What's wrong with prejudicial attitudes such as heightism?
Well these attitudes often lead to discrimination.
When a short statured person is bullied, rejected by peers and romantic interests, denied job opportunities, etc. there is a problem.
Heightism affects people's lives in negative ways. That is reason enough to discuss and challenge it when it surfaces.
Showing posts with label heightism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label heightism. Show all posts
Monday, May 28, 2012
Sunday, May 27, 2012
It's us not them?
Twitter poster Shane @ SliimSHANEY spent the better part of May 27, 2012 trashing short men on the social networking site.
He posted:
@SLiimSHANEY: if you're 5'10 and shorter and a dude and you not in a circus being a midget or working with willy wonka, you have failed in life.
@SLiimSHANEY: the funniest thing to say to a dude who's short is simply, YOU'RE SO SHORT. n wait, for the reaction.. it's amazing. they hate that shit
@SLiimSHANEY: lil bitter angry dudes symptoms: they get mad very easily, they think they hard as fuck but will run away so fast,yell a lot, easily angered
@SLiimSHANEY: IF YOU'RE SHORTER THAN 5' 9 N YOU'RE A MAN, YOUR LIFE IS TRAGIC.
He was challenged by several short men on his hateful comments and his response:
@SLiimSHANEY: @MrDinBK @BJowersFLA yall are really taking this to seriously, it's ok that you're short. dont cry bout it in my mentions lmfao
@SLiimSHANEY: all his tweets are at random people who have made fun of short people..thats how serious short people syndrome is-> @BJowersFLA
@SLiimSHANEY: i've never seen a short dude so angry that he's short that he dedicated a twitter to defending short people till @BJowersFLA @'d me
@SLiimSHANEY: thats not activism , you're just short. RT: @BJowersFLA
You've never heard of activism or advocating for a cause, which is pretty sad.
@SLiimSHANEY: @BJowersFLA it was a joke, none of the other million short dudes took it seriously they're all comfortable with being short unlike you
A joke? Taking it too seriously?
Doesn't sound very funny to us. In fact it sounds downright hateful. This is heightism.
He posted:
@SLiimSHANEY: if you're 5'10 and shorter and a dude and you not in a circus being a midget or working with willy wonka, you have failed in life.
@SLiimSHANEY: the funniest thing to say to a dude who's short is simply, YOU'RE SO SHORT. n wait, for the reaction.. it's amazing. they hate that shit
@SLiimSHANEY: lil bitter angry dudes symptoms: they get mad very easily, they think they hard as fuck but will run away so fast,yell a lot, easily angered
@SLiimSHANEY: IF YOU'RE SHORTER THAN 5' 9 N YOU'RE A MAN, YOUR LIFE IS TRAGIC.
He was challenged by several short men on his hateful comments and his response:
@SLiimSHANEY: @MrDinBK @BJowersFLA yall are really taking this to seriously, it's ok that you're short. dont cry bout it in my mentions lmfao
@SLiimSHANEY: all his tweets are at random people who have made fun of short people..thats how serious short people syndrome is-> @BJowersFLA
@SLiimSHANEY: i've never seen a short dude so angry that he's short that he dedicated a twitter to defending short people till @BJowersFLA @'d me
@SLiimSHANEY: thats not activism , you're just short. RT: @BJowersFLA
You've never heard of activism or advocating for a cause, which is pretty sad.
@SLiimSHANEY: @BJowersFLA it was a joke, none of the other million short dudes took it seriously they're all comfortable with being short unlike you
A joke? Taking it too seriously?
Doesn't sound very funny to us. In fact it sounds downright hateful. This is heightism.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Think About It
Howard Goldberg (the director of the movie Short & Male) made a powerful statement while promoting his film when he said,
"I mean, I say in the film that the worst thing you can do is think about being short. But I also wonder if the worst thing you can do is not think about it."
What do you think about this statement?
"I mean, I say in the film that the worst thing you can do is think about being short. But I also wonder if the worst thing you can do is not think about it."
What do you think about this statement?
Friday, November 16, 2007
Message From NOSSA Chairman
Members of NOSSA,
I want to thank you for your support of NOSSA in 2007. Your support is very much appreciated. I am also contacting you today to ask you if you would please consider supporting us with a voting membership in our group in 2008. I want to tell you more about what NOSSA is doing to support short statured people and also how much your voting membership helps.
NOSSA is a united organization of short men and women from around the globe, promoting the message of self-empowerment for all of its members, providing a supportive environment in which to share experiences, and committed to opposing heightism in society.
