A NEW YEAR IS HERE!!!

The National Organization of Short Statured Adults would like to wish everyone a very healthy and happy new year!!! We have weathered some difficult storms in 2006, but we have emerged standing taller than ever. We are stronger, wiser, and that much more committed to helping short statured people in any way that we can. I don't believe that there is anything that can stop us now. Thank you to all of our new members who have joined us in 2006! Cheers everyone! And may god bless NOSSA!

Happy Holidays from NOSSA

Wishing everyone a very safe and happy holiday season and a wonderful new year - From NOSSA - National Organization of Short Statured Adults.

It's Not Easy

It's not easy being short in a world that favors the tall.

And what makes life even harder for short people is this societal idea that anyone who makes such a statement is suffering from an inferiority complex that they need to just get over. Few people ever question their own beliefs and biases about short people. To do so, might reveal hidden prejudices that they never realized existed.

NOSSA Comments on Today Show Episode

Well, First off, I am very glad that at least the matter is gaining enough attention that a major network like NBC would even consider airing a short piece on heightism. I thought Chris & Ellen were great! Naturally, their interviews were edited in such a way that important points that were made were not shown. I thought Stephen Hall was a disappointment. He seemed to be downplaying the issue. To imply that short statured men rarely face bias in the dating world is laughable! Lester Holt seemed intent on "blowing the theory of heightism out of the water." Sorry, Lester, but there is more to come......

NOSSA ON THE TODAY SHOW!

The National Organization of Short Statured Adults will appear on the NBC Today Show Weekend Edition on Saturday December 2, 2006. The episode is about Stephen Hall's new book, "Size Matters". Chris Hamre & Ellen Frankel were interviewed and a NOSSA Board meeting was filmed. Be sure to tune in!!!

NOSSA Releases Podcast Episode 3 - Short Unity

NOSSA Releases the 3rd episode in the Standing Tall Against Discrimination podcast series. Short Unity will look at factors keeping short statured people from uniting as a group. Guests: Chris Hamre, Steve Goldsmith. Visit http://mattfromnossa.libsyn.com

Martinsville,Virginia Police Agency Believes Short People Can't Be Cops!

Police Chief Michael E. Rogers along with other police and city administrators, believe that if you are under 5 foot 8 inches tall, you are not qualified for police work. Clearly printed in the agencies employment manual,

"The desirable height of applicants shall be at least 5 foot 8 inches without shoes."

Applicants for Police Officer employment must be granted a "waiver" based on having other "desirable" characteristics.

Perfect example of heightism? You betcha!

But don't worry folks. If this travesty of justice is not corrected based on height, it surely will be challenged based on ethnicity or gender someday.

The Height Flight

The highly sought after seats on the height and weight bell-shaped curves are a result of cultural biases that basically say, Most of you flying coach (in the middle) are safe. Our first class members (tall and thin) will be catered to, premier. But those of you who fill in the tails of the short and fat ends, perhaps you'd best fly stand-by. You, we're not so comfortable with.
-p.24, Frankel, Ellen from Beyond Measure, A Memoir about short stature and inner growth.

Trivial Matters?

I looked up the word trivial in the dictionary the other day. Trivial is defined as small and of little importance; insignificant, not large enough to consider or notice. Isn’t it interesting considering the fact that trivial is a word that is so frequently used in response to any serious discussion about heightism? I find the word interesting because it is the same word that I as a short man would use to describe a general attitude directed at short statured adults. Imagine my frustration when not only am I trivialized, but so too are complaints of my being trivialized....trivialized. If heightism is so unimportant and not large enough to consider or notice, why are we injecting our children with human growth hormones to the tune of millions of dollars? Why are we breaking our bones in hopes of gaining 2 inches in increased height with limb-lengthening surgeries? Why are short statured adult men repeatedly reporting being rejected by women solely because of their height? Why are there still height requirements for employment and instances of height discrimination in the workplace still being reported throughout the world? Are we seriously saying that heightism is not important enough to explore? That it is something that we should just ignore? It is time we stopped laughing long enough to start reading the literature that is out there about appearance-based discrimination. It is time that we start encouraging more research into the issue. To those of you who believe firmly that heightism is trivial, what do you have to lose by exploring these matters fully?

New Podcast Episode Released - Dating Dilemma

NOSSA has released the 2nd episode of the podcast series, Standing Tall Against Discrimination. The episode entitled, Dating Dilemma will address the difficulties that short men often face when searching for love. To listen to the broadcast, go to: http://mattfromnossa.libsyn.com/

Tall Club OK Short Club Ludicrous?

