I’m really not trying to offend anybody with this one: I’m not even sure if it’s “dwarf” or “midget” is appropriate here, or if there’s an entirely other new word that I’m supposed to use instead (midget especially sounds like it’s probably not PC anymore, but I don’t know any better words.)
Are there more dwarfs in Japan than, say, America?
The reason I ask is this: I’ve been reading this really awful, schlocky, unintentionally hilarious manga, Sanctuary. It’s about politics and the underworld and a strange conspiracy of people who look a lot like Elvis. I’m a bit embarassed even to read it, because it’s so craptastic, but I can’t put it down. I’m hooked through the gills. The people who write Lone Wolf and Cub are probably mocking me to no end. But, this series seems to have a surprising number of these people. The first one to show up is the Evil, Evil Toadlike Politician, which made me really uncomfortable, since I was worried they were equating these traits, but then showed up one of the brash young dietmen and somebody who’s either the chief of police or something similar. They’re not just exceptionally short in a country of people shorter than I - the Brash Young Dietman especially seems to be drawn with emphasis on his large head and relatively smaller body. Now, I don’t know how many small people there are in America, and I’ve met a few of course, but only a few - this seems like a lot, statistically speaking. What’s more, nobody comments on it at all in the manga - even about Evil Politician, and you’d think Tokai at least would have some choice insults about him if it were something you noticed and just didn’t mention, like I first thought. But, I haven’t seen this trend in any of the rest of the manga I’ve been reading.
So, are there more dwarfs/midgets/little people in Japan? What about other places in the world? Do attitudes toward such groups differ in other cultures? In America, it seems to be seen as some sort of disability - is that the case in other countries? Is there some reason they’d be depicted more in a story about politics and crime, like you might see “token” characters of different races in an American political drama? I’ve been wondering about this since the first volume, and I’ve just got to find out. Surely somewhere here in such a diverse, intelligent community somebody knows and wants to tell me!
Dwarf and midget are broad terms cause I know a kid who is a Quadraplastic(spelling? two words?) which means his legs and arms are REALLY short while he has a really big chest. They said it is like having your arms end at your elbows and your legs end at your kneecaps. Sad… Well that’s my 2cp