmaster for. Campisi took his website down - www.nossaonline.org - the site that represented the then non-existent incorporated organization, and went into hiding for weeks. Please see 'Statement 1 broadcast', and other broadcasts and articles on this website pertaining to 'NOSSA'.) ___________________________________________________________________________
Think You Have Problems? Consider Primordial Dwarfism
By Ted Twietmeyer tedtw@frontiernet.net 5-1-6
So we think we have problems as adults? A recent special aired on TLC, which is so important I wanted to share it with you. Most of this essay is based on the facts presented by children, parents and doctors. However, I've also included a few comments that were not discussed on the special.
Perhaps to realize our own potential and what we have, we must look at what's it like to be short - REALLY short. We're not talking about dwarfs such as those that played in the Wizard of Oz. Not even the pigmies of Africa. these are special people, of which there are only about 400 of them in the entire world.
DID SCHOOL BULLIES FORCE SIDNEY TO TAKE HIS LIFE? Mother's tearful question after star pupil dies in river
Monday, March 13th 2006, 12:00 AM
A GRIEVING Manhattan mother whose teen son jumped into the East River is being tormented by a heart-wrenching question: Did relentless bullying drive him to take his own life? Keisha Davis said she fears her 14-year-old son, Sidney Hatchett, left his little sister and jumped into the frigid water March 3 because callous classmates made his life a living hell. "He didn't jump into that river on his own account," a tearful Davis, 31, told the Daily News in an exclusive interview. "He was pushed to the limit by the school," she said, standing next to her son's bunk bed and clutching his favorite blue blanket. . . .
________________________________________________________________________________ Strong Inverse Association Between Height and Suicide in a Large Cohort of Swedish Men: Evidence of Early Life Origins of Suicidal Behavior? Patrik K.E. Magnusson, Ph.D. David Gunnell, M.D., Ph.D. Per Tynelius, M.S. George Davey Smith, M.D., Ph.D. Finn Rasmussen, M.D., Ph.D.
(American Journal of Psychiatry; 162: 1373-1375)
Objective: Previous studies have found associations between poor fetal and infant growth and the risk of suicide. The authors' goal was to investigate the association between height--a measure of childhood growth--and suicide risk.
(Webmaster's note: Maybe someone should investigate the role of society's prejudices against the short-statured as a cause of heigher rates of suicide among short men rather than searching for a biological or genetic cause. Of course that would never do. Better to search for some inherent flaw in the short man's genetic make-up. "It's his own fault. It's all about how much confidence you have", some 'wise' person might say.)
Link _________________________________________________
Clinical Case (Nov 2005)
Treating Short Stature with Growth Hormone Commentaries by Melissa D. Colsman, MA, and David E. Sandberg, PhD; by David B. Allen, MD; and by Wilma C. Rossi, MD, MBe
Mr And Mrs Malcolm are worried about the growth of their 5-year-old son, David. David was the shortest child in his preschool classes, and his parents worry that, as he enters kindergarten, he may be teased for his shortness. Looking ahead, they fear all kinds of other consequences; competitive sports could be closed to him, and dating and job finding could be more difficult than for his taller contemporaries. Mrs. Malcolm is 5 ft tall, and Mr Malcolm is 5 ft 4 in. They have expressed thier concerns over the course of David's last few pediatrician visits. The pediatrician, noting in David's chart that he has been approximately 3 standard deviations below the mean for height since 18 months of age, refers the Malcolms to Dr Tyson, a pediatric endocrinologist.
Dr Tyson orders several tests to determine whether David's short stature is due to an underlying pathology (eg, Turner's syndrome, renal insufficiency) or growth hormone deficiency. All tests come back negative. After a radiological evaluation, Dr Tyson concludes that David has idiopathic short stature (ISS), specifically, familial short stature; he is short because his parents are short. The Malcolms are relieved that David does not have a serious illness, but their fears and concerns are not abated by Dr Tyson's diagnosis. Mr Malcolm recalls the pain of being a short teen and still feels that people look at him awkwardly when they first meet him. A lawyer, he prefers to do most of his initial client interviews by telephone. . . .
