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Prejudice around height and it's seeming acceptance among society.

A

Anarion07

Member
HerrPalomar said:
There are always outliers. There are also men who like overweight woman. BUT: Genes hold culture on a very very tight leash. But even if it would be nurture. This is not gonna change anything for the individual person affected. It it not changing in his lifetime.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S019188691530060X
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Correlation and Causation.
This might be true, but it might also be affected by the better social status of taller people, as said before in this thread. Taller guys get better jobs. Or it might be one of numerous other factors playing into this.

I myself am 5'7 and never really had problems dating since I have a very nice physique and the corresponding confidence.
It's a problem with stuff like Tinder though. Height creates a bottle neck at the beginning of the conversaion or even before a match that doesn't even give you the chance to play your cards right.
I've had taller girls, but my girlfriend is smaller than me and i couldn't be happier. She never even mentioned height.
 
T

TheJoRu

Member
People will always have preferences, that in of itself is not really an issue. Though I do find it weird how specific it often gets (be of this specific height or higher or no deal), and I think it's a problem how often I've encountered rudeness towards it that was deemed acceptable.

A bit of a side note, but I always found it suspicious how the movie Shrek has this message about "it's ok to be yourself no matter what you look like and what's deemed 'perfect' by society", but the most obvious way the movie finds to heckle the bad guy is to make him comically short. Like "har har, the king thinks he's so high and mighty and beautiful, but at the same time he's super short, har har!!".
 
Z

Zen_Arcade

Banned
Hoo-doo said:
Again, this is like saying 'hey, just cheer up!' to a person suffering from a depression. Profoundly stupid and lacking in empathy.

It's not remotely how it works. People aren't 100% rational beings and it's asinine to assume that people preoccupied with their short stature will just one day be able to get over it.
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Please stop making comparisons about this subject. Depression is a chemical imbalance that someone can't control. Your average short person can control how they feel about how society treats short people and can adjust their mindset accordingly. Nothing is stopping them but their own hang ups.
 
D

DongBeetle

Banned
Zen_Arcade said:
Please stop making comparisons about this subject. Depression is a chemical imbalance that someone can't control. Your average short person can control how they feel about how society treats short people and can adjust their mindset accordingly. Nothing is stopping them but their own hang ups.
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Yep. Just deal with how society treats you if you are a part of a group considered undesirable

Hmmmm...
 
F

Fairfax Virginia

Neo Member
Zen_Arcade said:
Please stop making comparisons about this subject. Depression is a chemical imbalance that someone can't control. Your average short person can control how they feel about how society treats short people and can adjust their mindset accordingly. Nothing is stopping them but their own hang ups.
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I don't understand your logic.
 
Z

Zen_Arcade

Banned
DongBeetle said:
Yep. Just deal with how society treats you if you are a part of a group considered undesirable

Hmmmm...
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This doesn't happen at a frequency high enough to be considered an issue. To say that society considers short people undesirable is a massive exaggeration. At worst we are occasionally unpreferred, which can be said about damn near any group in society.

It's not as big of a deal as you're making it out to be.
 
D

DongBeetle

Banned
Zen_Arcade said:
This doesn't happen at a frequency high enough to be considered an issue. To say that society considers short people undesirable is a massive exaggeration. At worst we are occasionally unpreferred, which can be said about damn near any group in society.

It's not as big of a deal as you're making it out to be.
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No it isn't the biggest deal in the world but if a person faces struggles frequently enough due to the problem and they're bummed out about it, why tell them to just get over it?
 
B

Budi

Member
HerrPalomar said:
And the other option is what exactly? It's so interesting how some people on GAF, always think society must change for them.

There are people that learn the deal with horrible disabilities and chronic diseases. There comes a time in the life of adult when he has to stop being a victim. What kind of life is that? Walking through day to day life and always being concerned how tall you are?

EDIT: Real Depression is a disease. It is quite disgusting to compare it to somebody who feels sad about being on the short side. If you suffer from depression because of your height. Please seek therapy. There are ways to treat depression
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Dealing with the problems that disabilities and diseases cause is entirely different thing from accepting and "dealing with" discrimination, prejudices or bullying from other people.
 
B

BladeoftheImmortal

Member
Metroxed said:
What? Losing weight is not "next to impossible". Yes, it can be hard but it all comes down to discipline and self control. Barring a very few, selected cases, overweight people are all completely capable of losing weight if they really want it.

You can't say the same about height though, that's the thing that is actually impossible to change
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If that's true why is there a worldwide obesity epidemic?
 
H

Hoo-doo

Banned
Zen_Arcade said:
Please stop making comparisons about this subject. Depression is a chemical imbalance that someone can't control. Your average short person can control how they feel about how society treats short people and can adjust their mindset accordingly. Nothing is stopping them but their own hang ups.
Click to expand...

How tone-deaf can you be, lmao. I bet you lost track of the point you were trying to make halfway through that post of yours. Depression being something you can't control but how you feel about your height somehow is. Just flip the switch, dudes!

