Post by luro2020 on Jul 7, 2017 0:43:46 GMT
I was just wondering joe, was this an evolutionary argument posted on your essay? I am not criticizing you in any way, just asking genuinely.
Causes of height discrimination All species of insects and animals begin small. Helplessness and weakness are associated with being small or short. A baby begins short, and grows. He doesn’t start out tall and then shrink. Isn’t it only natural to associate lack of size or height with weakness and vulnerability? I would say that virtually everyone makes these associations; but they are not just associations, they are physical realities. Along with greater height comes greater weight, greater muscle mass, denser bones, a reach advantage and a power advantage in striking. The bottom line is this: The greater the height advantage (all other things being equal) a person has over another, the more likely that person will be physically able to hurt the shorter or smaller person in a one on one physical confrontation.
Greater "Height makes us feel greater, better, and superior. That’s true whether you’re a homeless person with no money, or a $2 million/year corporate executive. Go stand on a chair. Now get on your knees. Which feels better? I heard a three year old girl once say to her mother; “Mommy, why are other daddies bigger than daddy?” I also remember when I was six years old and heard another six year old say, “My dad is bigger than anyone.” It is natural. It is also natural for the short child/man/woman to feel lesser and inferior to the taller child/man/woman if for no other reason than the fact that he or she is at a physical disadvantage. And short men, we ARE at a physical disadvantage. It doesn’t mean the short person is inherently inferior, but it is inevitable to have some feelings of inferiority. If those natural feelings aren’t enough, society will make sure the short person knows he is inferior through subtle and sometimes not so subtle cues. But the short person is in the minority as well. If most children were short, and there were an occasional tall child that would be another matter. There are few like him or her. That makes the problem a little more difficult to deal with and solve. Up to this point in time there have been no solutions.
"
So heightism is natural? I thought we were in the business of seeing this as an issue that society created, not something rooted in evolutionary advantage.
Causes of height discrimination All species of insects and animals begin small. Helplessness and weakness are associated with being small or short. A baby begins short, and grows. He doesn’t start out tall and then shrink. Isn’t it only natural to associate lack of size or height with weakness and vulnerability? I would say that virtually everyone makes these associations; but they are not just associations, they are physical realities. Along with greater height comes greater weight, greater muscle mass, denser bones, a reach advantage and a power advantage in striking. The bottom line is this: The greater the height advantage (all other things being equal) a person has over another, the more likely that person will be physically able to hurt the shorter or smaller person in a one on one physical confrontation.
Greater "Height makes us feel greater, better, and superior. That’s true whether you’re a homeless person with no money, or a $2 million/year corporate executive. Go stand on a chair. Now get on your knees. Which feels better? I heard a three year old girl once say to her mother; “Mommy, why are other daddies bigger than daddy?” I also remember when I was six years old and heard another six year old say, “My dad is bigger than anyone.” It is natural. It is also natural for the short child/man/woman to feel lesser and inferior to the taller child/man/woman if for no other reason than the fact that he or she is at a physical disadvantage. And short men, we ARE at a physical disadvantage. It doesn’t mean the short person is inherently inferior, but it is inevitable to have some feelings of inferiority. If those natural feelings aren’t enough, society will make sure the short person knows he is inferior through subtle and sometimes not so subtle cues. But the short person is in the minority as well. If most children were short, and there were an occasional tall child that would be another matter. There are few like him or her. That makes the problem a little more difficult to deal with and solve. Up to this point in time there have been no solutions.
"
So heightism is natural? I thought we were in the business of seeing this as an issue that society created, not something rooted in evolutionary advantage.
