In case anyone doesn't know the quote I'm referring to, here's the full exchange from Game of Thrones:
Tyrion: Let me give you some advice bastard. Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you.
Jon: What the hell do you know about being a bastard?
Tyrion: All dwarfs are bastards in their father's eyes.
I've seen many people parroting these lines to encourage self-deprecation among the short. My personal interpretation is slightly different.
Whenever I've had "you're short" used as an insult against me, I've always responded with, "And?" or "You're very observant." On the other hand, someone who doesn't accept their height would say something like, "No, I'm not short, I'm (insert fake taller height), or "I may look short, but I'm actually tall on the inside." Most view short stature as a negative, and that's what allows the label to hurt them. They wish to swat it away like a fly, rather than embrace it.
What separates my interpretation from others is dignity. I find there's a difference between accepting yourself, and I quote, "a short guy wearing an oversized suit and suspenders, dancing a jig in a circle while spinning the propellor on his beanie."
Peter Dinklage himself has a history of refusing demeaning roles, so I wish people would stop using his most famous portrayal to perpetuate the idea that short people should be taken less seriously:
"Dinklage initially struggled to find work as an actor, partially because he refused to take the roles typically offered to actors with his condition, such as "elves or leprechauns... When later interviewed for a theater website, he was asked what his ideal role was, and he replied "the romantic lead" who gets the girl." [9]
P.S. Hopefully anyone who reads this has the discretion to differentiate between joking around with close friends, and constantly making a fool out of yourself.