I know perfectly what depression is, thanks. I also know that saying 'get over it' to a short person who feels terrible about it is as insightful and productive as not even saying anything at all. Maybe you should do the latter.
 
Z

Zen_Arcade

Banned
DongBeetle said:
No it isn't the biggest deal in the world but if a person faces struggles frequently enough due to the problem and they're bummed out about it, why tell them to just get over it?
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Basically this.
entremet said:
If you do suffer from emotional issues, sure take care of that. But eventually, you do have to make a conscious decision to accept what you cannot control. Life has tons to offer beyond looking at height. And no, I'm not talking about serious emotional issues caused because height.
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It's not going to change because it's not that big of a deal comparatively.
 
D

DongBeetle

Banned
Hoo-doo said:
How tone-deaf can you be, lmao. I bet you lost track of the point you were trying to make halfway through that post of yours. Depression being something you can't control but how you feel about your height somehow is. Just flip the switch, dudes!

I know perfectly what depression is, thanks. I also know that saying 'get over it' to a short person who feels terrible about it is as insightful and productive as not even saying anything at all. Maybe you should do the latter.
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If anything, the constant belittling may have contributed to my depression. We forget that bullying often leads to suicide

Telling someone to just get over bullying and the resulting feelings of inadequacy is a callous and stupid things to do.
 
H

hydrophilic attack

Member
I think for us short people, going around thinking bitterly about our shortness doesn't help. The bitterness may rise to the surface, and then people will think of you as a short, bitter person, which is much worse in people's eyes than being just a short person

Maybe threads like this, where we waddle in self-pity, are ultimately counterproductive

#hangoverepiphany
 
T

The Wraith

Member
I'm 6' 3" and short people ask me to help them with reaching things. Usually it's short women so it isn't too much of a bother lol. When it comes to dating it works both ways to be honest. I haven't dated a woman taller than me because I haven't been attracted to one. Everyone has preferences. If a woman is attracted to taller men so be it. If I'm attracted to shorter women then so be it. My girlfriend is 5' 3". In the work place everyone should be treated equally. No excuses. As long as you can perform your duties than no one should bother you based on your height.
 
Z

Zen_Arcade

Banned
Hoo-doo said:
How tone-deaf can you be, lmao. I bet you lost track of the point you were trying to make halfway through that post of yours. Depression being something you can't control but how you feel about your height somehow is. Just flip the switch, dudes!

I know perfectly what depression is, thanks. I also know that saying 'get over it' to a short person who feels terrible about it is as insightful and productive as not even saying anything at all. Maybe you should do the latter.
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The whole point of depression is that you can't control your emotions. Which is a terrible thing. But that also means that an emotionally healthy person can control how they feel and learn to live with it without it having a huge effect on their life.
 
D

DongBeetle

Banned
Zen_Arcade said:
The whole point of depression is that you can't control your emotions. Which is a terrible thing. But that also means that an emotionally healthy person can control how they feel and learn to live with it without it having a huge effect on their life.
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Do you believe that prolonged negative treatment can't lead to depression? Do you also believe that depression isn't a lifelong struggle that a therapist can't just turn off for many?
 
S

SilentRob

Member
Jesus christ, please stop comparing suffering from depression to being short. Fucking hell.

(I'm pretty short myself, 5`7, but this is the stupidest comparison I've read in a long time)
 
Z

Zen_Arcade

Banned
DongBeetle said:
Do you believe that prolonged negative treatment can't lead to depression? Do you also believe that depression isn't a lifelong struggle that a therapist can't just turn off for many?
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I believe that the average short person doesn't receive such negative treatment in society that it would be the sole thing that would cause someone to develop depression.
 
D

DongBeetle

Banned
Zen_Arcade said:
I believe that the average short person doesn't receive such negative treatment in society that it would be the sole thing that would cause someone to develop depression.
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Try to look at it from the perspective of someone who's say 5'2". Constant rejection or belittling is supposed to be something they're to shrug off without a thought. C'mon my dude.
 
Z

Zen_Arcade

Banned
DongBeetle said:
Try to look at it from the perspective of someone who's say 5'2". Constant rejection or belittling is supposed to be something they're to shrug off without a thought. C'mon my dude.
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Almost every person has that problem about something about themselves. Short people might not shrug it off, but many can contextualize it and realize that comparatively, we don't really have it that bad. Short people are out there doing everything average and tall people are doing.
 
D

DongBeetle

Banned
Zen_Arcade said:
Almost every person has that problem about something about themselves. Short people might not shrug it off, but many can contextualize it and realize that comparatively, we don't really have it that bad. Short people are out there doing everything average and tall people are doing.
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How many people have a problem like that which significantly affects their lifelong income?
 
C

Caelus

Member
DongBeetle said:
Not sure where this is coming from my friend but no I don't. Really confused as what to make of this.
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People group together the body dysmorphia and humiliation faced by men 5'6'' and below with the insecurities of men between 5'7'' and 5'10''.

I'm 5'8.5 (5'9'') with shoes. The numbers game is stupid, anyways , people don't carry around measuring tape.