You might be asking yourself, well what exactly does that mean or in what ways does NOSSA do all of this? Well allow me to elaborate further:
There are many people in the world who struggle with issues related to their height. Some experience height discrimination at work, school, or when it comes to finding love. Some face psychological and/or physical bullying. Others have even considered suicide. Sometimes it’s just a matter of feeling a bit inadequate, or for others it could involve a profound feeling of shame. As a short statured man or woman you know exactly what’s it’s been like for you to live as an adult of below average height. Whether your experiences have been extremely tough or not so bad, you still have something to give and receive with a membership in NOSSA. At NOSSA we are all about supporting each other. If you are having a rough time, we are here to listen and support you. If you feel you have overcome certain obstacles in life, why not give something back by sharing your insights with people who are dealing with similar struggles? We are creating a community of people who truly understand and are going to listen and support you without any fear of being judged or dismissed.
At NOSSA, you set your own level of involvement. You can be very active and attend organization meetings and events, or you can simply communicate through the internet on our message forums or through e-mail. Either way you are sure to make some lasting friendships with people who share something in common with you. It’s comforting to know that you can always pick up the phone and call the group or a member when you really need someone to talk to that understands.
By now, I’m sure you know what heightism is. It’s an awful prejudice that many people simply don’t understand or even care to understand. We want to change that. We want people to understand exactly what heightism is so they can begin to re-evaluate their own beliefs about short stature. Is it really so horrible to be short? Well, yeah it can be, but it has very little to do with actually being short and mostly to do with how most of society perceives short stature and also how we might perceive it. See it’s all a matter of perception and perceptions can change. So maybe what short statured people really need is a good PR campaign? Well, that’s part of what we hope to accomplish. Let’s join together to spread the message that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being short.
At NOSSA we are disseminating knowledge about short stature to the public and encouraging more responsible research about short stature. We also promote the acceptance of short stature in everything that we do. We are committed to assisting children and young adults who are struggling with heightism. We are also monitoring the media to address negative messages that are carelessly being perpetuated about short statured people. What happens when people face height discrimination at work or are scammed by some bogus growth enhancement product? NOSSA is able to help our members with these types of problems.
Most alarming to us is the increase in the use of “cosmetic” human growth hormone injections in short but otherwise healthy kids and in an increase in painful leg lengthening procedures. It’s amazing what people are willing to do to gain a few extra inches in height. Would it upset or surprise you to learn that the United States Government approves of this? See, these kids don’t need any extra growth hormone. There bodies are healthy and make all the hGH they need. But the kids are given these injections so they can grow taller, so they can someday grow to “normal” height. The risks include the possibility of certain cancers developing, hypertension, spontaneous bone fractures, headaches, fevers, stomach problems, vomiting, impaired glucose tolerance, and kidney damage. Do you agree that there is something wrong with a society that prefers hGH body modification to the full acceptance of short stature?
If you do, we need you to join us and support what it is we are doing. For a mere $35.00 (USD) your membership helps support our activities as mentioned above. Together as a group, we will unite to address problems like these and to support one another in a way unlike anything you have ever experienced before. But the group cannot do this without you. The success of NOSSA depends on you and whether you are willing to step up to the plate and tackle the issue of heightism with us.
Please don’t put it off until later. Join NOSSA Today!
Respectfully,
Matthew Campisi
Chairman/President
NOSSA
I want to thank you for your support of NOSSA in 2007. Your support is very much appreciated. I am also contacting you today to ask you if you would please consider supporting us with a voting membership in our group in 2008. I want to tell you more about what NOSSA is doing to support short statured people and also how much your voting membership helps.
NOSSA is a united organization of short men and women from around the globe, promoting the message of self-empowerment for all of its members, providing a supportive environment in which to share experiences, and committed to opposing heightism in society.
You might be asking yourself, well what exactly does that mean or in what ways does NOSSA do all of this? Well allow me to elaborate further:
There are many people in the world who struggle with issues related to their height. Some experience height discrimination at work, school, or when it comes to finding love. Some face psychological and/or physical bullying. Others have even considered suicide. Sometimes it’s just a matter of feeling a bit inadequate, or for others it could involve a profound feeling of shame. As a short statured man or woman you know exactly what’s it’s been like for you to live as an adult of below average height. Whether your experiences have been extremely tough or not so bad, you still have something to give and receive with a membership in NOSSA. At NOSSA we are all about supporting each other. If you are having a rough time, we are here to listen and support you. If you feel you have overcome certain obstacles in life, why not give something back by sharing your insights with people who are dealing with similar struggles? We are creating a community of people who truly understand and are going to listen and support you without any fear of being judged or dismissed.
At NOSSA, you set your own level of involvement. You can be very active and attend organization meetings and events, or you can simply communicate through the internet on our message forums or through e-mail. Either way you are sure to make some lasting friendships with people who share something in common with you. It’s comforting to know that you can always pick up the phone and call the group or a member when you really need someone to talk to that understands.
