Post by Heightism Report on Aug 11, 2015 8:13:11 GMT
The intent of Heightism Hub, is not to merely discuss instances of heightism in society, but to also provide a template on how to have an intelligent dialogue about heightism. In order to participate in this forum, you are going to be asked to put on your critical thinking hat. This is not the place for trolling, blame-shifting, discriminatory tirades, evoking of negative stereotypes, classifying people who discuss heightism as pathetic, slinging hateful slurs about short people, immaturity, making tired puns and jokes, or any other diversionary tactic that always diverts heightism discussions. If you don't follow the rules; you're gone. It's just that simple.
(1) Being that this is a mature discussion about heightism, please refrain from all personal attacks. This board's focus is to set the standard for how to intelligently discuss heightism, so there will be no need to call anyone an "idiot," or even to refer to any poster's opinion as "idiotic." If someone is truly being idiotic, there will be no need to inform them of their idiocy because they will be banned from the forum. If someone is asking a legit question about heightism, and is engaging us in a way where they seem like they are truly trying to learn, such behavior will not be classified as idiotic, but if they are being hateful or constantly evoking the typical hateful stereotypes, they will be banned.
(2) This rule is almost an extension of the first, but is a crucial element in maintaining productive heightism dialogue. KEEP THE FOCUS ON HEIGHTISM AND HEIGHTISTS. Don't make discriminatory proclamations, stating that people who discuss heightism need "more confidence" or make assumptions that they have "pathetic, sad lives." Intelligently discussing a form of discrimination that gets celebrated by our society should not lead to the person discussing it being negatively characterized, and as a matter of fact, the common will of people to engage in such smear tactics, is indicative of the problems associated with heightism. Such negative characterizations protect the status-quo by assuming the worst about those who are marginalized. This type of blame shifting will not be tolerated at all here. Discussing heightism, should be no different than discussing any other sociological trend or theory, and if this is not something that you are intellectually-mature enough to understand, this is not the forum for you. If you don't know anything about heightism, you're more than welcome to engage in the discussions and learn, but make sure that listening is one of the tools that is in your toolbox.
(3)Any obvious nonsense such as trolling, spamming, threatening, or any other posts where the intent is to bring psychological or physical malaise on any of the members here, will result in an immediate ban. It's as simple as that. If you violate this rule, you're being a jackass intentionally, so no further time will be wasted on you.
(4) Don't go off on tirades that draw battle lines between us and other groups wholesale. We're not here to battle other groups and causes, we're here to battle heightism and heightists, so let's not bog ourselves down with the weight of attacking other causes. Yes, there may be times when people use other causes to try to diminish our cause, and there may be schools of thought in other causes that act as obstacles, and we'll definitely address those issues, but let's address those issues individually as they come to the forefront. This forum welcomes all people who face heightism, are allies to the cause, or are interested in learning about the issue, so no matter what background someone is from or what other causes they support, we'll welcome them with open arms. Heightism is its own issue, with its own nuances and sub-issues within, so let's not muddy the message by trying to fight several battles simultaneously. Heightism is a ubiquitous issue in society, thus, we're going to need allies from all facets of society if we ever want to make any progress.
(5) Don't post comments that merely fight fire with fire. An example of what I'm talking about, is don't post screenshots of people disparaging short men, then, add commentary that does nothing more than disparage the guilty party for their physical characteristics. Yes, it is ok to point-out the hypocrisy in their comments, but there's no need to declare war on everyone who shares the physical characteristics of the person in question. This is not a high school locker room, this is a mature dialogue. On the other hand, I do see merit in creating a culture of shame by calling-out heightists for their hateful attitude, their poorly thought-out logic, and their unchecked idiocy, but let's keep it about their vitriolic ideas, and not merely engage in a battle of body slurs. If you're going to point-out that a particular heightist has physical characteristics that are generally viewed as unfavorable by society, do so in a way that points-out the hypocrisy, but doesn't turn the heat up on innocent parties who may share unfavorable physical characteristics with the heightist in question. We're trying to diminish hateful cycles of thought, not reallocate them.
**************FORBIDDEN TOPICS**********************
One tactic heightists use on the Reddit board, r/short, when attempting to thwart anti-heightism discussion, is to pick a few unflattering topics or posts that reflect poorly on short people, and to craft a stereotype that all of the posters embody this type of rhetoric. For this reason, I'm going to provide a list of unproductive topics that will be instantly deleted.
"How can I grow taller?"
Why is this forbidden? Short people don't need to grow taller to diminish the effects of heightism, we just need to eradicate heightism wholesale, thus, eliminating the artificial "need" to be taller.