Several years ago, around the time the Food and Drug Administration was considering the use of human growth hormone to treat extremely short but otherwise normal children, researchers were working up the results of a large-scale psychology experiment involving hundreds of middle-school and high-school students in the Buffalo area - including some who were extremely short but otherwise normal. The students didn't know the study was about height. All they knew was that each of them had been asked to be the director of a class play. They were given thumbnail sketches of various characters in the drama - "a good leader." "teases others too much." "gets picked on" and so forth - and were then asked to cast the play by selecting classmates who best fit each role.
If short stature is a ticket to social prejudice and psychological purgatory, which has been the animating idea behind expanded use of growth hormone in the last 20 years, you would have expected the shortest children in the Buffalo study to be lining up to collect their Tonys in victimhood; they would have been nominated by classmates for every beleaguered role: being picked on, behaving shyly, acting withdrawn, being left out. But that , surprisingly, was not the case. . . .
According to Hall the team of psychologists, led by David E. Sandberg at the University at Buffalo, "concluded that a child's stature, whether tall or small, had "minimal detectable impact" on his or her social standing among schoolmates." -- (What people say or write and what they do are very often two different things-especially among children.)
Cosmetic bilateral leg lengthening: EXPERIENCE OF 54 CASES Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Oct 2005 by Catagni, MA, Lovisetti, L, Guerreschi, F, Combi, A, Ottaviani, G
The Ilizarov method for leg lengthening was used for cosmetic reasons in 54 patients with constitutional short stature. A mean lengthening of 7 cm with a low rate of complications produced an excellent or good outcome in all the patients, including improvement in psychological disturbances related to short stature. Those who undergo the procedure must be highly motivated, fully informed and unsderstand the technique and possible complications . . .
Men Tell Tall Tales On Height Study Finds More Men Than Women Overstate Their Height
(WebMD) More men than women overstate their height.
The finding comes from a study of 200 parents (100 men and 100 women). The parents, who were about 38 years old and lived in the U.K., were asked how tall they are.
"On average, males overestimated height while females reported their height relatively accurately," write the researchers in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
How far off were the men's estimates! That varied, but 27 percent overestimated their height by an inch or more, compared with 13 percent of the women, the study shows.
Strong Inverse Association Between Height and Suicide in a Large Cohort of Swedish Men: Evidence of Early Life Origins of Suicidal Behavior?
Patrik K.E. Magnusson, Ph.D., David Gunnell, M.D., Ph.D., Per Tynelius, M.S., George Davey Smith, M.D., Ph.D., and Finn Rasmussen, M.D., Ph.D.
OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have found associations betweenpoor fetal and infant growth and the risk of suicide. The authors’goal was to investigate the association between height—ameasure of childhood growth—and suicide risk. . . .
Your appearance, good or bad, can affect size of your paycheck
Growing research shows how you look is influential while lawsuits raise awareness
By Stephanie Armour, USA TODAY
When Jennifer Portnick wanted to be a Jazzercise franchisee, she says, she was denied. The reason: The company had a policy that required exercies instructors to appear fit. Portnick, who weighed . . .
Weekend Edition Sunday, December 5, 2004 NPR's Rob Gifford reports on a recent trend in China's booming cosmetic-surgery industry. Chinese men and women are spending thousands of dollars, and months under medical care, to have their legs lengthened.
(Webmaster's note: There is a 5 minute audio segment associated with this link. Note the musical tune at the end.)
_______________________________________________
May 21, 2004 Chinese People's Republic Is Unfair to Its Short People By JOSEPH KAHN
HANGZHI, China - When this northern Chinese city recruited legal affairs officials recently, Chen Hongping figured that they were looking for people like her.
Ms. Chen, 35, is a prim and confident member of the Communist Party. She scored high on the entrance exam, impressed her interviewer and made the short list of 80 finalists, whittled down from more than 600.
She knew her application was in trouble, though, when she was called in for a second physical checkup. Soon she got the bad news: she could not get the job, she was told, because . . .
(Webmaster's note: For those who didn't think such a thing as 'heightism' existed in a place like China just because Orientals are shorter than Occidentals; this article will be an eye-opener.)
