People on reddit coined a term for self-deprecating short men: Garmin.
"What's your problem?! Why can't you relax and know your place? Why can't you be more like Garmin over here?" (Gestures to a narrow chested short guy wearing an oversized suit and suspenders, dancing a jig in a circle while spinning the propellor on his beanie).
"A Garmin is like a kid who goes to his dad's construction job on "take your kid to work day." His dad lets him wear a hard hat and a tool belt to make him feel like he's helping, and the kid really believes he's part of the crew that day. A Garmin who self deprecates is in the same situation because people pretend that he's part of the team because he's a good little boy."
"Being a Garmin is a really shitty thing to do, not only to your own self respect, but to other short men. When you make yourself a walking punchline for the entertainment of others, you reenforce the notion that short men in general are inferior and/or will entertain in the same way. It makes it harder for other short men to be taken seriously."
"I think that this is what a lot of people miss. Not only do Garmins make a fool of themselves. They disgrace us all. It makes people think that heightism is okay because some clowns don't mind being harassed. "Hey! It's just a joke, bro! Why can't you be more like Garmin! You're so sensitive!"
"Garmins have reaffirmed our punchline status so many times, that people always feel free to degrade us just to "break the ice" in social situations, even when it is extremely inappropriate, and done in a disrespectful manner. Then, if we object to the treatment, everyone coalesces against us for not being like the Garmins that they have met in their lifetime. Another harmful effect of Garmins, is they supply the safety net where people can degrade us in ways that are harmful to our reputation, then, they can pass it off as "Oh..I was just joking. Calm down, little guy."
This behavior can be attributed to other forms of self-deprecation, especially when mocking a trait society already deems inferior. It just digs a deeper grave. Also click here for a study on self-deprecation.