Not all height related issues are about dating, folks.
 
M

marrec

Banned
DongBeetle said:
How many people have a problem like that which significantly affects their lifelong income?
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Women, any brown person living in America, people with undergraduate college degrees compared to those with high education, people with high school degrees compared to higher education, people without high school degrees, people born into the middle class compared to higher classes, people born into poverty class compared to higher classes, people who're ugly, people who're fat.

So like, 95% of people.

But oh I'm sorry about you're luck.
 
D

DongBeetle

Banned
marrec said:
Women, any brown person living in America, people with undergraduate college degrees compared to those with high education, people with high school degrees compared to higher education, people without high school degrees, people born into the middle class compared to higher classes, people born into poverty class compared to higher classes, people who're ugly, people who're fat.

So like, 95% of people.
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Alright, so when we look at the people who are ugly, fat, born into poverty, or of a minority race

Should we tell them to get over it?
 
Z

Zen_Arcade

Banned
DongBeetle said:
How many people have a problem like that which significantly affects their lifelong income?
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Considering that's an argument you're trying to make, it seems like you should be the one answering that question.

Again, I'm well aware that the world isn't entirely fair to short people, that doesn't mean that we don't still have it pretty good comparatively to how other people are treated.
 
entremet

entremet

Member
DongBeetle said:
How many people have a problem like that which significantly affects their lifelong income?
Click to expand...

Highly attractive people also make more money over their lifetimes. You can play this game all day. Most of us are not highly attractive either. I think that's what some of us are saying, eventually we all have work with the hands we are dealt.

Sure, get some help if it's affecting you severely. I'm not against that.
 
D

DongBeetle

Banned
marrec said:
Nope.

We say "at least you aren't short right?"
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I'm a little confused by this post as well as I do not recall saying that short people have it harder than everybody else. If I didn't make it clear before, my point is that you or any other person have no place to belittle or undermine someone else's suffering just because it's not something you understand or deal with. My ranting is targeted at those who enter the thread to tell people to basically shut up and get over it. Do you really know enough about their emotional state, life situation or history to tell them that their feelings should be something that they should shrug off? It's a depressing viewpoint that I hope you guys aren't making in other threads concerning the suffering and emotional wellbeing of others.
 
M

marrec

Banned
-COOLIO- said:
Out of curiosity, what point are you trying to make?
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I promised myself I wouldn't entertain ridiculous arguments that try to compare being short to actual discrimination but...

My point is, being short is a problem of self-preception and social inhibitions. As was discussed earlier in the thread, dudes are going to clown on dudes, if you're short you'll get clowned on, if you're bald, if you're fat, etc etc. It sure sucks that you can't get over normal social interactions, but maybe that's a problem you need to explore with a therapist.

Nobody actually looks down on (lol) or "other's" or is prejudice against short people, it's a fucking ridiculous notion.

####

Oh left handed people make less money over their lifetimes too, lets start an awareness campaign :(
 
C

Cromat

Member
A lot of people mention Tinder here and it makes me curious: how can a woman even tell how tall you are through a picture unless you're standing next to something for scale?
 
M

marrec

Banned
Cromat said:
A lot of people mention Tinder here and it makes me curious: how can a woman even tell how tall you are through a picture unless you're standing next to something for scale?
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Nah, but if you say you're 6'4" and then show up to the date as 5'10" they're gunna be a bit pissed.
 
-COOLIO-

-COOLIO-

The Everyman
marrec said:
I promised myself I wouldn't entertain ridiculous arguments that try to compare being short to actual discrimination but...

My point is, being short is a problem of self-preception and social inhibitions. As was discussed earlier in the thread, dudes are going to clown on dudes, if you're short you'll get clowned on, if you're bald, if you're fat, etc etc

Nobody actually looks down on (lol) or other's short people, it's a fucking ridiculous notion.

####

Oh left handed people make less money over their lifetimes too, lets start an awareness campaign :(
Click to expand...

The premise of the thread is that if you make fat jokes, they're generally not accepted. If you state a preference for thinner women in your dating profile that's also generally not accepted. But neither of those are things are true for height, for some reason. I've noticed that too. Do you feel otherwise as far as that discussion goes?
 
Subpar Spatula

Subpar Spatula

Banned
-COOLIO- said:
The premise of the thread is that if you make fat jokes, they're generally not accepted. If you state a preference for thinner women in your dating profile that's also generally not accepted. But neither of those are things are true for height, for some reason. I've noticed that too. Do you feel otherwise as far as that discussion goes?
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Everyone agrees height discrimination is wrong. You're reading the wrong thread. It's the entitled folks who get the ribbing.
 
D

DongBeetle

Banned
Subpar Spatula said:
Everyone agrees height discrimination is wrong. You're reading the wrong thread. It's the entitled folks who get the ribbing.
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Wrong thread? Because I'm seeing a lot of people undermine height discrimination in this very thread my friend. Are these entitled folks the ones saying that they do not like the effect height discrimination has had on their lives and are taking to a thread about that very topic to vent about it?
 
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