_______________________________________________
Reaching for growth Use of hormone therapy fuels debate among doctors
By Patricia Wen, Globe Staff | October 4, 2004
Carver - Nancy Hubbard used to push aside her worries that her twin boys were too short. She knew her sons were not destined for great height - she is 4 feet 11 inches, and their father stands 5 feet 1inch. She was grateful for two healthy boys with sparkling blue eyes and broad smiles.
But one afternoon two summers ago, she was watching her identical sons, then 12, during a Pop Warner fotball practice. And for a split second, she saw them differently.
Months later, her sons joined thousands of other healthy boys who receive daily injections of growth hormones to treat what they and their families regard as a lifelong liability: their diminutive stature. Supporters of this treatment describe it as safe, cutting-edge medicine, a way to spare many boys the traumatic taunts of the taller owrld. But critics of this expensive therapy call it "cosmetic enocrinology," and dismiss it as part of an American obsession with sculpting bodies at the expense of building character.
Wednesday May 28, 2003 Posted: 11:36 AM EDT (1536 GMT)
LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- Oh heck: Hell hath no place in American primary and high school textbooks.
But then again you can't find anyone riding on a yacht or playing polo in the pages of an American textbook either. The texts also can't say someone has a boyish figure, or is a busboy, or is blind, or suffers a birth defect, or is a biddy, or the best man for the job, a babe, a bookworm, or even a barbarian.
All those words are banned from U.S. textbooks on the grounds that they either elitist (polo, yacht) sexist (babe, boyish figure), offensive (blind, bookworm) ageist (biddy) or just too strong (hell which is replaced with darn or heck). God is also a banned word . . .
Short-statured people expose stereotypes Group: Litlle people face discrimination, prejudice every day By Will Krueger (Daily Texan Staff)
Short-statured people should not allow the average-sized world dictate how they lvie their lives, said organizers at the Little People of America's District 8 Regional Conference this weekend at the Four Points sheraton.
"We seek to expose various cities and communities to short-statured people in an effort to break down stereotypes and prejudices that little people face every day," said Paul Olson, LPA's District 8 director. "We encourage doalogue with those we meet to realize that we are normal people from all walks of life."
Remember that popular song "Short People"? Well maybe you're not old enough to remember the 70's too well. Anyway the provisional assertion of the song was that "Short people got no reason to live" . . .
Tall men seem sexier to women and more likely to father their children, say British scientists.
In turn, men find smaller women more attractive according to the National Child Development Study fo 10, 000 42 year-olds in Britain.
The taller men are, the more likely they are to have found a mate and reproduced and the same goes for women who are below average height, 1.62cm (5'3").
No Small Feat For dwarves, the Internet is one big network that helps
Daniel Rosario
"There is so much prejudice in today's society and not enough support for little people," says Matthew Zinni. Not your average 15-year-old, Zinni form North Carolina, USA, has achondroplasia, the most common type of dwarfism. He has undergone four major surgeries "which is nothing compared to other people with dwarfism". . . .
Original Article __________________________________________________
Different abilities, not disabilities - The Caseys have no time for sympathy in their busy lives
By MaryHelen Swanson With a promise this story wouldn't be "sappy" and not filled with "sympathy" the Caseys - Bruce and Nathalie - gave approval for a write-up about their visit to North Branch last week.
The St. Paul couple spent the morning in Rush City at the senior dining site and the afternoon with the We "R" Able group at Trinity Lutheran Church in North Branch.
Their inspiring message was dotted with humor and realism putting their audience of over 20 at ease.
In fact, a healthy round-table discussion ensued with folks talking about abilities and acceptance much more than disabilities and differences. Married nearly 45 years, the Caseys apparently are doing things right.
Now, many people would say they have handicaps - Nathalie being born a "short statured person" (dwarf) and being only 4' tall and Bruce having been born without arms and a right hip.
Original Article ___________________________________________________
A Lesson in perseverance By CARRIE FERGUSON Staff Writer
Dealing with the challenges of dwarfism, Bonnie Mullinax aims to teach us all a tale of the human heart
The teacher stands tall at the front fo the classroom on the first day of school.