I was thinking about the Tall Club International Organization which has about 3,000 members from all over the world and has been in existence since 1938. Why is this organization considered acceptable? normal? a good idea? While our group (a short club) is laughed off and considered an absurd idea. What is the difference between being tall and being short?

Beyond Measure Available September 15th

Beyond Measure: A memoir about short stature and inner growth (Pearlsong Press) by Ellen Frankel LCSW will be released on September 15th. Pick up a copy of the book at http://www.pearlsong.com or call 1-866-4-A-PEARL. This book comes highly recommended by NOSSA. The ISBN number of the book is 978-1-59719-005-3. You can also pick up a copy at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. Visit Ellen's website for more information at: http://www.beyondmeasureamemoir.com/

New Study claims taller are smarter

email: accase@princeton.edu - Anne Case - email: cpaxson@princeton.edu Paxson.

A new study by Anne Case and Christina Paxson of Princeton University published by the National Bureau of Economic Research reports, tall people are just smarter than their height-challenged peers. Click here for paper.

I generally support researchers efforts to find causes for the predicament that we often find ourselves in. Though a lot of people dismissed it, I found merit in the 2001 paper that correlated economic success to height in adolescence

(http://www.ssc.upenn.edu/~persico/research/Papers/short.pdf). But what I've read so far I find very discouraging. In 1994 Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray published "The Bell Curve" which concluded that genetic factors were responsible for making African Americans less intelligent, less successful and more prone to crime than white people. The research was highly ridiculed and the authors labeled as racists.

If a similar study made similar conclusions about any other minority group there would be fierce outrage from those groups and sympathy from many who are not in those groups. So when did it become perfectly acceptable to claim that short people are less intelligent than tall people. Do I now have to worry that my employer will think me unqualified for the technical job that I perform because of this study? Should short people give up on higher education and higher paying jobs and just accept their low status in society?

-Steven Goldsmith
Secretary/Treasurer, NOSSA
Editor, ShortSupport.org

Documentary on Short Stature in Pre-Production

A new documentary about short stature is currently in the pre-production phase. The documentary will feature several folks of short stature and their daily struggles and triumphs. NOSSA may be featured in the film. We will keep you posted on the latest developments as they unfold. The film is expected to be released sometime in mid to late 2007.

NOSSA Launches New Podcast Series

NOSSA has launched the first episode of the Standing Tall Against Discrimination series. In episode 1 the National Organization of Short Statured Adults will respond to the comments made by former NOSSA Secretary Joe Mangano about the recent matter of State of Nebraska v. Richard Thompson. Guests will include: NOSSA Vice President Chris Hamre, NOSSA Treasurer and Editor of Short Support Website Steve Goldsmith, and Author Ellen Frankel LCSW. Visit: http://nossaonline.org/podcasts.html to listen in.

NOSSA hosts seminar at NAAFA convention

NOSSA Advisor to the Board of Directors Ellen Frankel LCSW will be presenting a seminar on heightism at the annual convention of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. Mrs. Frankel will be sharing her insights on the issue and also excerpts from her new book entitled, "Beyond Measure" which will be out this Fall from Pearlsong Press. The seminar will be held Thursday August 10, 2006 between 4-5:30PM in Needham, MA. Members of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance are encouraged to attend.

Thanks To All Of Our Supporters

The Members of NOSSA wish to extend our deepest thanks to everyone who has lent their support to this organization over the past few weeks. We have received many letters, emails, and words of encouragement from those who are aware of the importance of our mission. Your words of encouragement mean a great deal to everyone who volunteers their time and money to help people of short stature. We look forward to a positive future....

NOSSA Response to Mangano comments

Statement regarding the Nebraska child molestation case:

"Mr. Joe Mangano's statements are disgusting. We at NOSSA disagree with Mr. Joe Mangano 100% and he has been removed from his position as Secretary with the National Organization of Short Statured Adults. Our organization is appalled by the judge's decision in this case. We apologize for the pain that Joe Mangano has caused. Many people have already formed a negative opinion of our group because of Mr. Joe Mangano. The media has made harsh accusations before getting all the facts. Please be aware the remaining Trustees of our organization have taken the following actions in response to this matter:

1 - Joe Mangano no longer serves as Secretary of NOSSA.
2 - An official apology has been sent on behalf of the organization to various individuals and organizations affected by Mr. Joe Mangano's comments.
3 - A letter has been sent to Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning in support of the maximum penalty for Mr. Thompson.
4 - A donation will be made on behalf of the organization to Nebraska Children and Families Foundation.

