# Is Heightism Real? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 29, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-heightism-real/551909 "2010-08-29T19:38:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-heightism-real/551909/81 "2010-09-08T08:20:58Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > > [@asian\_riff](#): > > > > Handicap? In what way is being below average height a handicap? > > It isn’t. Except that they’ll be the victims of heightism. ---
**Author:** ![asian\_riff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecccb3/32.png) [@asian\_riff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asian_riff)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-heightism-real/551909/82 "2010-09-08T23:31:58Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > Except that they’ll be the victims of heightism. I don’t think victims of discrimination are ever referred to as “handicapped”. I believe the term is usually used to denote someone with a disability of some sort. ---
**Author:** ![Stoneburg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Stoneburg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoneburg)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-heightism-real/551909/83 "2010-09-08T23:44:53Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > > [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > > > blah blah blahblah blah blah > > Do you guys have any idea what the other is saying? You’re mixing sarcasm and serious statements. > > Stoneburg - You’re saying short people’s complaints are too loud in proportion to their problem, right? > > Clockwork - You think Stoneburg is a racist because of some other thread, and referencing short ‘white’ men instead of short men, right? > > Stoneburg - Do you understand the Asian reference? Asians are reputed to be bad drivers. He’s presuming that you believe that. > > Clockwork - I didn’t receive any faxes. I did not understand the Asian reference. Now that you point it out I do recall that Asians being bad drivers is a prejudice that exists in the US. I don’t think we have any prejudice about driving/ethnicity here. As far as your description of me, you are correct. ---
**Author:** ![Stoneburg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Stoneburg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoneburg)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-heightism-real/551909/84 "2010-09-08T23:47:27Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > > [@TriPolar](#): > > > > blah blah blah > > He said that short white men are the ones who stand around complaining. That is, short black men and short white women don’t stand around complaining. My original intent wasn’t even to make a big deal out of it, just to point out how funny it was considering that he was trying so adamantly to figure out if he was racist in other threads. He’s got the answer now. I wasn’t trying to adamantly figure out if I was racist. I was trying (not so adamantly) to figure out if I was somehow being prejudiced in a discriminating way. I’ve always known I am not a racist, I was worried that I was being bigoted without realising it, because as it turns out, I did not understand that cultural context. Big surprise there. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-heightism-real/551909/85 "2010-09-09T06:54:11Z")
> [@asian\_riff](#): > > > [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > > > Except that they’ll be the victims of heightism. > > I don’t think victims of discrimination are ever referred to as “handicapped”. I believe the term is usually used to denote someone with a disability of some sort. I use the term “handicap” for other purposes besides disabilities and I believe the person who first used the term in this thread was doing likewise. > [@Stoneburg](#): > > I wasn’t trying to adamantly figure out if I was racist. I was trying (not so adamantly) to figure out if I was somehow being prejudiced in a discriminating way. Oh, you weren’t trying to figure out if you were racist but if you were “being prejudiced in a discriminating way”, my bad. ---
**Author:** ![Stoneburg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Stoneburg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoneburg)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-heightism-real/551909/86 "2010-09-09T21:46:09Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > > [@Stoneburg](#): > > > > I wasn’t trying to adamantly figure out if I was racist. I was trying (not so adamantly) to figure out if I was somehow being prejudiced in a discriminating way. > > Oh, you weren’t trying to figure out if you were racist but if you were “being prejudiced in a discriminating way”, my bad. Well, if like me, you’re not born perfect but rather a developing human being always looking to improve your knowledge and challenging your beliefs, it’s probably natural to try to figure that out. Of course if you’ve already achieved total knowledge and perfection of ethics and beliefs, it might look silly or easily be misinterpreted. Unfortunately, I’m not there yet. ---
**Author:** ![asian\_riff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecccb3/32.png) [@asian\_riff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asian_riff)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-heightism-real/551909/87 "2010-09-10T00:03:49Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > > [@asian\_riff](#): > > > > I don’t think victims of discrimination are ever referred to as “handicapped”. I believe the term is usually used to denote someone with a disability of some sort. > > I use the term “handicap” for other purposes besides disabilities and I believe the person who first used the term in this thread was doing likewise. How odd. ---
**Author:** ![Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walker_in_Eternity)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-heightism-real/551909/88 "2010-09-13T09:10:40Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > Male, 6’2", well educated, middle class, white, christian! I should own the world but I don’t. > > Yes average tall people [5’10" to 6’4"] are more prevalant in power type jobs. Maybe it is because we have a physical presence that influences people, I don’t know but it must be a bummer being under 6’ at a rock concert! True, I’m short and have virtually given up going to concerts these days because I can never see the band and people generally seem ruder than in the past. My first concert was Iron Maiden in 1986, when I was 16, and given that the average rocker was taller than me they kindly moved aside and lte me get to the front as they could see over me anyway. That would never happen now. I think it’s true that shorter people have less self confidence, generally I don’t condsider myself hideous, but taller people seem to have more partners and end up with more attractive people. I’m not sure about the work issue, maybe it’s true, but since I’m not that ambitous I don’t want to climb to the top of the ladder. Is that a side effect of being short? Is it a lack of desire to try and fail? ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-heightism-real/551909/89 "2010-09-13T12:34:13Z")
> [@asian\_riff](#): > > > [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > > > I use the term “handicap” for other purposes besides disabilities and I believe the person who first used the term in this thread was doing likewise. > > How odd. Never heard of a golf handicap or a race handicap, I take it. A handicap is any disadvantage. That was the meaning before we started calling handicapped people handicapped officially. In the famous short story _Harrison Bergeron_ society has achieved equality because of the handicappers, people who go around handicapping everyone with natural advantages. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-heightism-real/551909.md?page=4)