"do you have any questions?" she asks her new pupils, looking them squarely in the eye.
Long and Short of It: New Medications for Growth Disorders by Margie Patlak
Many homes have pencilled lines on a wall that chart the rapidly rising height of children, and often even the most picky pint-sized eaters will be inspired to chow down if they are told the food will make them "big and strong."
It's a tall, tall world - ethics of giving extra growth hormone to healthy short people - 1993 - The year in Science - Column
Discover, Jan, 1994 by Rosie Mestel
IN A SOCIETY WHERE HEIGHT IS ADMIRED--ESPECIALLY IN MEN--IT'S NO WONDER MANY PARENTS WISH THEIR CHILDREN WERE TALLER. SOME PARENTS, THOUGH, DO MORE THAN WISH. HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE, ORIGINALLY APPROVED FOR SHORT CHILDREN WHO DON'T NATURALLY PRODUCE IT, IS INCREASINGLY BEING GIVEN TO SHORT KIDS WHO DO . . .
I was reading about Ron Paul’s presidential campaign recently.Various articles on the Internet had mentioned the startling way he was dominating the opinion polls after more than one debate with the likes of Mitt Romney, John McCain and Rudy Guiliani and others.The media seemed to be attempting to conceal the fact that his words were very popular among the people.One news source even went so far as to accuse Paul’s supporters of voting multiple times in the online opinion polls thus skewing the results in favor of Mr. Paul.I happened to hear some of what Mr. Paul had said in those debates (courtesy of Youtube.com), and the results of those debates appear to be frightening the heck out of some people in the media and elsewhere.
The bluntness and truth-telling of Mr. Paul seems to be having a wake-up effect on many people concerning the issues he was discussing and just the opposite on the folks that are afraid of the stuff he might be revealing.One interesting video showed a young woman venting her displeasure at the fact that when the moderator had a question concerning healthcare, the only physician among the debaters (Ron Paul) was conspicuously ignored in the question-asking process.When Paul had mentioned that maybe some folks in the Middle Eastdislike us because of something we might have done, Mr. Giuliani pounced on it and got a round of applause.Afterwards, at least one person was attempting to have Ron Paul banned from further debates.When the powers that be see that you’re telling the truth, they do their best to shut you up, that is, if you’re telling the truth about them or anything that could hurt them.Oh, it’s déjà vu all over again!I couldn’t help but notice the parallels with the so-called organization that calls itself NOSSA, Inc. and its cut-and-run specimen of a president.
It is one thing to be banned from a debate among possible candidates for the Presidency of the United States.It is quite another thing to be banished from the prestigious heightism messageboards of NOSSA.Several people expressing opinions that were not quite to the taste of one Matthew S. Campisi, a former $27,000 a year airport policeman suffered this humiliating experience.It is humiliating enough just to post messages there at all.Oh, for shame, guys!It seems that anyone with a head on their shoulders is just too much of a threat for the building inspector from Pensacola.They might come up with some rationales for their positions that are just too intellectually challenging for this former gun-toting,* cowardly creep and his mailroom vice-president.We can’t have the ‘little’** dictators'*** power questioned.That would never do.Speaking of déjà vu, it appears that there is a sort of synchronicity with the times-‘A Sign of the Times'- if I may quote Petula Clark’s 1960’s song-where similar non-related events occur simultaneously or closely spaced in time, even though obviously Ron Paul and Matthew S. Campisi have nothing whatsoever in common, at least I hope not, both for Ron Paul’s sake and the sake of this country.
* Past tense on the gun-toting part—I hope. ** Please pardon that adjective. *** It is almost impossible NOT to be able to pick out Mr. Campisi in this photo. Just picture the one who would look most natural in a police uniform arresting you for spitting on the sidewalk..
