Short men: The litmus test for discrimination

In these times, when everyone is trying so hard to be politically correct and not offend anyone or any group of people or face the social consequences, it can really be difficult to tell who the prejudice people really are.

However, the way short people are treated, especially men, can be a great indicator of the prejudice that is really out there.   Since it seems acceptable to constantly bash and insult short people, society is taking full advantage of it, maybe even more so now that most other forms of discrimination are frowned upon.  These hateful, prejudice people need somewhere to direct their hate and discord.

Look at Twitter's #heightismreport, a classic example of. people letting fly with their short men hatred.  Yet, if the same remarks were directed at them based on their race, gender or sexual orientation, there'd be trouble!  People have been disciplined and even terminated from their employment for disparaging people on social media...well... with the exception of short men.

Besides social media,there are many other sources that spew heightism.  Television programs depicting short men as losers, radio hosts making disparaging comments, news outlets, other internet sites where people can chime in and insult short men when height wasn't even brought into the article that a reader or readers was viewing.

Short men are disrespected at the workplace;. held back from promotions and if they do so happen to advance to a leadership/management role, people label them with a complex even though they are just doing what they are supposed to do, just like their taller peers.

Shorter boys continue to face bullying on the school playground and are mocked because of their small stature.   Those in authority look the other way because there is no pressure for them to intervene on the child's behalf, as there is pressure to stop the bullying if the child is being targeted based on their race, sexual orientation or gender identity.   Now, these shorter boys can come home to seek some relief from the bullying only to go onto Facebook and get exposed to more verbal and emotional abuse...based on a characteristic they can't control..

Dating is and will always be a challenge for shorter men, more than it is for anyone else.  Women constantly stress their desire for taller men, even on the "Christian" dating site E-Harmony where substance is supposed to be important.  Even the founder, Neil Clark Warren, said in an interview one time that they "don't match women with shorter men because the women complain."  Yet, don't be a man and say you don't want a woman who weighs above a certain weight because then you are a pig.

Shorter men face social ostracism constantly, sadly, it could even be from family or friends who are looking to climb the social ladder by putting down their shorter relative or maybe even good friend.

I have experienced all these things myself and it just never ceases to amaze me how, when I take exception to the disrespect and outright discrimination, I am the one with the problem.  I, and other short men, will continue to be labeled unfairly until we can get laws in place to protect us, just as other groups have laws in place to protect them. (notice how disparate treatment against them is no longer their problem; now you have to go the other way to make sure they aren't offended; some want special treatment while short people just want equal treatment)

So, it is safe to say that there is still plenty of prejudice out there; just because people may seem more tolerant or accepting doesn't mean it isn't there.   They can get away with it against short men, so, they'll keep doing it until there are consequences to it.   Why won't there be?  Because it is another form of discrimination that people have to tackle and instead of admitting it exists (even though it is so widely practiced),they will deny it and say that short people imagine it.  See, that way they can keep on doing it, because if society acknowledges its existence, it needs to take the proper steps to alleviate it or be labeled as hypocrites, since it apparently frowns on all forms of discrimination.

On an individual basis, there may be some sort of awareness though, besides from short men.  When women go into sperm banks and demand that their donors be tall because they want tall kids, since there will be better opportunities for them.  Or, when mothers want to give their short boys growth hormone so that they can catch up to their taller peers and not be singled out for bullying.  Hmmm... now why would they do that  unless they knew there was unfair treatment taking place?  Doubtful though, that these same women would back legislation to stop that same unfair treatment.

Heightism is the wrong that society doesn't want to make right!