People Physically Humiliating Short Men

Concepts like consent and personal space don't apply to short men:

Some girls wear heels so often, they start thinking that's their real height.

Not even being a cop is enough:

Imagine the reaction if this happened to a female officer.

Of course, if either of these guys got mad in the moment, at best they'd receive the usual "it's just a prank bro/make fun of yourself" spiel. At worst, they'd be labeled with short man syndrome.

At least some people actually called out the behavior in the first clip:

"He just gets bullied all day on something he can't control..."

"How's this even socially acceptable? People just acting as if there was nothing wrong going on here. It's pretty fucked up if you try to put yourself in his shoes. It's like going back to middle school and getting bullied, but instead of standing up for you, everyone just laughs at you."

"People act like you have a condition if you are short."

"It's fucked up how much people abuse him about his height.
Genuinely fucked up. I say this as someone who cannot stand the guy. He didn't want to be picked up, just leave it alone."

Here as well:

"I have a tough time as a 5'6 man, I can't imagine 5'2 (or whatever he is). He has been shitted on all Twitchcon and seemed to be taking it like a champ, but I knew it was hurting him inside. And if he tried to rebuttal, he'd be labeled Napoleon complex. Making fun of his height is an easy meme for the unoriginal"

"I saw so many people saying shit like, "If he had a problem with all of the comments and stuff about his height then he obviously would say something or tell them to stop". Just conveniently ignoring the fact that making fun of a guy for being short is a pretty normalized thing in our society, and if a short guy does voice his opinion about not wanting others to poke fun at him for his height the issue is with him for just not being confident enough and getting bitter about people just trying to have some fun. Even if "just having fun" is at someone else's expense in regards to something which they have no control over."

Seems like it takes constant and blatant degradation of a short guy, before people realize short men are human too. Most seem to think short men are unpaid jesters, who exist on a 24/7 basis to make everyone else feel good about themselves. Having a bad day? Need a self-esteem boost or just a quick laugh? Target a short dude and play it off as a joke. If he has a problem with it, just claim he's insecure and takes himself too seriously.

It's funny how short men are stereotyped as angry midgets, even though none of these guys got remotely mad despite being physically humiliated let alone verbally. Here's another one:

I've seen people think this last video is fake because it was conveniently being filmed. It may very well be staged, but it could also be something like, "Hey bro, get the camera ready and watch what I'm gonna do to that little guy." Either way, those first two videos are real.

On one last note:

"For real though there's nothing a short person can do if this exact same scenario happened. If they fight back they'd get call out as "short man syndrome" if they don't fight back everyone laughs at the short man because "it's funny". Short people, specifically short men really have it worst when it comes to social interactions. It's a losing scenario no matter what road they take."

They're right. At least a small girl can play the gender card in these scenarios, by making it seem like the guy manhandling her doesn't respect women. A short male is trapped, and even other shorties will come out of the woodwork to ensure he stays docile. "Don't fight back, or else you'll confirm Napoleon Complex."

Is It Still Just a Joke When Most People Actually Believe the Stereotype?

This thread is full of "it's just a prank bro" comments: old.reddit.com/r/short/comments/9opev7/can_someone_explain_this_tweet_that_152k_people/

If we lived in a culture where most people know this is nothing more than a derogatory stereotype, then I'll be the first to agree that it's a laughing matter. Unfortunately, people treat this stereotype like it's factual:

• https://i.imgur.com/lwW6rVT.jpg
• http://archive.is/CpsvF
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqeRv4SSkNM

So while we can view that tweet with 152K likes as a joke, I view it as someone with a large audience spreading a negative stereotype. A negative stereotype which is not yet recognized as such, but rather regarded as folk wisdom. I don't think people realize something is only a joke if society recognizes it as prejudice when played straight.

The other insidious thing about this stereotype is that if any short man has a problem with it, people will kafkatrap him by claiming he's confirming the angry short man stereotype. In fact, there's a 6'5 guy right here trying this, although fortunately he's called out on it by a user saying, "You can’t insult a group of people and then make it a social crime for them to be upset about it".