What’s that you say, Campisi is president already?Well true, but Campisi is more of a figurehead – no check that – he’s a figure, with no head.There’s no one, absolutely no one that reinforces the sterotypes of short people better than this airport policeman turned building inspector.Take Campisi’s child-like essay-‘Standing Tall Against Discrimination’.Isn’t that a little bit like Frederick Douglass saying something like, ‘Standing Confederate against Slavery?Campisi even duplicated the naming for his podcast series. (which few ears have yet heard-or care to hear)I just can’t get over that photo on their website.On the NOSSA website the photo is cropped on the right side.You can see the photo in full on amazon.com on the page with the building inspector’s masterful book review.Am I dreaming again?Somebody pinch me.YEOW! That hurt! Four people from a short people's organization have a photo taken of them with the Tallest building in New York, and also one of the Tallest buildings in the world, the Empire State Building-in the background.May I speculate here and deign to conclude that the building inspector set up the scene with the Empire State Building in the background?I mean do I detect something Freudian going on here connected to Campisi’s desire to be big? Of course I do.A person like him who claimed to be in the army and who probably needs to wear a uniform and carry a gun when he gets out also needs to be photographed with a Tall something or other nearby-that is-when he's not a gun-totin' policeman anymore.Got to have something around to compensate.Or maybe it’s just a phallic symbol, a sort of compensation for something Campisi hasn’t got. Yet another possibility.But they all have the same theme-Campisi compensating for something.Campisi and his ‘organizatsia’ are truly the Height of ridiculousness and foolishness. I’m just glad that Associated Press reporter asked me for my opinion last year.
But back to banning.
Mr. Campisi has banned more than one person for disagreeing with his agenda on his famous heightism messageboards.One e-mail I received (after my comments on the Nebraska case were publicized) from someone banned stated:
. . . I posted a comment with reasons why I thought you held a correct position (unfair treatment under the law, cruel and unusual punishment when compared to taller men), and that I considered this a good opportunity to introduce the issue of unfair perceptions and treatment of short men by taking the kind of position you took.
I received a response, saying that while I had a right to disagree with them, there were reasons unknown to me that they had to do this for the survival of the organization, or some such thing. Then, I posted another comment asking if someone threatened to stop their organization just for standing on this principle and if so, who?
After that one, I was banned.
When I see a response like that, it tends to make me wonder how much this "survival of the organization" might have to do with this being an opportunity for some people to get money from some other people. If you're serious about this issue, you must be willing to take an unpopular stand when it's called for.
What bothers me is - I'm concerned that this organization may be setting itself up as the "voice of short people" . . . I don't know what that organization thinks it's doing.
Campisi’s banning of people from his messageboards amounted to censorship-pure and simple. People who disagree with Campisi or his agenda are prevented from posting messages. A differing opinion might threaten the former airport policeman. But the bottom line here is simply that:
1.There wasn’t any non-profit incorporated organization in May of 2006 named NOSSA, Inc.
2.Campisi was trying to conceal that fact.
Campisi had successfully concealed it from me as well during this time.
Does Matthew Campisi have any twinges of guilt over this?Probably not.Just one look at that mug of his in the photo on his website speaks volumes. I wonder if Mr. Campisi is still banning people?Probably not.I don’t think he has anyone to ban.Let’s not belabor the point too much though.Mr. Campisi has to get back to his building inspection and devious ways and we have to get back to waking-up the short-statured to not only discrimination but also to people like Matthew Campisi.
