Photo By: Fellowship of the Rich
On this evening, the bar transformed into an area for a wrestling match. The place was sold out as people came to watch midgets, legally people under 4ft 10inches, wrestle each other.
This brings me to the political correctness topic of the week: disabilities- or more specifically midgets, versus dwarfs, versus little people.
People under the adult height of 4ft 10inches are legally considered dwarfs, the condition itself being called dwarfism. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, dwarfism is considered a disability and people fitting the requirements can apply for benefits that come with the act.
It used to be common place to call people with the dwarfism condition dwarfs or midgets. For some reason over time this became viewed as an offensive term. Now the term little people is considered the politically correct way to refer to these people.
Even as I'm writing this I'm having a hard time figuring out what to call the people- should it be dwarfs, midgets, little people, or people with the dwarfism condition. Even though I find political correctness a waste of time it has been so ingrained into me that I struggle with it sometimes.
If you think about it, if your friend uses a term you consider inconsiderate or politically incorrect don't you stare at them in disbelief and look down on them a bit? This is how we have all be trained and it is not universal terms that are considered "bad," hence one of the major issues with political correctness.
This is what has happened with the word midget. The word used to be used to describe dwarfs that were put on display for entertainment purposes. Since then, this term has stuck as a derogatory term for many people with the condition. Now the Little People of America organization is fighting to get the word abolished.
Although I don't personally have the condition, I think this is a bit silly. We live in America where we are supposed to have the freedom of speech. We are not supposed to be limited to what we can say based on who the word may offend.
If someone uses the word "midget" as an insult, in my opinion it is like using any other word that would be directed at certain people. For example, the word bitch is almost always used as an insult to women. Although this word is considered a curse word, I hear it on a daily basis and there is no wide spread stigma around adults using the word to express themselves.
Also, sometimes the word midget is just the best describer at the moment to get across who you are referring to when communicating with others. Just because the word midget, or even dwarf, is used instead of little people does not mean the speaker is trying to offend.
Personally, I know whenever referring to a midget I hesitate on what to refer to them as and I normally end up just calling them midgets because I see no issue with the word.
I would like to end on the note I read on the Little People of America's website that I agree with. When asked what to call people with dwarfism the website said "Such terms as dwarf, little person, LP, and person of short stature are all acceptable, but most people would rather be referred to by their name than by a label". While I don't believe in political correctness, I do believe in human decency and think that calling someone by their name rather than coming up with a name for them is always the better option.
I'm really curious to hear what you have to stay about this topic; please comment below!
I feel like we got to a point in society where we judge everything with a negative connotation. There is nothing really that has a full positive connotation. For example, midgets. People think that they are too small. Tall people, people complains that they are too tall. Especially color, there are so many stereotypes that are just discouraging and discriminatory. So, I definitely agree, "most people would rather be referred to by their name than by a label" instead of being defined or labeled because of their characteristics or features.
ReplyDeleteI agree, people should be called by their name. But I don't think people just walk up and say "Hey midget!" I always thought that the term was used to describe a person. And political correctness with descriptions? IDK it just seems like we are becoming an overly sensitive culture. I think that people should just be respectful & so long as that's done then everything should be fine
ReplyDeleteI think you ended this post with a really good point. In the end, "individuals with dwarfism" all have names, and recognizing their individuality bypasses any fears about political correctness. On the same side of that coin, there will never be a 'label' that pleases everyone, so its just best to try not to offend the person in front of you, and that depends on their attitudes towards these words. Sometimes its appropriate to say "midget," and perhaps sometimes it would be best to find an alternative. Nice post!
ReplyDeletePeople get so wrapped up in political correctness sometimes, that they don't see the most simple way of approaching the problem here. It's a great point you've brought up in your post---when in doubt, just call them by their name. I think we all struggle when asked to describe a little person, but you've done a good job of addressing this issue. Nice post.
ReplyDeleteLaura, interesting post. I think in the end it really just comes down to what people with dwarfism want to be called- if they find the term 'midget' offensive, we probably shouldn't use it, considering it's not our place to decide how offensive we find a term that relates to a condition we don't have. However, I think your posts do touch on an important aspect of American society today.
ReplyDeleteI have also struggled with the whole "freedom of speech within limits". Not in the context of people under 4ft 10in, but I said something that recently "affected" my future roommate relationship. What I said was not meant to offend, I was only using the word as a word, but it was one with a negative connotation. I also strong opposition against the reasoning of how some groups can say a word that is negatively charged and others can't.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kay. Sometimes we use words and eventually they take on a negative stigma. In those cases, I think we should definitely change the word if that's what people with dwarfism want. Plus it doesn't take much more effort to say "little people" instead of "midgets." I can't say I agree with you but you do make a good point. Looking forward to reading more.
ReplyDeleteI think that your blog topic is really interesting because you bring up a great point--where should we draw the line between free speech and political correctness, and where does the importance of one infringe on the other? However, I think that in this case it's not really a matter of political correctness but one of respect for other human beings. I think that this is comparable to people using the r-word to describe people with intellectual disabilities. As unfortunate as it is, these words have gained negative connotations and personally I don't think we should be using them if they're offensive to the people they're used to describe.
ReplyDeleteI think addressing this issue was a good choice. I happened to see "midget wrestling" on a snapchat story, and I was a little confused as too if this is a politically correct, or plain mean thing? I have always thought of certain words to be offensive, but I think in certain contexts, the person who is affected by them should make the call whether it is offensive or not.
ReplyDeleteI think addressing this issue was a good choice. I happened to see "midget wrestling" on a snapchat story, and I was a little confused as too if this is a politically correct, or plain mean thing? I have always thought of certain words to be offensive, but I think in certain contexts, the person who is affected by them should make the call whether it is offensive or not.
ReplyDelete