By now, I’m sure you know what heightism is. It’s an awful prejudice that many people simply don’t understand or even care to understand. We want to change that. We want people to understand exactly what heightism is so they can begin to re-evaluate their own beliefs about short stature. Is it really so horrible to be short? Well, yeah it can be, but it has very little to do with actually being short and mostly to do with how most of society perceives short stature and also how we might perceive it. See it’s all a matter of perception and perceptions can change. So maybe what short statured people really need is a good PR campaign? Well, that’s part of what we hope to accomplish. Let’s join together to spread the message that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being short.
At NOSSA we are disseminating knowledge about short stature to the public and encouraging more responsible research about short stature. We also promote the acceptance of short stature in everything that we do. We are committed to assisting children and young adults who are struggling with heightism. We are also monitoring the media to address negative messages that are carelessly being perpetuated about short statured people. What happens when people face height discrimination at work or are scammed by some bogus growth enhancement product? NOSSA is able to help our members with these types of problems.
Most alarming to us is the increase in the use of “cosmetic” human growth hormone injections in short but otherwise healthy kids and in an increase in painful leg lengthening procedures. It’s amazing what people are willing to do to gain a few extra inches in height. Would it upset or surprise you to learn that the United States Government approves of this? See, these kids don’t need any extra growth hormone. There bodies are healthy and make all the hGH they need. But the kids are given these injections so they can grow taller, so they can someday grow to “normal” height. The risks include the possibility of certain cancers developing, hypertension, spontaneous bone fractures, headaches, fevers, stomach problems, vomiting, impaired glucose tolerance, and kidney damage. Do you agree that there is something wrong with a society that prefers hGH body modification to the full acceptance of short stature?
If you do, we need you to join us and support what it is we are doing. For a mere $35.00 (USD) your membership helps support our activities as mentioned above. Together as a group, we will unite to address problems like these and to support one another in a way unlike anything you have ever experienced before. But the group cannot do this without you. The success of NOSSA depends on you and whether you are willing to step up to the plate and tackle the issue of heightism with us.
Please don’t put it off until later. Join NOSSA Today!
Respectfully,
Matthew Campisi
Chairman/President
NOSSA
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Shorter People Have A 'Chip On Their Shoulder' Which Makes Them Unhealthy?
Those not blessed with height are often accused of having a chip on their shoulder.
Now a study has found that they might, in fact, have an unhealthy attitude to life.
Short men and women apparently complain of poorer mental and physical health than those of an average height.
Researchers examined more than 14,000 responses to the 2003 Health Survey for England.
The subjects had given details of their height, weight, age, gender, long-standing illness and social class.
They were then asked to rate their health on a range of indicators such as mobility, pain and depression.
Those in the shortest height category - men shorter than 5ft 4in and women shorter than 5ft - reported much poorer health, according to the report in the journal Clinical Endocrinology.
The survey did not ascertain how healthy they actually were, just how well they thought they were.
Lead researcher Dr Torsten Christensen said: "Using this large and nationally representative sample of the UK population, we found shorter people report that they experience lower physical and mental well-being than taller people do.
"Our results also indicate that the shorter someone is, the stronger this relationship becomes."
She added that an increase in height of one inch would have a positive impact on the healthrelated quality of life of a short person, whereas the effect of an extra inch would be negligible for a person of normal height.
Dr Christensen found that short people would have a 6 per cent higher health rating if they were around three inches taller.
This is the equivalent to the health benefit experienced by an obese person losing two and a half stones.
Dr Christensen, of Danish healthcare company Novo Nordisk, added: "We know that people who are short experience more difficulties in areas of their life such as education, employment and relationships than people of a normal height.
"Although our study does not show that short height directly causes a reduction in physical and mental health, it does indicate that short people are more likely to feel that they experience a lower healthrelated quality of life."
She added: "Further research is now needed to clarify the precise relationship between changes in height and health-related quality of life."
Short height in adult life can either be due to normal development or can be caused by a number of diseases such as growth hormone deficiency and Turner syndrome.
Treatment with growth hormone for children with these conditions can increase their final height by as much as four inches.
The study shows that these height increases could have a huge positive effect on a person's mental wellbeing once they grow up.
Well, there you have it people. The solution to heightism is to be taller. So I suppose the solution to racism is to be caucasion; solution to sexism is to be male; solution to weightism is to be skinny; solution to extreme tall heightism is to be average height; solution to gay prejudice is to be straight; solution to religous discrimination is to worship whatever religion is norm....etc. etc.
Now a study has found that they might, in fact, have an unhealthy attitude to life.
Short men and women apparently complain of poorer mental and physical health than those of an average height.
Researchers examined more than 14,000 responses to the 2003 Health Survey for England.
The subjects had given details of their height, weight, age, gender, long-standing illness and social class.
They were then asked to rate their health on a range of indicators such as mobility, pain and depression.
Those in the shortest height category - men shorter than 5ft 4in and women shorter than 5ft - reported much poorer health, according to the report in the journal Clinical Endocrinology.