On May 25th 2006, I was contacted by an Associated Press reporter asking for my opinion on the sentencing of a minor sex offender in Nebraska*.I called the reporter and had a conversation with him and offered some comments-some of which were publicized by the news media.After the story about the judges’ decision on sentencing in the case appeared on the Internet –as well as comments attributed to me- I received a call from Matthew S. Campisi, the person who had misrepresented the website – www.nossaonline.org to me as being representative of an incorporated non-profit organization, and who was also the person who claimed to be president of the then fictitious incorporated organization.Mr. Campisi also led me to believe that I was Secretary to this then illusory corporation.** (Please see my ‘Statement’ broadcast on this website)Some of what Campisi stated in that call was:
“Okay Joe, How ya doin’ this is Matt.I just want to touch base with you about the article.Probably as you’re already aware, we’re receiving numerous complaints, uh, that the organization supports child molesters.We’re being called the quote, liberal idiots uh, for the comment that was made, I’m not upset about it, I don’t want to give you the wrong idea, I’m not upset with you for any reason for saying what you said . . . I said I’m not upset about it . . . I’m not upset at all . . .” http://www.supportfortheshort.org/audio_video/mcampcomments.wma
Only a matter of hours later Campisi made this statement on a blog:
Mr. Mangano’s statements are disgusting. We at NOSSA disagree with Mr. Mangano 100% and he has been removed from his position as Secretary with the National organization of Short Statured Adults. We apologize for the pain he has caused.***
Now here is what Campisi wrote to me the next day on May 28, 2006:
Dated: 05/28/2006
Joe,
The Board of Directors of the National Organization of Short Statured Adults, Inc.†wishes to formally request your official resignation from your position as Trustee - Secretary with the National Organization of Short Statured Adults, Inc.† Please respond within 7 days to this message with your official letter of resignation. If we do not hear from you within 7 days, the Board of Directors will consider a formal termination action as stipulated in our provisional by-laws and permitted under New YorkState non-profit corporation law. . . .††
The duplicity here is breathtaking. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
* http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,197103,00.html ** http://www.supportfortheshort.org/audio_video/Statement-1bdcst.wma *** Maybe Campisi should apologize for the pain –HE-has caused instead. † The word ‘Inc.’ in the e-mail message sent to me by Matthew Campisi stands for ‘Incorporated’.It wasn’t until many months later after I had made a complaint to the New York State Attorney General’s office that Matthew Campisi and Christopher Hamre made a mad rush to initiate their previously non-existent corporation.Please see the website for the New York Secretary of States Office – http://dos.state.ny.us and note the date of incorporation for NOSSA, Inc. ††For the non-profit incorporated organization that didn’t exist at the time.
I was walking on the street recently, and I noticed a group of teenagers milling about.There were about seven of them and I noticed that one of them was noticeably shorter (about 5’3’’) than the rest.(I notice these things)He seemed to be a bit ‘left out’ if you want to call it that.All of the others seemed very integrated in the sense that they all seemed vibrant, energetic, albeit a little loud.The short fellow was actually the quietest.One of the others, a kid about 5’11’’, was talking about getting ‘his car’ and driving the others around.One girl (about 5’5’’) suggested that they fit ‘Duane’ in the glove compartment.The others laughed.Duane did not seem to get angry at this, but attempted to change the subject in a rather ham-handed manner.Unfortunately it didn’t work.Someone else in the group made another joke and they went on a roll with it. One of the others grabbed Duane and spun him a little bit, I guess just to show how much more powerful he was.Duane just stood there and tolerated it.What else could he do?He’s just a little shrimp.
(Below I convey the attitude of the typical man or woman towards the short-statured.Keep in mind that some of what is below is not actually expressed overtly.When it is we can be grateful because it conveys the attitude of many more people who do not say, but who feel the same way about the short-statured.)
Hey!We need a group to abuse.That’s all there is to it.There must be one group that is ‘touchable’, harassable, step-onable, beat-upable.That group is short people.Oh don’t tell me about discrimination, I’m tired of hearing about that.Now it’s true that it is evil and racist, misogynist, or homophobic to abuse anyone on the basis of skin-color, sex, sexual orientation or what-have-you.But g_ _ dammit, no one is going to tell us that we can’t exert our dominance over little shrimps.Besides I hate White shrimps as much as Black shrimps or Oriental shrimps. They’re all the same to me.A shrimp is a shrimp.I don’t discriminate.Hey I didn’t make them little shrimps.Don’t blame me.What are we supposed to do now, have affirmative action for these little bastards?Let them get into acting?Hold them up as role-models or something? Let them run the government? Why, I was walking through a doorway the other day and this little runt didn’t want to get out of my way (I have the right to pass first, he’s supposed to get out of my way when he sees a more important, (i.e. taller) person passing and the little bastard got knocked on his little ass, and he deserved it.
Last month I got promoted to general manager.Some little guy in the company thought he was going to get it.Nobody wanted him anyway.Who was going to listen to him?Not me.My wife could beat him up.If we can’t think we’re superior to little bastards, who can we think we’re superior to?