Here's another case, this time of a shirt depicting supposed instances of short man syndrome. The artist claims it's tongue-in-cheek, but one quick search on twitter of "short man syndrome" will show how most people view this stereotype as a clinical diagnosis rather than a joke. Fact of the matter is that when people see a short bodybuilder with huge muscles, they will say he's compensating. When people see a short authority figure they don't like, they will link it to his height. So again, I'm left scratching my head as to how this is all in jest. Of course, when it comes to height prejudice, critical thinking is often written off as being easily offended.

Like Matt K. Lewis once said, you can't talk about people being fat, there's ageism discrimination, but you can discriminate about height and get away with it. Despite the fact that short men are not statistically more aggressive, most will never know this, because even short people themselves don't want to talk about it.

If a Short Man Doesn't Play the Role of Christmas Elf, He's a Pussy

"My old boss use to call me a keebler elf and I'd laugh. I even brought keebler cookies to our Christmas party and told people it's an old family recipe. You just can't be a pussy"


Obviously most people agree with the statement above (because it's just a prank bro), but once we remember how short men are promoted less in the workplace, all of a sudden this isn't as funny. After all, when people picture someone worth respecting, I doubt they picture a keebler elf. This behavior also sets a bad precedent because the moment a new short man arrives who wants to be taken more seriously, people will expect him to also play the elf, because the previous short guy had no problem with it. If the new guy doesn't, people will be offended. "Why can't he be more like keebler elf?"

Also keep in mind how society not only expects, but demands much more self-deprecation from men than women. I have never seen this much peer pressure for fat women to make whale noises in public, or towards flat-chested women to refer to themselves as ironing boards for the entire workplace to laugh about. I'm sure it happens somewhere in the corner of the earth, but personally I haven't seen it.


Related reading: a study about how self-deprecating humor is not helpful for low status individuals.

People Expect Short Men to Take Every Joke on the Chin, but Everyone Gets Offended the Moment It Happens to Them

Here's a post where a guy creates a dramatized version of what being a taller male gets you in life.

Here's one teasing women about how they choose men based on height.

People always expect short men to take every joke without question (even most short men themselves encourage this), but the few times others are mocked, people come out of the woodwork to voice their displeasure. Also keep in mind how comedy involving short men often represents inferiority (like here or here). Considering how much more frequent and acceptable it is to mock short guys (often more harshly), I wonder how tall people and women would react if they were short men.

Is There Any Height Related Humor That Doesn't Degrade Short Men?

I came across this image the other day. It's the same old, and while everyone had a laugh, that picture is not the main focus of this post.

I actually wanted to elaborate on a point I saw one person make. They noticed how most "jokes" about short men are more demeaning than jokes about tall people. For example, tall people usually joke about showerheads, airplane space, etc. While a basketball joke may be unoriginal, it's also not implying tallness sucks. This is what people don't get when they say, "Well, people comment about my 6'7 brother's height all the time." It may be tired and annoying, but fact of the matter is that there's a reason why we say "tall, dark, and handsome." There's a reason why sperm banks ban all below average height men, not above. Being tall is considered a positive trait like being handsome. Now, wouldn't you say there's a difference between constantly talking about how attractive someone is, versus how undesirable another person is? The latter can cross into into straight up bullying territory. There's a reason why short men have double the suicide rate of tall men. There's no comparison between the social treatment.

On the other hand, in the image I linked, the joke is that they don't take short men seriously. When people post the old "hand on short person's forehead," the implication is that they'll beat your short ass if you step out of line. In this one, the joke is that short men are unattractive/unpopular. In this hilarious one, the joke is that you're a bitch and not a warrior if women tower over you. Notice how the focus of the joke is always on the short man.

