# In what ways do you THINK people treat you differently because of how you are? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 4, 2003, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-ways-do-you-think-people-treat-you-differently-because-of-how-you-are/159045 "2003-03-04T18:34:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-ways-do-you-think-people-treat-you-differently-because-of-how-you-are/159045/41 "2003-03-06T13:21:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Francesca \* > \*\*I’m 4ft10 and I get talked down to all the time, literally and metaphorically. It’s hard to be taken seriously when you’re under 5ft. > > However, most people that know me for more than, say, a week tend to forget that I’m short. I have a big personality. \*\* Mrs. Starling, an English teacher I had my freshman year of high school, was the same way on both counts. I respected her because she didn’t take any shit. She gave me my first (but not last) school suspension for fighting. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-ways-do-you-think-people-treat-you-differently-because-of-how-you-are/159045/42 "2003-03-06T13:28:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Francesca \* > \*\*However, most people that know me for more than, say, a week tend to forget that I’m short. I have a big personality. \*\* A week? Try half an hour. 😉 Me, because I’m soft-spoken I tend to get treated like a doormat. That’s why I married a loud-spoken woman – so I can sic her on them. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-ways-do-you-think-people-treat-you-differently-because-of-how-you-are/159045/43 "2003-03-06T14:06:44Z")
My flaws are that I always think of something good to say after I’ve had a conversation, and people find it strange also, because I don’t like football. Thanks a lot God! ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-ways-do-you-think-people-treat-you-differently-because-of-how-you-are/159045/44 "2003-03-06T14:26:40Z")
**Lizard** - I’m from the South West of England. I have a non-descript, middle-classish southern accent. I live in South Cumbria, way up in the north of England. Most people here have strong Barrow or Lancashire accents. I’ve picked up a touch of Lancashire in the 4 years I’ve lived here, but I still think that people hear my voice and think “stuck up posh bitch” or “poncey rich London whore”. I know I’ll always be an “off-comer” (a person Not From Around Here), but I have a slight paranoia about being percieved as the very worst kind of off-comer. When I think about it rationally, I realise that in fact the local folk round here are actually relatively accepting. When I try to point out that the place where I grew up is actually very similar to the place where I live now, and that I grew up hundreds of miles from London, it seems to help. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-ways-do-you-think-people-treat-you-differently-because-of-how-you-are/159045/45 "2003-03-06T15:12:10Z")
I am not really sure how people perceive me. I know I’ve shocked a few people by cussing. Their eyes get as wide as saucers and they just can’t believe it. I do cuss more than I should, but usually at home, not out and about. I’ve also had people assume that I am “smart and educated”. It isn’t like I’m dumb and uneducated, but I sometimes think they overestimate my knowledge and abilities. I think some of it has to do with my vocabularly. I know that sounds weird to fellow Dopers, because anyone who knows me here knows that my vocabulary is just average. But Dopers are not “average”, are we? I have been told more than once that I “talk funny”. Or, I get odd blank looks at some of the words I use (like “cathartic” or “lascivious”). I mean, come on! That’s just _English_ I’m speakin’ there! I am almost positive that a few times I have used words that my _supervisor_ (who has had more formal education than I have, or at least I assume so) did not understand my vocabulary! How scary is _that?_ And by that I mean, it says something about _him_, not about me and my average and ordinary vocabulary. I also think I get treated with some respect (or in some cases, jealousy amongst the more petty and small-minded) because I am very enthusiastic about my interests. I’ve got a lot of hobbies and interests. People seem to respect my enthusiasm. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-ways-do-you-think-people-treat-you-differently-because-of-how-you-are/159045.md?page=2)