The survey did not ascertain how healthy they actually were, just how well they thought they were.
Lead researcher Dr Torsten Christensen said: "Using this large and nationally representative sample of the UK population, we found shorter people report that they experience lower physical and mental well-being than taller people do.
"Our results also indicate that the shorter someone is, the stronger this relationship becomes."
She added that an increase in height of one inch would have a positive impact on the healthrelated quality of life of a short person, whereas the effect of an extra inch would be negligible for a person of normal height.
Dr Christensen found that short people would have a 6 per cent higher health rating if they were around three inches taller.
This is the equivalent to the health benefit experienced by an obese person losing two and a half stones.
Dr Christensen, of Danish healthcare company Novo Nordisk, added: "We know that people who are short experience more difficulties in areas of their life such as education, employment and relationships than people of a normal height.
"Although our study does not show that short height directly causes a reduction in physical and mental health, it does indicate that short people are more likely to feel that they experience a lower healthrelated quality of life."
She added: "Further research is now needed to clarify the precise relationship between changes in height and health-related quality of life."
Short height in adult life can either be due to normal development or can be caused by a number of diseases such as growth hormone deficiency and Turner syndrome.
Treatment with growth hormone for children with these conditions can increase their final height by as much as four inches.
The study shows that these height increases could have a huge positive effect on a person's mental wellbeing once they grow up.
Well, there you have it people. The solution to heightism is to be taller. So I suppose the solution to racism is to be caucasion; solution to sexism is to be male; solution to weightism is to be skinny; solution to extreme tall heightism is to be average height; solution to gay prejudice is to be straight; solution to religous discrimination is to worship whatever religion is norm....etc. etc.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Words Worth Repeating
I come across many excellent posts by members of our message forums at http://heightism.aimoo.com Recently, I came across this message on the website. I couldn't help but smile when I read it. I think this member's words are worth repeating. And to this member I say, Thank You!
"I feel the same way at times in public places,...I almost feel like people are staring or something,...but it doesn't bother me really I just go about my day and keep my head up. You never know though sometimes you might get stares because somebody thinks your attractive. It's happened more times than I can count and I would never have noticed unless someone of the opposite sex brought it to my attention. Sometimes it's all in our heads and other times people are really being bigots. I kinda like being the shortest guy in public or social situations because it makes me stand out and be unique. We gotta be positive guys sometimes people get bored with all same flavors of ice cream,....well the same can be true with relationships and social settings. I believe it's a virtuous thing to be a black sheep and proud that I'm not like anyone else. I would really love all the people that are taller than us to try to be unique and original,.....that might actually take some effort,.....and it would probabably involve taking those silver spoons out of there mouths just because they are taller,....but hey if they want to be bigots than forget them because wars are won by winning one battle at a time and we are a growing force and others who are like us and others who aren't are beginning to support us and recongnize that we are not that different and we deserve to be treated as equals. This war against heightism will be won one battle and one mind at a time but it will be won and our number will eventually multiply expotentially."
"I feel the same way at times in public places,...I almost feel like people are staring or something,...but it doesn't bother me really I just go about my day and keep my head up. You never know though sometimes you might get stares because somebody thinks your attractive. It's happened more times than I can count and I would never have noticed unless someone of the opposite sex brought it to my attention. Sometimes it's all in our heads and other times people are really being bigots. I kinda like being the shortest guy in public or social situations because it makes me stand out and be unique. We gotta be positive guys sometimes people get bored with all same flavors of ice cream,....well the same can be true with relationships and social settings. I believe it's a virtuous thing to be a black sheep and proud that I'm not like anyone else. I would really love all the people that are taller than us to try to be unique and original,.....that might actually take some effort,.....and it would probabably involve taking those silver spoons out of there mouths just because they are taller,....but hey if they want to be bigots than forget them because wars are won by winning one battle at a time and we are a growing force and others who are like us and others who aren't are beginning to support us and recongnize that we are not that different and we deserve to be treated as equals. This war against heightism will be won one battle and one mind at a time but it will be won and our number will eventually multiply expotentially."
Friday, August 10, 2007
Zazzle.com Offers Heightist T-Shirt For Sale.
The website Zazzle.com is offering a heightist T-shirt for sale. The shirt, created by Angela from Sarasota, Florida reads, "Short Men Suck" To view the website click here. NOSSA has made contact with Zazzle.com and hopes that the site's owners will remove the offensive shirt from their website. Until such time as that is done, NOSSA encourages everyone to contact the website directly and express their disgust.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Podcast Episode 6 Released
Episode 6 Heightism - NOSSA Vice-President Chris Hamre shares his thoughts on the latest news from the organization. Release date - 06/04/2007. Guests: Chris Hamre. Listen at http://mattfromnossa.libsyn.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
