# The word 'midget' vs. the word 'dwarf' **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 10, 2000, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-midget-vs-the-word-dwarf/40579 "2000-11-10T02:13:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Anti\_Pro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Anti\_Pro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anti_Pro)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-midget-vs-the-word-dwarf/40579/1 "2000-11-10T02:13:14Z")
I’m not sure if this ought to be in GQ, or not, but here goes. I watched a special on PBS about ‘midgets’ and how they don’t like being called that, and preferred ‘little people’. Okey dokey, I’ve no problem with that. However, I thought I remembered that a ‘midget’ was an exact miniature of the human body, while a ‘dwarf’ was misshapen, and tended to have physical problems too. There was no distinction drawn in the special, but does anyone else remember learning anything similiar??? ---
**Author:** ![Myrr21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Myrr21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrr21)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-midget-vs-the-word-dwarf/40579/2 "2000-11-10T02:19:52Z")
That’s what I was taught; don’t know if it’s right. I do remember having a model in my figure drawing class who was a dwarf. He didn’t want to be called anything but… (he could also play Mac the Knife and East St Louis Toodle on the accordian). ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-midget-vs-the-word-dwarf/40579/3 "2000-11-10T02:23:08Z")
Strictly speaking, a dwarf is not the same as a midget. A dwarf is someone whose limbs (arms and legs) are abnormally short. His head and torso can be as large as anyone else’s. A midget, on the other hand, is small all over. “Little people,” on the other hand, is a polite phrase that is widely preferred by both dwarves and midgets. ---
**Author:** ![Anti\_Pro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Anti\_Pro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anti_Pro)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-midget-vs-the-word-dwarf/40579/4 "2000-11-10T04:03:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astorian \* > \*\*Strictly speaking, a dwarf is not the same as a midget. A dwarf is someone whose limbs (arms and legs) are abnormally short. His head and torso can be as large as anyone else’s. A midget, on the other hand, is small all over. > > “Little people,” on the other hand, is a polite phrase that is widely preferred by both dwarves and midgets. \*\* It’s nice to know I didn’t just make this stuff up! \*\* astorian, \*\* since you’re acknowledging the differences physically between a ‘midget’ and a ‘dwarf’, I can understand calling them both ‘little people’, but do you know if there is a medical term to differentiate between the two?? \*\* Myrr21, \*\* I guess I hadn’t thought of these being ‘demeaning’, though I now can see why they could be taken that way. How did it come up in your drawing class? When the model was introduced?? ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-midget-vs-the-word-dwarf/40579/5 "2000-11-10T06:16:44Z")
I could see how those words could be demeaning- particularly dwarf with its connotation of ugly and misshapen (although it might be helpful if the local kids suspected you could cast spells). But I would think “little people” would be just as bad. As in “I’d like to thank all the little people…”. Or “Ignore them, they’re just little people with tiny minds.” I mean, couldn’t you end up with just as much connotation of insignifigent and petty as you did before? I dunno. Personally I think they should have done like the chicks and the queers and embraced the names. ---
**Author:** ![Carina42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Carina42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carina42)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-midget-vs-the-word-dwarf/40579/6 "2000-11-10T10:58:46Z")
My medical dictionary defines “midget” as someone who is abnormally small, yet well-proportioned." Dwarf is “a person of unusually small stature; one whose bodily proportions are abnormal.” I have also heard the term “little people” is preferred, but that sounds odd & demeaning to me. I was discussing this very thing with someone yesterday; I’d like to know what the preferred term is. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2000, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-midget-vs-the-word-dwarf/40579/7 "2000-11-11T00:56:22Z")
There are several different medical syndromes that can result in short stature. IIRC, “midget” is officially people who are small because of a deficiency in their production of Human Growth Hormone. Now that said hormone can be produced artifically, children identified with that problem are given the hormone, and true midgets are rare today. ---