RULES FOR LITTLE SHRIMPS (Courtesy of the Tall or Large)
1)When you see a tall person coming in your direction-get out of the way-you’re only going to get knocked on your ass anyway.
2)When you’re at a party, or on the street, or at a dance, or anywhere for that matter, and you’re speaking to a pretty girl, you must move aside, whenever a taller man comes along and wants her.
3)When you’re at a party, or on the street, or at a dance, or anywhere for that matter, you will not ever be the center of attention.(Actually you’re not going to get any attention at all as long as a bigger man like me is around-little man)
4)When you’re in school, don’t expect we heightist teachers to recognize your talents or abilities, that’s reserved for the big boys.
5)When a bigger boy is harassing you in school don’t come running to your principal, that only proves what a baby you are.
6)Don’t think you’re going to go out with any pretty girls-they’re for us little man.
7)When we call you names like shrimp, runt, little man, pipsqueak, bug, ant, microbe, Mini-me, etc., just stand there and take it.If you try to fight, you’re a troublemaker, and if you tell an authority figure, you need to grow up.
8)When you’re passed over at your company for a taller man or woman, say and do nothing.If you protest, you have emotional problems- or worse.
9) When you’re playing the outfield-even if it’s centerfield-the taller outfielder has the right to call you off-whenever he wants.
10)If you’re being ignored in a group of peers and you try to gain attention by actingassertive you have a ‘short mans complex.’ (Did I say man?-you’re no man)
11) If your relatives mistreat you because you’re the shortest member of the family, just keep giving them your loyalty.You’re nothing anyway.Whatgives you the right to think that you deserve to be treated like everyone else?
12)If you’re ever beaten up on the street, or anywhere for thatmatter in the course of trying to defend yourself, just remember it’s your fault. No one told you to fight. You’re stupid for fighting a bigger guy anyway. Peoplewho fight deserve a beating. (Not the other guy-just you)
13)If you’re treated like a person much younger than you really are-remember-it’s your fault and no one else’s so don’t run to supportfortheshort.org like a llittle baby and write essays.
* The above was taken from a speech the webmaster gave in 2005
2007 promises to be the first full year of supportfortheshort.org.Supportfortheshort.org is the only website on the Internet that reveals the truth about life for the short person in society.Heightism is the most unrecognized prejudice in the world and very, very few people are aware of this.Thanks to supportfortheshort.org more and more people are waking up to life as it has always existed for the short statured.
In 2007 we are going to continue to reveal truths about human height and people’s attitudes toward the short.Many truths revealed on this site are ahead of current thinking.We are confident that the words that sound unusual today will not sound so strange tomorrow.We are also going to reveal deceptions and frauds associated with heightism.The short statured deserve the truth.It seems everywhere one goes in the world there are less than honest people associated with almost everything.Human height is no exception.There are false claims about increasing height and websites have existed for the sole purpose of separating you from your money.Even the webmaster of this site has been a victim.The webmaster will discuss his own trials and tribulations and also the recent deceptions that he’s been a victim of.
Supportfortheshort.org’s mission is making people-short people- aware of heightism because the most important group to educate is the short of stature themselves.They are a very divided group, shielded in their own minds by a lifetime of denial and identifying with their persecutors; attacking each other or those ‘smaller’ than themselves instead of directing their energies in the proper direction.This website is but a step in the right direction.
I like to observe people. The best place to observe them is a large city, such as New York for example. New York probably is the best place to observe people if you want to learn about height and the attitudes towards the short individual-especially the short male. The reason is the diverse population. One can notice not merely one ethnic group or race, but many simultaneously. An astute observer will notice similar phenomena with all ethnic backgrounds and races with respect to height-especially male height.
Go to a place like Times Square. Observe women walking with men. Ask yourself some questions. Do they appear to have some sort of relationship by the way they interact? Does the woman have a wedding ring on her finger? Does the man? Are there children with them? Are they wheeling a baby in a carriage? What is their apparent ethnic background or race? Lastly, if they appear to have some sort of relationship, how tall is he in relation to her?
