Did you even read the posts prior to this? What the hell, dude?
I have never interpreted the seven dwarfs as not human. There isn’t anything about them that makes me think they aren’t human.
One of my favorite movies is The Year of Living Dangerously, where she plays a man of her height (which is 4’9", incidentally). Furthermore, it’s an Asian man. She won an Oscar for the role. The movie had no objections to it when it came out (for instance, none to Mel Gibson) other than its criticism of Sukarno, which caused it to be banned in Indonesia until 2000.
I don’t remember how I interpreted them before my perspective was influenced by Tolkien and other sources (e.g. Dungeons & Dragons, the Chronicles of Narnia) in which dwarfs/dwarves were a separate “race” or type of creature from humans.
I’ve never really thought about whether they were human or not— they were always lopped in my head in a general fantasy forest creature category like elves and trolls or even smurfs. Are elves human? They sure look it to me, but I don’t think of them as such. Same category as dwarfs. Whatever the case, I did not think of them as the little people I would see by the bar near my cousin’s house growing up.
For better or worse, it would now.
I think the important thing is that Peter Dinklage identifies with the Dwarf characters in Snow White, and he doesn’t like their portrayal. It doesn’t matter whether we identify those characters with him or if we think that portrayal is negative or not.
What gives me pause is I’m not sure Dinklage is accurately remembering Disney’s Snow White, with the apparent confusion about where they live. And he is not necessarily impartial, given that he is a famous actor who may be in negotiations to appear in the upcoming production. I’d like to hear from a wider range of voices.
OK, if you insist.
“Living in a cave” is close enough to “working in a mine” for a comment about an 80 year old cartoon.
One thing I’m curious about, was “dwarf” an often used label for little people in the 1930s? Or was it generally used to describe fantasy characters? I’m old enough to remember when the most common label for people with dwarfism was (the now cringe worthy) “midget” and fairy tales were the domain of dwarfs.
A dwarf is an extremely short adult who is less than 58 inches tall. The word midget is considered derogatory and offensive. Both words describe a short person, but refer to different physical characteristics and genetic conditions.
“Midget” refers to a person who is very short, but normally proportioned. The term midget is now rarely used and is considered offensive. But its usage was very common until the end of the twentieth century. It has given way to “short person” or “little person”.
“Dwarf” refers to a person with one of several varieties of a specific genetic condition called dwarfism. A dwarf has disproportion of body parts. This is generally caused by a genetic or nutritional disability. Any adult human below the height of 4’10" (147 cm) is considered a dwarf. With reference to legends or folklore, a dwarf is considered a legendary creature resembling a tiny old man, who lives in the depths of the earth and guards buried treasure.
nevermind
I know all that, but what was the usage 80 years ago outside of pedants and the medical community? For example, did any of the actors who played Munchkins call themselves “dwarfs”?
ETA - I just realized Munchkins are a bad example since actors with achondroplasia were not cast. But my question stands. Was “dwarf” the term used for and by people with that condition back then?
The memorable song they sang was all about them going from their home to their mine.
But it’s quite possible Dinklage simply misspoke. The problem is the only specific complaint I’ve seen from him does not match what’s in the movie. I’d wish he’d use his soapbox more effectively.
But they are not “small people”. They are mythical fantasy humanoids, not humans. They aren’t short because of dwarfism or any thing like that, they are short because that entire species is short. There is no dehumanizing,, as they are not human. Nor are gnomes, brownies, elves, centaurs, fauns, etc.
And they are caring.
He also objects to the fact they “live in a mine”- which they do not, so he hasn’t even seen the film he is bitching about.
Yeah, “Midget” was the common term.
My aunts under 4’10" were not considered to be dwarfs. They were considered to be Italian. Times change.
Whether they’re fairy-tale creatures or humans with small stature may not be the main point. I think the main point, if I’m understanding Dinklage, is how they’re depicted.
A Disney-traditional depictions would be, “oh, they’re little men, so they’re unthreatening and desexualized and comic relief!” I can see how that depiction would be super annoying.
A German folklore depiction would be, “Oh, they’re little men who are deeply tied to the earth and whose work with mining is second to none!” Given Dinklage’s work in the MCU, I suspect he’d be more okay with that depiction.
I wonder if Disney has reached out to him privately.
Remember, this is the same guy who played the little person in both versions of Death at a Funeral as well as Simon Bar-Sinister in Underdog. 
I can’t help feeling that Mr. Dinklage is a little off base on this one. Are the dwarfs in Snow White really hurtful stereotypes?
Apparently they are to Mr. Dinklage.
They sure seem that way to me. They’re clearly adult males, but they’re desexualized comic relief, in the same way that oompa loompas and munchkins and the Spinal Tap dwarfs and countless other little people on film are made out to be.
I was looking for articles on the subject, and I came across a couple that talked about problematic gender roles in Snow White. They talked about Snow White’s gender expectation, and the wicked queen’s gender stereotypes, and Prince Charming’s stereotypes–but even these critical guides to gender in the fairy tale ignored the dwarves’ gender. That’s how de-gendered they are.
I get why Dinklage is pissed.
Dude was speaking off the cuff in a podcast. The fact that he misspoke means his entire argument is invalidated?