The term 'midget' is problematic says advocates

[emm74]

Originally Posted by kajo13

YOU don't know that. Now you do. You know who does know it? Dwarfs. They know it and they don't like it.

And ANY website that outlines why midget is a gross word explains its history. Perhaps you need to pull yourself up by the bootstraps and do some research for yourself and not rely so heavily on other people to lead you around by the nose. Lazy much?

And let me be crystal clear for the easily confused - I'm excoriating not because (general) you don't know why dwarfs don't like to be called midgets, I'm excoriating people who can't respect their request to drop the word in reference to them. I'm excoriating the legions of conservatives on this thread who are pouting, huffing/puffing, faux outraged at a simple request to respect another human being. I'm excoriating the fact that (some) conservatives find it so impossible for JUST ONCE to put themselves in someone else shoes and try JUST ONCE to understand where another group of people are coming from in the desire to move away from a horrific past.

And here's the real kicker - you don't NEED to know why they don't like it. The request is simple - call them dwarfs, short people or by their name. That's your cue to say - sure, no problem. Have a nice day.

Consider yourself educated in common human decency.

apparently it's irrelevant that the people who are the subject of a particular term don't like it, when there are people who prefer to continue using it even when they are told it's considered offensive

[Workin_Hard]

Originally Posted by kajo13

And here's the real kicker - you don't NEED to know why they don't like it. The request is simple - call them dwarfs, short people or by their name. That's your cue to say - sure, no problem. Have a nice day.

Speaking of which, I miss dwarf tossing at the bar on Saturday nights. Good times!

Homunculus tossing just doesn't have the same ring to it.

ho·mun·cu·lus

/həˈməNGkyələs, hōˈməNGkyələs/

noun

a very small human or humanoid creature.

HISTORICAL
a supposed microscopic but fully formed human being from which a fetus was formerly believed to develop.

Definitions from Oxford Languages

[Sassybluesy]

Originally Posted by swilliamsny

Just an observation and only my own opinion, but when the term shifted from Dwarf or midget to Little Person, I didn't think that was any better. Maybe even worse. I would rather be called Dwarf than Little Person. Think about it... Dwarf is specific and can possibly be a medical-type term. Little Person, said in conversation, can imply someone who is small-minded or petty, rather than be a physical descriptor. Then you have to awkwardly clarify what is meant.

Because the actual person you're talking to can't grasp the concept of context?

[bmccormick71]

Originally Posted by bus man

I did read your link. Here's the key takeaway:



And this brings us right back to where I started from. I've already remarked that "dwarf" and "little people" have different meanings than to describe someone who is extremely short but their body parts are proportionate to a normal-sized person. "Having dwarfism" sounds like you're describing someone who has an illness. And obviously one would refer to someone by their given name when talking to or about a specific person; but that's evading the point, which is, how to refer to someone's physical size in a descriptive manner.

In short (no pun intended), none of these terms are as precisely descriptive as "midget" is. So why should we switch to a term that lends itself to vagueness instead of clarity?

Because if someone says "don't call me that" you should not call them that.

When you meet people, do you call them by the names they give you, or rename them to whatever you want?