Do the above today, tomorrow, and the next day and go to different high density population areas. Carry a pen and a pad. Observe for several hours. Note every couple that appears to have a relationship. Write down their approximate heights. Go home and analyze your data. See what your conclusion will be. I can tell you what my observations were. They were these:
In 99+% of male-female relationships whether we’re referring to married couples or two people dating, the male is taller than the female. One will notice more (many more) women with men of another ethnic background or race than one will see a woman with a man her height or shorter. One will see more slim women with overweight men. One will see more good-looking women with men who are not quite as good-looking. In virtually all the above cases the men will be taller, though.
Even though this method is not scientific, my observations have been shown to be the case by other respected writers. In the article written by Jonathan Rauch in the Economist of December 23, 1995 titled, Short guys finish last. Heightism, the article states:
"The universally acknowledged cardinal rule of dating and mate selection is that the male will be significantly taller than his female partner," write Mr. Martel and Mr. Biller. "This rule is almost inviolable." *
The article also states:
“In the 1960s and 1970s, Thomas Gregor, an anthropologist at America's VanderbiltUniversity, lived among the Mehinaku, a tropical forest people of central Brazil who were amazed by such new-fangled gadgets as spectacles. Among the Mehinaku, attractive men should be tall: they are respectfully called wekepei. Woe unto the peritsi, as very short men are derisively called (it rhymes with itsi, the word for penis). Where a tall man is kaukapapai, worthy of respect, the short one is merely laughable. His lack of stature is a moral as well as physical failing, for it is presumed to result from sexual looseness during adolescence.
"No one wants a peritsi for a son-in-law," Mr Gregor writes. By many measures--wealth, chieftainship, frequency of participation in rituals--tall men dominate in tribal life. They hog the reproductive opportunities, too. Mr Gregor looked at the number of girlfriends of Mehi-naku men of varying heights. He found a pattern: the taller the man, the more girl-friends he had. As he explained, "the three tallest men had as many affairs as the seven shortest men, even though their average estimated ages were identical."
Take into consideration the word peritsi. Not only does it rhyme with itsi (the word for penis) but in our own culture very small things are referred to as ‘itsi-bitsi’. Amazing how it just happens to rhyme? Take the word Kaukapapai too. According to the article it means ‘worthy of respect’. Wek-a-PAY and Kau-ka-pa-PAY are the pronunciations, I believe. It’s no coincidence that tall men’s PAY is greater than short men’s PAY in most if not all places on earth. Notice in the above excerpt, “. . . Mr. Gregor looked at the number of girlfriends of Mehinaku men of varying heights. He found a pattern: the taller the man, the more girl-friends he had. As he explained, "the three tallest men had as many affairs as the seven shortest men,** even though their average estimated ages were identical." ” Yet the short male’s “. . . lack of stature is a moral as well as physical failing, for it is presumed to result from sexual looseness during adolescence”. How does the short man’s lack of stature result from sexual looseness in adolescence if he can’t even get a girlfriend? Wouldn’t the tall ‘wekepei’ be much more likely to experience ‘sexual looseness’ since they have so many more sexual opportunities? Since the taller men ‘hog the reproductive opportunities’ as Rauch puts it, how the hell are the short-statured males more likely to be so sexually loose?? Wouldn’t it be the taller wekepei with their myriad opportunities to get laid who would be more likely to be sexually loose? Wouldn’t it be those big, strong, tall wekepei who could get what they wanted, when they wanted it?
The reader does see my point.
When people don’t like someone with a particular physical trait, they very often manufacture reasons to blame them for their plight. It must be their fault. They must have done something to earn what ever it is that the group doesn’t like about them. They deserve it. The Mehinaku of Brazil are no different from Americans, or Chinese or anyone else for that matter when it comes to prejudice against the short of stature, particularly short-statured males. Anyone can fabricate any reason that they choose to degrade a group that currently has no protections-like short-statured people
* Martel and Biller wrote a book titled- Stature and Stigma: The Biopsychosocial Development of Short Males. ** Italics and boldface mine.