While we're on this topic, it's very rare to find a self-deprecating short man who doesn't make short men seem lamer once the joke is over. Are there any who make short men seem more powerful, sexier, etc. once their routine is done? It must be rare because I can't name one. Sure, someone can claim to "respect" a short man more if he makes fun of himself. In fact, I've seen that exact point made ("I only discriminate against short men who don't laugh at themselves/let others laugh at his height.)" Aside from when hanging out with friends and trash-talking each other, this is of course all bullshit once we look at what people do rather than what they say. When people respect some giant of a man, everyone thinks twice before running their mouths around him because they're afraid of getting their asses kicked. With short men, people mock first then think later, and it's up to the short guy to respond in a docile enough way. If the excuse here then is that tall people are stronger on average (and that's why their form of respect is actually functional), then is it fruitless when women expect to be as respected as men? After all, biology doesn't care for political correctness. Yet when people respect a woman, they stop themselves from commenting on her weight. What's going on here? When people think of Bobby Lee and Bruce Lee, who commands more respect? Based on everyone's consensus regarding self-deprecation, Bobby should be considered much tougher than Bruce based on the amount of times they've made a fool out of themselves. But does anyone really think that?

When it comes to other forms of disrespect in today's society, it's up to the tactless and rude person to control their behavior. Another lecture about body shaming, anyone? On the other hand, when it comes to mocking based on height, it's up to the short person to mold themselves into the perfect punching bag. Merely commenting on a woman's weight is considered taboo, but you can outright shame a man's height and it's always just a prank. If he has a problem with it, then the issue is on his end. The double standards are the icing on top. Bonus points for the other side of the same coin, where people berate men about "toxic masculinity" and how bad males are at expressing grievances.



Related reading: "the use of self-deprecating humor by low-status individuals may be counter-productive, suggesting depression, defeatism, subordination, low self-esteem, and/or low mate value."

Walking with a Tall Guy vs. a Short Guy in Public

https://www.facebook.com/arantza.fahnbulleh/videos/vb.1662944423924136/1728781410673770/?type=2&theater

lol short guys are such weak little shrimps XD

"Just a prank bro" aside, I've seen people excuse this stuff by saying there's truth to it, that people fear tall men more than short men.

See, that's not the point. If I made a video about how inept women are compared men, it doesn't matter if it's rooted in truth, that women are weaker than men on average. "Just a prank bro" would actually be a better excuse for once.

Typical Responses to Excuse Heightism: "You're Just Insecure/It's Just a Joke Bro"

I came across a good comment summing up how heightism traps short men into never fighting back:

"One guy innocently points out that as a shorter guy it sucks to see the author refer to short men as stumpy and taller men as impressive, only to have another user reply to him with this:

'And all the coverage on Chris Christie's weight, despite him being quite physically able. Come on, is this American Idol? The fact that people care so deeply just shows how insecure they are.'

That sums up western hatred to short men just there. 'It's just a prank bro. Learn to laugh at your shorter stature. If you have a problem with me mocking your height that just makes you insecure now'.

Fuck society. Humanity really hasn't come that far it seems. No wonder so many people just put a pistol to their head these days. People are dicks." - Original comment.

I've seen many short men who believe that by mocking their own height, heightism will be remedied, i.e. by calling themselves "manlets" they "own it" or something. Or they simply shut their mouths like good little boys, like a child getting scolded and not talking back. You see, defiance in the face of heightism makes one "insecure," so it's better to just "let it bounce off you."

It's all fairy tale bullshit. Convenient excuses, for the bullies to feel justified and the short men to do nothing, because deep down short men know that retaliating in any fashion is socially taboo. I once saw a popular comment outright state: "We don't hate short men. We only hate the ones who don't make fun of themselves." That's literally all a short man has to do to draw ire. He's not insulting their family or something, he just doesn't want to dance when they tell him to dance, so he's an asshole. Why any proud short man would want to bring joy and laughter (at his expense) to those who hold him in contempt, is beyond me. I've said it before: for many short men, I guess it's better to be the group clown than not be in any group at all. Think about how many self-deprecating short men already exist. Think about how many short men just "deal with it." Why has heightism not been quelled one bit? Rhetorical question.

It's also telling how every shot at short men is considered "just a prank," but merely pointing out a woman's weight is considered poor taste in this society, let alone publicly mocking a fat lady. I've seen this mentality several times: a short man is mocked, another person replaces "short man" with "fat woman," then somebody else claims the fat line is maliciousness and therefore rude, but the short "jokes" are fun and games. What these people don't understand is that they've been taught by society to think everything towards short men is harmless, while anything about a woman's body is shaming. Name one joke about short men that people agree is rude. Now tell me a joke about fat women that people consider inoffensive.