Please let us know if we can do more to help. We are so very sorry for Mr. Joe Mangano comments. We hope that this negative incident will not overshadow the good work that we do in support of short statured people. Thank you.

Official Statement

Mr. Joe Mangano's statements are disgusting. We at NOSSA disagree with Mr. Joe Mangano 100% and he has been removed from his position as Secretary with the National Organization of Short Statured Adults. We apologize for the pain he has caused. The future of our organization is uncertain. But you can rest assured that the good people who came together to help short statured adults will never be silenced. We will continue to speak out against heightism regardless of the final outcome of this situation.

The position of NOSSA

Some people mistakenly believe that we are promoting a 'victim mentality'. These people are misunderstanding the position of the National Organization of Short Statured Adults. We encourage our members to take responsibility for their own lives, and we remind them that although we can not always control our circumstances in life, we can always control our response. Our mission is not to promote hostility or anger against those who discriminate against us. Rather, our mission is to educate them; to empower short statured people; to give short statured people assistance wherever and whenever it is needed.

Podcast - Standing Tall Against Discrimination

NOSSA will release it's new podcast program, "Standing Tall Against Discrimination" in July of 2006. Series host Matt C. will launch the new podcast with an episode entitled, "New Beginnings." Matt will discuss the road ahead for the National Organization of Short Statured Adults, and also speculations on the heightism debate in society with guests Chris Hamre and Joe Mangano. The program will air at www.nossaonline.org and also on the official NOSSA blog at http://heightism.blogspot.com

I am not a child

To whom it may concern,

I am not a child.

I am a grown adult. I have paid my dues and earned the right to be treated just like any other adult. I have loved and have had my heart broken. I have experienced all the trials and tribulations of adulthood. I have busted my butt at work. I have survived the onslaught of mounting bills. I have struggled to stay afloat.

How dare you treat me as if I was some punk kid. As if I was inexperienced and incapable of handling any real responsibilities. How dare you talk down to me. Treat me as if I was insignificant. Treat me as if I was immature and naive.

I am no longer afraid to speak up. I am not ashamed to bring attention to myself. I have kept quiet for far too long. What good can come of keeping this all bottled up inside. No, I am not going to let you off the hook that easy. I am going to make you accountable for your actions. I have a complaint and I will shout it out for the world to hear. And if you want to laugh at me I will endure your laughs. Before you know it the laughing will eventually stop. And the listening will begin. So here I am and I'm ready to proclaim,

I am not a child.

- Anonymous

NOSSA Activist of the Year (2006)

NOSSA has awarded Steven Goldsmith, editor of the Short Support website and Treasurer of the National Organization of Short Statured Adults, with the Heightism Activist of the Year award for 2006. Mr. Goldsmith is a pioneer in the effort to discuss the issue of heightism openly and provide support and encouragement to all folks of short stature. The National Organization of Short Statured Adults wishes to express our sincere gratitude and respect to Mr. Goldsmith for his hard work and dedication to this cause.

http://www.shortsupport.org

I don't want to make an issue out of it.

A short man posts, "The problem is no (or vanishingly few) short men are proud of the fact that they are short. People can stand up easily to say they are black, a woman, or gay and proud of it. They are willing to proclaim this publically,encouraging their comrades to be equally forthright in condemnation of the prejudice that afflicts them. As a result, very few shorter men will have the courage to say "I'm short. I get problems from many people because of it." Shortness is perceived by society generally as a weakness, and many short men will also feel this about themselves. It is something they want to pretend doesn't exist, or at least doesn't apply to themselves. The last thing to do would be to bring attention to oneself over the fact." - Will this ever change? Will you be the rare short person with the courage to stand tall against discrimination? Can we learn to be proud of who we are...short height and all?