"Will I grow taller?"
I don't care. The purpose of this discussion is to challenge society's view on height, thus, the aim is a narrative where your quality of life would not suffer whether you grew, didn't grow, or shrank.
"Here's a picture of some awesome famous short people to help you feel better"
Ok, first of all, the assumption that we need to feel better is heightist. We feel great about the fact that we're discussing heightism intelligently. Anyone who feels motivated to post such a thread needs to ask themselves why they assume we need to feel better, and they'll begin to understand the crux of the issue. Also, this isn't TMZ, so who really cares about what celebrities are doing? We're here to discuss the social forces that drive heightism, not to develop a fan club for celebrities. Maybe if we develop a bustling community here, we'll create a subforum to discuss how much we love certain Hollywood stars, but let's try to stay on the topic of heightism, and let's definitely not portray an image of "needing to feel better."
ON THE OTHER HAND THOUGH, discussion about how certain celebrities are portrayed in movies, whether or not the roles they portray are heightist, whether certain roles adhere to or deviate from stereotypes or norms IS fully encouraged.
NO CONFIDENCE SPEECHES WILL BE TOLERATED!
The Confidence Speech, is a type of condescending cheerleading that is the bane of r/short's existence. The rules require that you keep the focus on heightists and heightism, thus, none of us here need to be subjected to ridiculous feel-good fluff. Like I've already mentioned, we feel good about discussing the sociological, psychological, and historical forces behind heightism, so save the pom poms and the fluff for the homecoming game. For those who aren't familiar with confidence speeches, I'm talking about anything that talks about the "awesome" short guy everyone knows who has a normal job and a wife, silly pep talks with imbecilic cliches about how "dynamite comes in small packages," feel good remedies such as "everyone has something about them that the world doesn't like," or any other empty rhetoric that takes the focus off of the intended subject matter. R/short is infested with this type of condescending rhetoric and we won't tolerate it here. Also, don't stroke your own ego and declare yourself the inspiration for all short people. We're not here to refill anyone's ego, nor are we here to coddle anyone's hurt feelings, we're here to discuss heightism. Plain and simple. If you don't want to, aren't equipped to understand, and aren't ready to discuss or learn about heightism, this is not the place for you. Anyone who discusses heightism will be greeted with 100% support, but if you're not ready to discuss heightism for whatever reason, come back later when you're ready to address the issue, and we'll be more than happy to welcome you aboard.
POSITIVITY! Pleas for positivity will be immediately banned. The positivity in this forum is derived from addressing heightism, and starting to untangle this mess that hatred, indifference, and apathy has created. The fact that we are discussing these issues is positive within itself, so no need to go full-fluffcore. As has already been explained, anyone who lacks the critical awareness to understand that discussing heightism is not indicative of a bad day or a character flaw, thus, advocates for forced positivity, isn't ready to participate in these discussions, and as a matter of fact, is direct evidence as to why these discussions need to occur.
Another NO-NO.
"TEE-HEE OH-EM-GEE! I CAN HIDE IN TIGHT SPACES...... AND EFF TOP SHELVES...AMIRITE?
"
Once again, this board is exclusively for mature heightism discussion, so let's not paint ourselves out to be infantilized Hollywood caricatures. I understand why that type of stuff is on r/short because that forum is geared to discuss "all things" that relate to being short, but this forum is about heightism, and heightism only.
Dating- I'm going to post the rules regarding dating as a separate sticky thread because dating discussion leads to the #1 misrepresentation heightists use to blame shift and deflect the issues during heightism discussion. One of, if not the main problem we face in heightism discussions, is the assumption that everyone discussing the issue is just
"mad because they can't get laid." On this forum, we can set the standard for discussing the most major elements of heightism, thus, will be less open to such criticism. There is a proper way to discuss heightism's influence on the dating scene, so make sure you read the related sticky thread so that your thread doesn't get deleted.
The easiest way to figure-out whether or not your post is appropriate, is to simply ask yourself
"Does this comment focus on heightism or heightists?" If it does not, it's probably getting deleted. Feel free to message me or post an ask thread/comment if you aren't sure.
I think you get the gyst of what we're going for here. Make sure you read the other sticky if you're going to post anything even remotely related to dating.
Suggestions
The following are not rules; Only suggestions that can help give this place a more credible and welcoming feel.
Those of you who have heightism related blogs, websites, academic work, or any other accessible work in relating to heightism, let us know by reflecting as such somewhere either in your profile, signature, username, etc. As we gain more members, it will be nice to showcase that we have a knowledgeable and qualified group of people here.
