As you and I
(A Fool Such As I)
All men are brothers
Until the day they die
(It's A Wonderful World)
Randy Newman, singer/song writer “Short People” (complete lyrics to song listed at the bottom of the post)
I decided to check some of the blogs unknown to me listed on our blogroll; Prontopup, in this case, which is where I discovered the link to Roger Ebert's reply to a short person who called him on his use of the word midget. (Here is another Toner Mishap secret, B2 is the technical guru here. I ask B2 to blog roll people and he always does, but I have not checked out everyone he has added. I will learn how to add sites yet.)
I apologize in advance for my ignorance and my prejudice, but short people (aka, midgets and dwarfs) give me nightmares, maybe it has something to do with the "Wizard of Oz." I promise to work on my shortsighted views. If I had a friend, was better read, or was close to someone abnormally short, I am sure I would have learned this long ago.
If there is anyone who is offended by this post, I sincerely apologize and I will definitely improve on my narrow mindedness. I found the following note rather amusing and enlightening:
The following exchange, reprinted here in its entirety, began with an e-mail to Ebert's Movie Answer Man column.
From Daniel Woodburn to Roger Ebert
April 6, 2005
Dear Mr. Ebert,
I am an actor that you have reviewed neither favorably nor unfavorably in two different movies: one was “Death to Smoochy,” the other "Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her.” I have absolutely no objection to you trashing a film or lauding it. I do object to the use of the word "midgets" in your review of “Death to Smoochy.”
As a writer you are aware of the power of words. The use of the word midget is, for Little People, equated with any other hate word someone might use to describe a minority group. I simply ask you: if you were to see Little People children would you take away their humanity in the same way with the use of such a hate word? I can respect a yes answer but I cannot respect the person who answers yes.
Sincerely,
Danny Woodburn
From Roger Ebert to Daniel Woodburn
April 12, 2005
Dear Mr. Woodburn,
I had no idea the word "midget" was considered offensive, and you are the only person who has ever written to me about it. In my mind it is a descriptive term, like "dwarf." "Little People" has seemed to me to have a vaguely condescending cuteness to it. If I am now informed that "midget" is offensive, I will no longer use it. What is your feeling about "dwarf?" Is "Little Person" always the preferred term? Our newspaper's style book, based on Associated Press, does not consider "midget" or "dwarf" to be offensive terms, but perhaps we have not caught up.
Sincerely,
Roger Ebert
After the Wizard of Oz, my next familiarity with short people came from Frank Zappa and his dwarf bowling comments, which shows how mixed up I am. But, as Ebert says, I will catch up.
I decided to look up the word midget and I learned something:
midg·et. noun, 1. Offensive. An extremely little person who is otherwise normally proportioned.
Randy Newman's song is obviously a parody, similar to his song about Rednecks. In case you missed it in the '80s here are the lyrics to Randy Newman's "Short People."
Short People got no reason
Short People got no reason
Short People got no reason
To live
They got little hands
Little eyes
They walk around
Tellin' great big lies
They got little noses
And tiny little teeth
They wear platform shoes
On their nasty little feet
Well, I don't want no Short People
Don't want no Short People
Don't want no Short People
`Round here
Short People are just the same
As you and I
(A Fool Such As I)
All men are brothers
Until the day they die
(It's A Wonderful World)
Short People got nobody
Short People got nobody
Short People got nobody
To love
They got little baby legs
That stand so low
You got to pick 'em up
Just to say hello
They got little cars
That go beep, beep, beep
They got little voices
Goin' peep, peep, peep
They got grubby little fingers
And dirty little minds
They're gonna get you every time
Well, I don't want no Short People
Don't want no Short People
Don't want no Short People
'Round here
5 comments:
For years, "Short People" was the only Randy Newman song I knew of. And I rather resented it, since I was a high school student in the 1980s, and I am only 5'6½". High school students have no appreciation of satire.
Imagine my surprise to discover that Newman also wrote "You can keep your hat on" and some fine blues tunes. There are three of them on this Etta James collection.
As for "Little People", I'm with Ebert. I always thought that label was demeaning, and "midget" was OK.
(I hasten to add, it's OK as long as you're using it of someone who genuinely has the medical condition. It isn't OK to use it of someone who is 5'6½".)
Q
To me dwarf sounds like a far worse name to call someone. I think describing someone as short should suffice, but even then it seems an unnecessary description unless the person is lost and you need help finding them.
Q, you've got 3 1/2" on me!! You're a giant.
Did you see that freaky reality show with the has-been celebs, all living in a house together? Probably not.. lol neither should I, but I did.. 80's one-hit rock stars, and that sort of thing, It was hilarious. There was a person of diminutive physical stature on there, I think he was the guy who played Mini-me in Austin Powers? Anyway, he was a nice guy. A little emotionally disturbed, due to his obviously difficult childhood, but nonetheless, a nice guy.
I am a short person. Ok, not the same type of short people you're talking about, but I'm still closer to them than I am the opposite end of the spectrum.
I'm not making light of anyone's size. The letter just got me thinking. You can be sure however, I learned something today.
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