Remember: short men are not insecure when telling people to fuck off for discriminating. In fact, it's objectively the harder course of action, as everyone will gang up on short men who "take themselves too seriously." These short men are "insecure, sensitive, bitter, have short man syndrome," etc... Fight back regardless. Think of it this way: they already have no respect for short men in general.

The Way People Laugh Their Asses Off When "Manlet/Midget" Are Used as Insults...

Reminds me of those Supa Hot Fire videos, where he doesn't say anything amazingly witty or original, but they all lose their shit and love it.

Unlike Supa Hot Fire, the disrespect against short men isn't satire. Sure, some are joking around, but most are legitimately heightist. Most people are.

"Sexist Humor No Laughing Matter, Psychologist Says"

Summary:

"Jokes about blondes and women drivers are not just harmless fun and games; instead, exposure to sexist humor can lead to toleration of hostile feelings and discrimination against women, according to new research. “Specifically, we propose that sexist humor acts as a ‘releaser’ of prejudice,” says one of the researchers." - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071106083038.htm

Highly doubt anyone will come to the same conclusion about heightism. Short men have to learn to "take a joke" and "make fun of ourselves," despite men's overall higher suicide rates, and the correlation between height and suicide.

Always Just a Joke (Heightist Signs)

Nothing's funnier than the image of a short person drinking like a slave. Last line is ironic.
 
supportfortheshort contacted these people and they replied:

"Thank you for reaching out to Hester Street Fair! Yes, that was us - we like to have silly funny, catchy, cheeky signs each week. We hope you enjoyed! Look out for another one next Saturday."

Of course others will always try to defend this.

"I see it as just a joke about the fact that short people are closer to the ground. A joke about a physical fact, not at anybody's expense."

I just wonder how often 6 foot people are used as punchlines. What "joke about a physical fact" can we make about average height stature? At least 7-footers only have to deal with tiresome jokes, rather than disrespectful ones. There's no negative connotation behind jokes against tall people. Society's fictional equality is great.

"Being about 6'5". If I saw a sign at a restaurant that said "Water for GIRAFFES 'OR' tall people". I'd get a good laugh and move on. It's all about you look at the world. Don't get butthurt over a harmless sign."

This doesn't ever happen so it's not like his "if" means anything. It's also not about finding this one joke horrible and overreacting. It's about these little straws of disrespect piling up over time and eventually breaking your back. One literal jab doesn't kill but they're annoying as hell. Some 6'5 dude calling us "butthurt" is rich. They just don't get it because they're respected more on average. Besides, dogs are domesticated and obedient. Giraffes aren't pets. His example bites him in the ass.

To end this, just imagine a sign saying "there's a wider door out back for the fat ladies out there ;)". Don't bullshit me about how they'd take it on the chin. The feminists and white knights and show up so fast. It's this fear that public establishments have about mocking flat or fat women that pisses me off. All of the sudden, the fun and games end when political correctness comes knocking. Not brave enough to "joke" about the protected classes, are they? Hypocrisy is the problem, not the joke itself. Most people only mock the easy targets.

"It's a losing game, bro. If you stand up for yourself, you're an 'angry prick.' If you don't, you're a pussy."

Short Men Are Automatically Hilarious Just For Existing

https://www.facebook.com/djmosakenofficial/videos/1129490263743866/

Truly witty and clever. A real knee-slapper. The comments are the best part. Remember, these are actual people one would see in everyday life. We should have a video where a really dark black dude is laughed at in a lineup of really pale white guys. Don't be mad, it's just a sight gag, so let's like it over 30,000 times and share it over 70,000 times. Yes, I'm comparing heightism and racism, not equating them. I always need this disclaimer because people are retarded.

The video reminds me of this picture: 5'8 Kit Harington standing with 5'9 Sophie Turner and 6'3 Gwendoline Christie. The two actresses are much taller than the average woman (plus they're wearing heels), yet the short man is the one used as the punchline (because short men are weak you see). It's always the man who's too short. It's never the women who are too tall.