I'd also like to encourage everyone to post an Intro thread. Tell us anything you want us to know about you, such as your experiences with heightism, how you were led to addressing heightism, and so on. This will create a more welcoming atmosphere
Now, that the required lecture is over, let's enjoy forcibly dissecting the forces that drive heightism, and advocate for a more harmonious world. Enjoy your stay!
(1) Being that this is a mature discussion about heightism, please refrain from all personal attacks. This board's focus is to set the standard for how to intelligently discuss heightism, so there will be no need to call anyone an "idiot," or even to refer to any poster's opinion as "idiotic." If someone is truly being idiotic, there will be no need to inform them of their idiocy because they will be banned from the forum. If someone is asking a legit question about heightism, and is engaging us in a way where they seem like they are truly trying to learn, such behavior will not be classified as idiotic, but if they are being hateful or constantly evoking the typical hateful stereotypes, they will be banned.
(2) This rule is almost an extension of the first, but is a crucial element in maintaining productive heightism dialogue. KEEP THE FOCUS ON HEIGHTISM AND HEIGHTISTS. Don't make discriminatory proclamations, stating that people who discuss heightism need "more confidence" or make assumptions that they have "pathetic, sad lives." Intelligently discussing a form of discrimination that gets celebrated by our society should not lead to the person discussing it being negatively characterized, and as a matter of fact, the common will of people to engage in such smear tactics, is indicative of the problems associated with heightism. Such negative characterizations protect the status-quo by assuming the worst about those who are marginalized. This type of blame shifting will not be tolerated at all here. Discussing heightism, should be no different than discussing any other sociological trend or theory, and if this is not something that you are intellectually-mature enough to understand, this is not the forum for you. If you don't know anything about heightism, you're more than welcome to engage in the discussions and learn, but make sure that listening is one of the tools that is in your toolbox.
(3)Any obvious nonsense such as trolling, spamming, threatening, or any other posts where the intent is to bring psychological or physical malaise on any of the members here, will result in an immediate ban. It's as simple as that. If you violate this rule, you're being a jackass intentionally, so no further time will be wasted on you.
(4) Don't go off on tirades that draw battle lines between us and other groups wholesale. We're not here to battle other groups and causes, we're here to battle heightism and heightists, so let's not bog ourselves down with the weight of attacking other causes. Yes, there may be times when people use other causes to try to diminish our cause, and there may be schools of thought in other causes that act as obstacles, and we'll definitely address those issues, but let's address those issues individually as they come to the forefront. This forum welcomes all people who face heightism, are allies to the cause, or are interested in learning about the issue, so no matter what background someone is from or what other causes they support, we'll welcome them with open arms. Heightism is its own issue, with its own nuances and sub-issues within, so let's not muddy the message by trying to fight several battles simultaneously. Heightism is a ubiquitous issue in society, thus, we're going to need allies from all facets of society if we ever want to make any progress.
(5) Don't post comments that merely fight fire with fire. An example of what I'm talking about, is don't post screenshots of people disparaging short men, then, add commentary that does nothing more than disparage the guilty party for their physical characteristics. Yes, it is ok to point-out the hypocrisy in their comments, but there's no need to declare war on everyone who shares the physical characteristics of the person in question. This is not a high school locker room, this is a mature dialogue. On the other hand, I do see merit in creating a culture of shame by calling-out heightists for their hateful attitude, their poorly thought-out logic, and their unchecked idiocy, but let's keep it about their vitriolic ideas, and not merely engage in a battle of body slurs. If you're going to point-out that a particular heightist has physical characteristics that are generally viewed as unfavorable by society, do so in a way that points-out the hypocrisy, but doesn't turn the heat up on innocent parties who may share unfavorable physical characteristics with the heightist in question. We're trying to diminish hateful cycles of thought, not reallocate them.
**************FORBIDDEN TOPICS**********************
One tactic heightists use on the Reddit board, r/short, when attempting to thwart anti-heightism discussion, is to pick a few unflattering topics or posts that reflect poorly on short people, and to craft a stereotype that all of the posters embody this type of rhetoric. For this reason, I'm going to provide a list of unproductive topics that will be instantly deleted.
"How can I grow taller?"
Why is this forbidden? Short people don't need to grow taller to diminish the effects of heightism, we just need to eradicate heightism wholesale, thus, eliminating the artificial "need" to be taller.
"Will I grow taller?"
I don't care. The purpose of this discussion is to challenge society's view on height, thus, the aim is a narrative where your quality of life would not suffer whether you grew, didn't grow, or shrank.
