Comments on: Is Being "Too Short" a Disability?

By: Europe

Europe — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 18:30:19 +0000

It’s hard when you are small, but you will overcome.

I’m 5’5″, and the average is 6′ 0.8″ for Dutch male, far more than the so that sucks when I’m living here.

Quite bigger than the average American white male: 5′ 9.3″

By: Paul

Paul — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 02:12:37 +0000

As a 5’8″ male I do not feel totally out of sorts, but any less would definitely have been worse. As it is, I know plenty of women who express a preference for taller men. This said, I do not consider it a disability to be a little less than average ( I think it’s 5’10″) but I would prefer to be 6′. If someone had offered me the opportunity to be taller, I know I probably would have taken it. I have a son on the way, and if I am faced with this situation, I will likely let him decide once he is of age 14, but I will give him my point of view.

By: alias

alias — Tue, 31 May 2011 10:43:56 +0000

am 5’3″….partner 5’7″….first son 5’10″…..second son 5’8″….well I used to stretch behind my door….almost killed me.as I later found out I have fused cervical segments hence I’m shorter than my mum….my partner wore platform shoes, my first son never really minded….and our younger son would’ve traded with the ‘devil’ to be as tall or taller than his brother…well…We’ve been conditioned programmed etc to vie for the greatest advantage in life….and as all parents can relate to “we want the best for our children”…but at what price?

My young son has mellowed in his expectations when he realised that his height is ideal for his dreams…to one day go out in space and explore….

So soon our tempest subsides and we become the best we can aim for …. for what we have before us is our universe that isn’t measuring us with a tape measurer….

By: Michael

Michael — Sat, 28 May 2011 22:08:50 +0000

I qualified for growth hormone as a child and my parents would not let me have it. I asked them every year and they said no. Height becomes more important the older you get. Being picked on in middle school is nothing compared to being a short adult. If there was anything I could have done to get growth hormone I would have done it, however as a short person no one respects you so my requests went unheeded and were laughed off. Now my parents know exactly what I think of them. Under the age of 18 I had no choice to get the treatment myself and after 18 as an adult I have the option as an adult but my bones were healed so the Doctor casually laughed it off saying too late. Now I have to live the rest of my life like this unless I pay tens of thousands for leg lengthening surgery.

As a child who qualified for human growth hormone who had that opportunity taken away from him I want to let every single parent know, your child will not forgive you if he qualifies for growth hormone, desires it, and has that opportunity taken from him. I was a joke to my parents and as a short male I continue to be a joke to society. There is zero benefit to being a short male at all and do not let anyone trick you into thinking there is.

By: Brainetics

Brainetics — Wed, 18 May 2011 08:08:39 +0000

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By: Brian Too

Brian Too — Sat, 07 May 2011 01:52:13 +0000

Certainly being short is not a disability. Being too short is, but the trouble there is to define “too short”. One can come up with something I feel certain, yet it is likely to be subjective at it’s core.

My guess is that ultimately this relates to the usual human desire to “fit in” and “be normal”. Height might be a partial exception to this, in that I can imagine a small preference towards being slightly taller than average.

Personally it took me years to become very comfortable with my distinctness. I consider it to be a valuable marker on the journey to adulthood.

By: Dave

Dave — Wed, 04 May 2011 20:33:48 +0000

Being of (slightly) above average height, I never considered shorter people to be disabled, nor taller people to be burdened. Now that I consider the fact that some women select based on a height standard, I would want to help a child that is likely to have a small pool of potential mates.

By: RLM

RLM — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 23:44:57 +0000

I am 4’8” and a woman. I actually, legally, am allowed to apply for a handicapped parking pass. I never have. I have never registered as handicapped. I never would. I find it inherently insulting that someone would think I was handicapped.

I am far smarter than the average bear (top 10 school undergrad, currently getting an MBA). I am creative, beautiful, outgoing, and in no way less than someone of average height. I do not have dwarfism or any other genetic disorder. I simply received short genes from both my parents. Am I short? Very. Am I handicapped? Hell no. There are people who have physical need for a parking spot closer to the door. I am not one of them. The American (and global) obsession with height has become unhealthy and counterproductive.

By: ToddJansensMonkey

ToddJansensMonkey — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 04:53:31 +0000

I’m not tall. About 5’5″. I don’t mind being short.

I find it funny when I talk to other short guys who fight for every inch. Younger guys who are a couple of inches shorter than me insist that I must be taller than 5’5″. “You’ve got to be like 5’7″ or 5’8″ because I’m 5’6″ and you’re taller than I am.” Let it go brother, we’re not tall people.

Again, I don’t mind being short. I’ve even dated a couple of women who are 6′ tall. I do not fret over the stigma of it all.

I embrace my short stature but I am also aware of its social limitations. I also look young for my age; even more so when I was in my early twenties. I have gone on many jobs interviews where I felt immediately judged due to my younger appearance and shorter height. I got a lot of comments like, “He seems like a good kid.”

I volunteered briefly promoting a speaker seminar a few years back and I recall someone making the comment, “When you’re old enough to get married.” I was 27-years-old at the time.

Being short has it’s downfalls but can ultimately be overcome socially.

Now, considering the use of HGH to enhance height. Hmm… I supposed I do not really see a problem with it if the patient consents. But I do not see it as an absolute necessity to make everyone taller. Being short just means that you’re fun size.

Giving HGH injections may be somewhat extreme when just trying to quell the anxieties about the height of children. Yet, as a proponent of enhancement technologies, I do not see a problem with voluntary HGH use.

By: Doct Orb

Doct Orb — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 14:51:02 +0000

I’m another one at the other end of the spectrum, I’m 6’6″. I’d say I have a number of disadvantages. Travel is uncomfortable, furniture is rarely scaled for me (I bought a counter-height dining room table), and purchasing clothing often involves collecting everything in my size and deciding which is least offensive (big and tall stores mostly cater to big or big and tall, not just tall). I also have back problems. I had a major episode brought on by working in a lab with a hood and benches that were all just slightly too low, so I spent hours stooped over.
Growing up, I loved it. I was proud in high school to be the tallest person in the school (I hated basketball, however!). Now… not so much. I think I feel more awkward in some situations than I did before. It might be that I’m more self-aware of others, but when I’m around people that are shorter than me (which is pretty much all the time) I sometimes feel self conscious. I’m now a teacher and I hate feeling like I’m looming over my students. I’ll usually try to sit down if a student approaches me after class and a chair is handy.
Plus, I’ve had to listen to the “wow, you’re tall!” comment innumerable times. Gets old.
So I can certainly say I’ve pondered the idea of being shorter than I am and if I would change it or not. I have said before “I wish I wasn’t so tall.” But honestly, my height is part of who I am and I like who I am so I wouldn’t want to change that. I would hope that “short” individuals who might have the opposite experiences also arrive at the same emotional place.
I don’t think homogeneity of height is going to solve discrimination problems anyway. We should address things like salary discrepancies but I don’t think hormones are a good answer to that (women make less money than men, should we give baby girls injections to make them physically appear as men?!).