"The naturalistic fallacy is close to but not identical with the fallacious appeal to nature, the claim that what is natural is inherently good or right, and that what is unnatural is inherently bad or wrong."
When I talk about why the public school system is harmful, I try to avoid the "it's against nature" cop-out. Even though I prefer nature over buildings and technology, I do not think it's inherently better.
This is important, because many people will use 'primal instinct' as an excuse for discrimination. Racism, homophobia, and sexism are rooted in nature and many of us have overcome that bigotry. Still, when it comes to prejudice against short men, the "it's natural selection" line seems to be accepted even amongst short men themselves.
Their reasoning is that short men are weaker so people will always prefer the taller man. The problem here:
When a shorter man (like Ed Coan) is objectively stronger than someone tall, the majority will still choose the latter. In dating, it then dissolves into, "I want him to be taller when I wear heels" or "it's plain awkward." In everyday life, it's "he's clearly compensating" or "built short men look ugly and stumpy." Point is, the strength thing is a facade.
Even then, let's hypothetically pretend like every tall man was stronger than every short man, i.e. a 120 lb tall guy is stronger than a 200+ lb short guy. That still doesn't excuse heightism outside of dating. You cannot and would not use this argument anywhere else, lest you be labeled a bigot. Saying "men are preferred as leaders over women, because women are weaker, just nature bro" would fail every time with the majority. Yet this is usually okay to use against short men. The hypocrisy is astounding.
All that aside, could it be that the desirability of tall men is perpetuated by society, and not Mother Nature? The 'tall, dark, and handsome' standard was not written in stone. Lightning does not strike down couples with a tall girl and short boy. All the tall Hollywood heroes and short clowns on TV were not chosen by chance. When short men have the status of a highschool loser, just maybe that has something to do with it.
If all of this is natural, then fuck me because I don't see it. I just see a childish highschool game to find the most popular arm accessory. I'm seeing what would happen if you single out a certain group: people treat them like they don't belong.
Anyone who has seen my writing will realize that I hate society. Having said that, the whole reason society exists is to stop us acting like primates. Either be equally civilized, or don't at all. You cannot be open-minded and tolerant when claiming some people are born superior.
"I don't discriminate... except when it comes to those icky short men. Yuck!"