**Author:** ![popokis5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@popokis5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/popokis5)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2000, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-midget-vs-the-word-dwarf/40579/8 "2000-11-11T01:12:34Z")
For medical terminology, dysplasia and hyperplasia are used a lot for dwarfism…there are over 875 types of dwarfism. ---
**Author:** ![Anti\_Pro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Anti\_Pro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anti_Pro)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2000, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-midget-vs-the-word-dwarf/40579/9 "2000-11-11T05:17:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Carina42 \* > \*\*My medical dictionary defines “midget” as someone who is abnormally small, yet well-proportioned." Dwarf is “a person of unusually small stature; one whose bodily proportions are abnormal.” > > I have also heard the term “little people” is preferred, but that sounds odd & demeaning to me. I was discussing this very thing with someone yesterday; I’d like to know what the preferred term is. \*\* \*\* Carina42 \*\* well, that’s what the special was about, the preferred term is ‘little people’. Which I still thought, odd, especially because other than their size, there are some differences and health concerns relating to their ‘conditions’. Watching the show though, made me think how I used to think 5’4" was short, and that I hated going for the dining room chair everytime I needed a plate on the top shelf. But, after watching ‘little people’ just struggle to reach a sink, sure changes my perspective! ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2000, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-midget-vs-the-word-dwarf/40579/10 "2000-11-11T05:37:08Z")
Senior in my high school last year was whatever you wish to call him. Looked like a little kid, body like that midget that hangs out and raps with Kid Rock, but face showed his age unlike the rapper guy. Nice guy! Don’t know what he preferred to be called. He was just Scott. ---
**Author:** ![Homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2000, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-midget-vs-the-word-dwarf/40579/11 "2000-11-11T18:39:33Z")
His name’s Joe C, the C stands for Cool. –Tim ---
**Author:** ![MysterEcks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@MysterEcks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysterEcks)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2000, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-midget-vs-the-word-dwarf/40579/12 "2000-11-11T22:51:18Z")
A few years back I ended up hanging around for awhile with a group of 12- and 13-year-olds online–I’m very immature, so I was a good fit. I noticed that they tended to refer to themselves as “little people,” as opposed to “kids” or “children.” Not that this factoid has anything to do with the matter at hand, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Anti\_Pro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Anti\_Pro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anti_Pro)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2000, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-midget-vs-the-word-dwarf/40579/13 "2000-11-12T00:29:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MysterEcks \* > \*\*A few years back I ended up hanging around for awhile with a group of 12- and 13-year-olds online–I’m very immature, so I was a good fit. I noticed that they tended to refer to themselves as “little people,” as opposed to “kids” or “children.” > > Not that this factoid has anything to do with the matter at hand, of course. \*\* Nah, it’s got NOTHING to do with the subject OR your hand, but hey, it’s good to see you posting, no matter which hand you’d like to talk about!!! ---
**Author:** ![Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Goose)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2000, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-midget-vs-the-word-dwarf/40579/14 "2000-11-12T01:55:58Z")
Duh. I thought everyone knew that a midgit is just a small human and a dwarf is a short, stocky little humanoid who loves good ale. They also make great blacksmiths. ---
**Author:** ![Anti\_Pro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Anti\_Pro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anti_Pro)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2000, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-midget-vs-the-word-dwarf/40579/15 "2000-11-12T03:23:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Goose \* > \*\*Duh. I thought everyone knew that a midgit is just a small human and a dwarf is a short, stocky little humanoid who loves good ale. They also make great blacksmiths. \*\* And a ‘goose’ is what gets cooked, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-midget-vs-the-word-dwarf/40579/16 "2000-11-19T13:05:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Homer \* > \*\*His name’s Joe C, the C stands for Cool. > > –Tim \*\* And now he’s dead, poor sod. If you didn’t already know. Whatever the condition was that made him short, also made his life short. Peacefully in his sleep, at age 26. Very unfortunate.