I'm not saying tall women should be made fun of instead, but c'mon, at least be equal with these so-called harmless jokes. Short men are automatically hilarious just for existing. Just for standing there being short. I guess I'll never understand society's sense of humor. I'll also never understand why short men are always told to bash ourselves/take mockery up the ass, like here, here, and here.

"Embrace being short and accept that it is part of you. Laugh when a girl rejects you at the bar for being too short and move on. Smile when someone uses you (all the fucking time) as an armrest. Recycle the short jokes you have heard all throughout high school and middle school on yourself and make people laugh."

I'll pass on the voluntary castration. How often would a 6 foot guy have to insult his own height, or receive heightist humiliation from others? Don't say "well, life isn't fair." Say, "society has a facade of equality." Once all the schools/governments/media admit society does not strive for equality, and instead has a huge height bias, I'll do a little jig like a monkey. For now, they're lying.

This isn't about attractiveness or however else people spin it, it's about being seen as a joke in everyday life. Short men are walking jokes. Well, society has a height joke alright, but I ain't laughing. The joke is that people are zombies when it comes to height. Perhaps they watch too many movies.

Update: a few days after I made this post, reddit has done it again: Sophie Turner and Gwendoline Christie taking out their adopted son to a dinner party

He's their adopted son only because he's shorter than they are. Wow.

Aside from specific subreddits designed to make fun of people, reddit in general has a politically correct facade. Mock flat or tall women in some random forum like Game of Thrones and there would be hell to pay. Short men, however, are everyone's bitch, the ones people use as target practice to feel better about themselves, with the added bonus of no political correctness.

One of the top posts says "You can see the regret in Kit's face, "Damnit why did I agree to having a photo with two really tall women in heels."

No. That's his regular 'I smell something funny' expression he does 24/7. It's even a damn meme, and I'm pretty sure these fans are just conveniently ignoring it to laugh at his stature.

People project this weird idea onto short men, where we're insecure due to simply standing next to taller women. I could stand next to a 20 foot lady and I wouldn't care. I hate these fuckers because they're the average retard off the street. "We're just kidding around bro. I actually think short men are a joke though."

I agree with the following:

"This is why I never take tall girls complaining about standing out for their appearance seriously. When a tall girl, or extremely tall girls in this case are stood next to a guy who is practically average height, guess who gets mocked? The 'manlet' of course"

"I wonder if someone made some joke about Kit taking his two pet giraffes out for a walk or something if people would still see it as "just as joke"

Please Explain the Punchline When Shitting On Short Men

"The scariest thing about David Miscavige I learned from Going Clear is that he's significantly shorter than Tom Cruise. Something about him being like 5' 2" is really unsettling to me. apparently I've angered the SJWs on r/short with my heightism. Learn to take jokes, people"

This had even more upvotes when I first saw it. People think they can say whatever they want about short men, then absolve themselves by claiming they were kidding.

I've seen comments elsewhere like "if he didn't have his money and hot girlfriend, this midget would've killed himself. lol just jokes bro." What was the punchline?

Dating a Short Man Means You're Shortchanged

Update: the video got removed from YouTube, but it can still be viewed here: http://vimeo.com/74334470

Ohohoho... Clever. Short and shortchanged? Just watch the video and realize how bad heightism is. Imagine the same ad but a woman turns around to reveal her flat chest and they're met with disgust. Doubt this society would find it so humorous then.

This ad had to go through hundreds of people before being aired, yet it still made it on televisions. Thousands of viewers, many of whom are young and impressionable, likely saw this ad. Now they think short men must be avoided like the plague. People may not remember the ad itself, but the message and impression is clear. Let's be real here, even before a girl hits puberty, if they see an ad like this, they quickly learn short men's place in society. Status definitely matters, like how learning the same person is a servant or a prince affects how we view them.

This is basically like showing Asian guys as undesirable all over TV. You can argue that people are just so smart that they don't get brainwashed by the media, but you know they fucking do. Why else would short and Asian men be ranked lowest on all dating surveys? They are the ones treated most badly in fiction, and now they just happen to be "naturally unattractive?" Please.

Of course, the problems could just be on our end. We're bitter and angry, so that's why we're undesirable to women. You know, kind of like the short guy in the ad, who was completely polite and smiling yet portrayed as abnormal nonetheless?