Back in 1989, the state of Florida began a ban on dwarf tossing in bars and clubs. The penalties were fines or a loss of license for establishments engaging in this demeaning.practice.
Now, a state representative by the name of Ritch Workman wants to repeal the ban citing the fact that little people need to have gainful employment and a reversal of the ban will put them back to work in a job that he says will make them happy. However, he also states that this practice is very repulsive.
He is right about the latter; it is a demeaning and immoral practice and shouldn't be allowed. I extremely doubt that little people are "happy" with this job. They might be glad to be working but would be more "happy" with a more dignified and conventional position. This practice is very dangerous and exposes them to ridicule and humiliation. While it is true that these little people do choose to participate in this, they only do it out of necessity.
If Mr Workman's position is that they need to do this because they can't find other work, perhaps he should draft a law banning height discrimination so that they can find better and less dangerous employment, instead of having them subject themselves to denigration for probably not very much money and little respect!.
1 - HB 4063 condones the cruel objectification of human beings. It clearly sends a message that it is acceptable in our civilized society to treat little people as if they were objects and to have little regard for their safety and well being.
ReplyDelete2 - The vast majority of little people are not "happy" to participate in "dwarf tossing". Those folks who do engage in this activity do so because they feel they have limited opportunities to earn an income through conventional means. So why aren't we addressing that???
3 - We at NOSSA ask Mr. Ritch Workman why he would choose to put little people "back to work" in such a horrific activity? Why he would champion a cause such as this? Are there not other avenues he could explore to put little people "back to work"?