"Here's a picture of some awesome famous short people to help you feel better"
Ok, first of all, the assumption that we need to feel better is heightist. We feel great about the fact that we're discussing heightism intelligently. Anyone who feels motivated to post such a thread needs to ask themselves why they assume we need to feel better, and they'll begin to understand the crux of the issue. Also, this isn't TMZ, so who really cares about what celebrities are doing? We're here to discuss the social forces that drive heightism, not to develop a fan club for celebrities. Maybe if we develop a bustling community here, we'll create a subforum to discuss how much we love certain Hollywood stars, but let's try to stay on the topic of heightism, and let's definitely not portray an image of "needing to feel better."
ON THE OTHER HAND THOUGH, discussion about how certain celebrities are portrayed in movies, whether or not the roles they portray are heightist, whether certain roles adhere to or deviate from stereotypes or norms IS fully encouraged.
NO CONFIDENCE SPEECHES WILL BE TOLERATED!
The Confidence Speech, is a type of condescending cheerleading that is the bane of r/short's existence. The rules require that you keep the focus on heightists and heightism, thus, none of us here need to be subjected to ridiculous feel-good fluff. Like I've already mentioned, we feel good about discussing the sociological, psychological, and historical forces behind heightism, so save the pom poms and the fluff for the homecoming game. For those who aren't familiar with confidence speeches, I'm talking about anything that talks about the "awesome" short guy everyone knows who has a normal job and a wife, silly pep talks with imbecilic cliches about how "dynamite comes in small packages," feel good remedies such as "everyone has something about them that the world doesn't like," or any other empty rhetoric that takes the focus off of the intended subject matter. R/short is infested with this type of condescending rhetoric and we won't tolerate it here. Also, don't stroke your own ego and declare yourself the inspiration for all short people. We're not here to refill anyone's ego, nor are we here to coddle anyone's hurt feelings, we're here to discuss heightism. Plain and simple. If you don't want to, aren't equipped to understand, and aren't ready to discuss or learn about heightism, this is not the place for you. Anyone who discusses heightism will be greeted with 100% support, but if you're not ready to discuss heightism for whatever reason, come back later when you're ready to address the issue, and we'll be more than happy to welcome you aboard.
POSITIVITY! Pleas for positivity will be immediately banned. The positivity in this forum is derived from addressing heightism, and starting to untangle this mess that hatred, indifference, and apathy has created. The fact that we are discussing these issues is positive within itself, so no need to go full-fluffcore. As has already been explained, anyone who lacks the critical awareness to understand that discussing heightism is not indicative of a bad day or a character flaw, thus, advocates for forced positivity, isn't ready to participate in these discussions, and as a matter of fact, is direct evidence as to why these discussions need to occur.
Another NO-NO.
"TEE-HEE OH-EM-GEE! I CAN HIDE IN TIGHT SPACES...... AND EFF TOP SHELVES...AMIRITE?
"Once again, this board is exclusively for mature heightism discussion, so let's not paint ourselves out to be infantilized Hollywood caricatures. I understand why that type of stuff is on r/short because that forum is geared to discuss "all things" that relate to being short, but this forum is about heightism, and heightism only.
Dating- I'm going to post the rules regarding dating as a separate sticky thread because dating discussion leads to the #1 misrepresentation heightists use to blame shift and deflect the issues during heightism discussion. One of, if not the main problem we face in heightism discussions, is the assumption that everyone discussing the issue is just
"mad because they can't get laid." On this forum, we can set the standard for discussing the most major elements of heightism, thus, will be less open to such criticism. There is a proper way to discuss heightism's influence on the dating scene, so make sure you read the related sticky thread so that your thread doesn't get deleted.
The easiest way to figure-out whether or not your post is appropriate, is to simply ask yourself
"Does this comment focus on heightism or heightists?" If it does not, it's probably getting deleted. Feel free to message me or post an ask thread/comment if you aren't sure.
I think you get the gyst of what we're going for here. Make sure you read the other sticky if you're going to post anything even remotely related to dating.
Suggestions
The following are not rules; Only suggestions that can help give this place a more credible and welcoming feel.
Those of you who have heightism related blogs, websites, academic work, or any other accessible work in relating to heightism, let us know by reflecting as such somewhere either in your profile, signature, username, etc. As we gain more members, it will be nice to showcase that we have a knowledgeable and qualified group of people here.
I'd also like to encourage everyone to post an Intro thread. Tell us anything you want us to know about you, such as your experiences with heightism, how you were led to addressing heightism, and so on. This will create a more welcoming atmosphere
Now, that the required lecture is over, let's enjoy forcibly dissecting the forces that drive heightism, and advocate for a more harmonious world. Enjoy your stay!