Real Life Experience

My father and I come from opposite ends of the political spectrum. I am on the left, and he is to the extreme right. He has always dismissed discrimination complaints as wild exaggerations from lazy people seeking a free ride. He has no interest in the rights of blacks, jews, women, or gays. Why should he? He is an upper-class, catholic, straight, white male. But something happened to him in his older years, which made him (only for a brief moment) aware of what it's like to be a victim of discrimination, and to see life from another angle. After his retirement and well into his 60's, he applied for a position with a large company. I will not get into the specifics, but he was denied employment and the facts of the case led him to believe that he was a victim of age discrimination. He was infuriated. After all, he had absolutely no control over his age. How could this happen to him? His outrage turned to activism and he filed complaints with both the EEOC and his elected representatives. But his complaints, for the most part, fell on deaf ears. He soon realized that this sort of thing happens, and when it does, there is little that can be done about it, even when there are laws on the books. People dismiss such claims as meritless, even when there is merit. They dismiss victims of discrimination as exaggerators or spiteful people seeking to punish employers for failing to hire them. The fact of the matter is, the EEOC wrapped up his case in a few days. Do you know what they did? They talked to the employer and then rendered their decision. Did they expect the employer to admit they committed age discrimination? Hardly an "investigation" in any sense of the word. I'm sorry my father had to experience this. It sure sucks doesn't it Dad? He still believes height discrimination is ridiculous. But then again, he has never experienced that for himself....

Arguments against heightism discussions

I've heard the arguments against our cause. "Heightism is real, but trivial." "Spare me the liberal victim mentality." "This is nothing that a little confidence and a positive attitude can't cure." "This is all in your head." Blah, Blah, Blah....

We at NOSSA are preparing to put these beliefs to a test. Is this really a trivial matter? Can heightism be eradicated with a change of attitude? Is this really all in our heads?
Please join us as we tackle this issue at http://www.nossaonline.org

Thank You Michael

UK Activist Michael Calwell is a pioneer in the movement to bring heightism to light. He states, "I have detected a seam of prejudice running through the whole of society regarding short people, short men especially. It involves a whole bunch of perceptions regarding physical and emotional strength, intelligence, competence, leadership and judgement. It's in the media, in people's minds, in the workplace - almost everywhere. And it's damaging and hurting countless decent, strong, able and intelligent people. " "I've never had, or will have a chip on my shoulder about my height. All I'm trying to do is challenge the assumptions people make about short people. I no more want to be taller than I want to be a fish. " Speaking to members of the Tall Club he states, "Does society look at you and say "They're so insecure, they've set up a club". No. But the minute I start talking about shortness, I have that kind of abuse hurled at me. Of course, that's par for the course when fighting prejudice. I can live with that. That's just part of the prejudice. Black people were called 'uppity n*ggers' when they confronted a white society with its bigotry. Heaven knows what abuse was hurled at the Pankhursts."

Righteous Anger

I was watching a Bill Maher comedy special recently and Maher started off the show by telling the audience, "I am angry about alot of things. I'll tell you what I'm mostly pissed off about. I'm mostly pissed off that not enough people are pissed off."
-Matt

short story

One time in college I was assigned to complete a group project for class. The group consisted of several people, including a white male who was about 5 foot 10 and a rather confident ex-military guy who was about 5 foot 4 inches tall. The short ex-military guy was very assertive and confident. He was a natural leader and he quickly tried to gain control of the group and lead us. He succeeded and was able to lead us to the completion of the project.
He was hated by the other members of the group. I had no feelings towards him. I simply wanted to graduate with a good grade. One day, the 5 foot 10 inch white male I mentioned earlier, started to make fun of the guy to the other members of the group (after the short guy had left). He started making a squeaking mouse voice and he pretended to imitate the guy. "C'mon guys" he squeaked. "I know what to do. I'm a little twerp." He said. Everybody started laughing but me. I remember looking at the guy and he had this look of anger and disgust in his eyes. I really saw that it bothered him to be led by someone who he felt superior to. I never forgot that moment.

Where are we headed

NOSSA is a united organization of short men and women from around the globe, committed to opposing heightism in society, providing a supportive environment in which to share experiences, and promoting the message of self-empowerment for all of its members.

-Disseminate knowledge pertaining to the sociological, psychological, legal, medical, and physiological aspects of short stature as it becomes known.
-Encourage research by responsible professionals concerning the above aspects of short stature.
-To promote the acceptance of people of short stature in society.
-Serve as a forum in which important problems affecting short statured adults can be openly discussed in a climate unbiased by imposed aesthetic standards and in which solutions to these problems can be discovered and acted upon.
-Work toward demanding equal opportunity for short statured adults wherever obstacles and discrimination exist.

Organization Objectives
Immediate Objectives - Media Attention on topic of heightism.
Attainable Objectives - Growing International Membership.
Visionary Objectives - International Awareness and open dialogue.