Why is midget politically incorrect




















Recognising the word as a form of hate speech will help to remove its use within the media and slowly help to diminish its use within society.

Download and subscribe to the Street News app today, for unlimited access to stories that raise the voices of marginalised communities around the world. Vendor stories Our news Events. By Erin Pritchard. I'm in my 70s, and the current dictionary. What most people don't realize is that the term "Midget" referred to the type of little people that were featured in films of the 's and 40's. There were no dwarfs in ANY films at the time. By "dwarf" I am referring to the short limbed type of person with a rounded forehead, like Peter Dinklage.

This type of dwarf waddles when they walk and are deformed in comparison to the more proportioned type of "Dwarf" or "Midget" that used to be featured in films like "Terror comes to Tinytown". They simply didn't ever use the type of little people in films today because in comparison to the more proportioned types, I guess that they were more cosmetically pleasing to audiences. At a certain point in the late 40's they were able to develop a hormonal shot, that when a child is born with this condition, they are cured before it stunts their growth.

If you want to see exactly what I mean, watch any of the old films, featuring "Midgets" and you won't see any of the short limbed people with "dwarfism" that are in films today. When I was growing up I hated the word 'dwarf' - hated the Victorian era-sound of it, the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs connection with the odd characters, and the implication that the person was somehow handicapped.

I asked my parents when the world get rid of the word 'dwarf'. I told my them I would much rather be called a midget, which was which was understood not to imply disability, but dash, sportiness and verve just like the car. Unfortunately I this to be a double edged sword, I agree wholeheartedly that any insult is just not acceptable behavior, but by drawing attention to the term it advertises itself to the ignorant and undiciplined, and it becomes ammunition that they may otherwise have not been aware of.

Perhaps we might be better served by looking at it slightly differently ourselves and adopting it as a way of differentiating between the two conditions. I feel much the same with the "N" word, again, reaction fuels aggression. I know this is not what the majority of us feel when encountering the wrong doers, and we may be unable to protect ouselves physically, but mentally it might just help. I have used a concealed "button" camera, to capture verbal abusers and forwarded it to the Police, but it does take a lot of restraint and courage to take it all the way.

No convictions yet though, but I am trying. Well said! Thank you. I lived that all my live including my mom. However, the intent of the people using the term was empowerment.

The message was strength and unity. When the Dwarf Athletic Association of America was formed in the mid 's, there was still quite a stir about the use of "that" word. But again, the intent was empowerment and pride; the opportunity for people like us to excel in athletic competition, to be America's best at something. It was pretty hard to resist that kind of positive appeal.

As a result, I can refer to us as the dwarf community today without raising too many eyebrows. I can also refer to us as the LPA community with a similar reaction. Why can't I write about us as the midget community? I imagine just about everyone reading this just had a visceral reaction that wasn't positive, even though in much of the rest of the world it is the preferred terminology. But I admit it wasn't all that easy for me to write it! I have let myself be a victim of my times, and maybe that's why I wrote it.

Because it is time to take some of the power away from the word midget. We can't afford to let ourselves and our children be victimized by that word any longer.

And the word will not go away. We need to toss the word around more amongst ourselves. We need to de-mystify it and play with it and understand it in new ways. We need to begin to reflect it in our art and our culture in ways that reduce its negative impact. We need to make fun of the way it has been used.

Maybe we need to visit a midget petting zoo and find some peace. Thank you for your genuine, honest response and for the article. In answer to your question, personally, I still feel, as many do, that the term midget is akin to "nigger. Sawisch discusses. I do believe that it would be great to claim "the word" as our own in much the same way as African Americans and Blacks have claimed "nigger.

Nor are they standing up for their right to be addressed as human beings in a verbal way. I do use the term, "midget" in the satire of my stand-up comedy act, and that is the closest I get to it. So often, the use of the word will eliminate a person's humanity.

Next time you hear it used in TV, film, or print see how it makes you feel about "midgets. It's generally demeaning and dehumanizing. I think to fully claim the word in empowerment, the way black Americans have claimed the word "nigger," entails getting it away from those who abuse it or misuse it. We are forbidden to join the military or police force based purely on size and not ability.

The ACLU, has not, in my experience acknowledged such issues as forcible eviction, denial of housing, or employment and education when it comes to people with Dwarfism. The response was "We don't recognize that there is any such race as the Dwarf race. With regard to the term Little People, I suppose that until we can get the world at large not to describe someone as black or Jewish or disabled or Asian or Hispanic when we talk of their existence, we must include the term "People" in order to keep them in the one race that we all share -- the human race.

I suppose it is more than you expected after your note to me, but it is something that I have great passion about and have spoken publicly at every opportunity and it is the reason I pursue acting as passionately as I do. You touch on a strange phenomenon: The way members of various discriminated-against groups use words among themselves that would be fighting words if used about them by others.

You doubt that "midget" will ever be domesticated among Little People in the same way "nigger" has been tamed among blacks, but actually I think that is just as well. Words that cause pain should be retired, although perhaps during the transitional period they can offer a certain homeopathic relief.

I have recently been in correspondence with disabled people over the ending of " Million Dollar Baby ," and note that they sometimes use terms like "crip" and "gimp. The mere fact that you have decided to retire the word midget from your work -- which I have watched on PBS since the 70's indeed has made my week.

Every significant move forward is huge. My wife always tells me every step, no matter how big or small, is a step. The idea that you publish this on you site honors me further.

Regarding the use of "nigger" and "gimp" or "crip. I think that when you do have that bond and have used those terms with someone in an even, equal exchange, it is then that the words are truly owned.

It is a recognition of having defeated the hate that comes with the terms. With regard to Midget I have coined a term on stage that eliminates its impact in much the same way African Americans and Blacks which traditionally was not capitalized in the same way White was to describe race have altered the word "nigger" to "Nigga. So in closing I would just like to say to you Mr. Ebert -- "You my Midga. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from until his death in In , he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

Roger Ebert May 01, Woodburn, I had no idea the word "midget" was considered offensive, and you are the only person who has ever written to me about it. Sincerely, Roger Ebert P.



0コメント

  • 1000 / 1000