The Conservative Cave
Current Events => The DUmpster => Topic started by: CactusCarlos on February 10, 2008, 05:17:59 PM
-
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2844320
Other forms of bigotry still "acceptable" in our culture.
Posted by Turn CO Blue on Sun Feb-10-08 06:14 PM
There has been much discussion in the last week about the "last remaining" form of bigotry - misogyny. Many other people, more articulate than I, have addressed that subject and I am glad to see the topic so out in the open.
But I want to raise the issue that there are indeed other forms of acceptable bigotry alive and well and just as sinister and often more overt than sexism.
Bigotry against obese people.
Bigotry against very short men.
I have witnessed both of these to the extreme, recently and often.
I work for an airline, and you would just not believe what very thin or average-sized people call in to say about having to sit next to large, overweight people. They are rabid, mean and nasty with the names and derision they use for "fat people". These people are filled with INTENSE HATRED for obese people and make all kinds of assumptions about their being stupid, lazy and odorous.
Many times they go on and on about how there "ought to be a federal law" prohibiting large people from traveling at all! And quite often they say many of these things on the flight itself, outloud to the flight attendants, directly in front of the large person they are insulting and the rest of the passengers all around. They have no qualms about saying these insults in public.
So, let's be very clear. There is no doubt that people often do not get the job or get promotions because they're overweight - and that is bigotry and discrimination by definition. The explanation given to avoid a suit is that the person doesn't present a professional enought image.
And for the other category -- I am married to a short man (5'5") and good grief, we have had people come up and insult him to his face for daring to exist. I have had other women tell me that they are happy for me, but they themselves don't know what I find attractive about a man who is so short (Aren't his legs too short? Doesn't that mean his thing wouldn't be very big?) I've never been in a physical fight in my life, but I can see how that would make me want to tear some woman's hair out. It's pretty ridiculous, because he has a very handsome face and a very fit, defined body. And he's four inches taller than me. Not good enough, apparently. And even if he were the homeliest man alive, he is my other half, for god's sake, and I just don't understand how people can be so shallow!
There are women and men everywhere who feel the need to demean short men (and women) every chance they get. Every romance novel and chick-flick talks about "tall men" and the women snicker about mean not over six feet tall having "short-comings". Ugh. And, even on DU, recall all the "elf" comments about Dennis Kucinich, and all the comments about how a short man could never be president.
I myself am only 5'1" and often hear comments about being a "midget" (I thought we killed that word!) or making jokes about how short people have "no reason to live" and "how's the weather down there?" It's not that these bother me; I have heard them all my whole life. But because I'm a woman, it is sort of "okay" if I'm petite. Not the ideal, certainly, but it is allowed.
Again, let's be very clear that some short men do not get the job or get a promotion - and that, by definition, is bigotry and discrimination. The explanation given is that the person doesn't seem to be the "type of leader" they're looking for. Remember that the vast majority of CEOs and VPs are over six feet tall.
So, don't expect to be seen on your merits or abilities if you're very heavy or a short man in this culture. And we can only imagine how painful life must be for any very short, very obese men out there.
---
tcb
P.S. I am adding this to purposefully steal some thunder. I realize that if this thread does not drop like a stone in a lake, there will be a couple of people sorely tempted (and they will succumb too) to respond with short-people jokes and fat-people jokes in this thread. So post away, and even if we all chuckle, it will prove my point - that even in the "sensitive" and "compassionate" land of DU/Liberals/Progressives, people still have ENORMOUS prejudices against short men and the obese, often rearing their heads through so-called "comedy".
-
And I happen to be both short and fat :-)
-
Bigotry against obese people.
Bigotry against very short men.
You gotta be shitting me
I can already see a march on Washington. The obese people will get hungry and eat the midgets. The march will end in tragedy.:rotf:
-
There's all kinds of acceptable (to the DUmmies anyway) bigotry that he missed.
Bigotry against:
Christians
Jews
Republicans
Conservative blacks
Corporations
Military
"global warming deniers"
-
Bigotry against obese people.
Bigotry against very short men.
You gotta be shitting me
I can already see a march on Washington. The obese people will get hungry and eat the midgets. The march will end in tragedy.:rotf:
I think all the fat people would need to use those scooters to march on Washington. :lmao:
-
Many times they go on and on about how there "ought to be a federal law" prohibiting large people from traveling at all! And quite often they say many of these things on the flight itself, outloud to the flight attendants, directly in front of the large person they are insulting and the rest of the passengers all around. They have no qualms about saying these insults in public.
Horsesh*t. Where is this rude world the DUmmies live in? I don't want to happen there by mistake one day.
-
Bigotry against obese people.
Bigotry against very short men.
You gotta be shitting me
I can already see a march on Washington. The obese people will get hungry and eat the midgets. The march will end in tragedy.:rotf:
I think all the fat people would need to use those scooters to march on Washington. :lmao:
Scooter bigot. :bird:
-
And I happen to be both short and fat :-)
Ditto. Pleasure to meet you. :cheersmate:
-
And I happen to be both short and fat :-)
I'm short and fat and short and thin. It depends on where you look.
-
And I happen to be both short and fat :-)
Ditto. Pleasure to meet you. :cheersmate:
You bald too? :-)
-
As far as I can tell it is open season on white men.
-
You bald too? :-)
I'm getting there. However, I'm not going to handle it like my dad did. He just let it go until he had "the ring" (I'm not sure what it is called). I plan on keeping it shaved completely bald when that time comes.
-
There's all kinds of acceptable (to the DUmmies anyway) bigotry that he missed.
Bigotry against:
Christians
Jews
Republicans
Conservative blacks
Corporations
Military
"global warming deniers"
****in' A, ****in' A.
-
Bigotry against obese people.
Bigotry against very short men.
You gotta be shitting me
I can already see a march on Washington. The obese people will get hungry and eat the midgets. The march will end in tragedy.:rotf:
That is one of the funniest posts I have seen in quite some time!
-
You bald too? :-)
I'm getting there. However, I'm not going to handle it like my dad did. He just let it go until he had "the ring" (I'm not sure what it is called). I plan on keeping it shaved completely bald when that time comes.
Well, this is my healthy head o' hair:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y5/freedumb2003/FD2002InRepose.jpg)
-
Well, this is my healthy head o' hair:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y5/freedumb2003/FD2002InRepose.jpg)
That looks like Bill Clinton's pubic region.
-
You bald too? :-)
I'm getting there. However, I'm not going to handle it like my dad did. He just let it go until he had "the ring" (I'm not sure what it is called). I plan on keeping it shaved completely bald when that time comes.
Well, this is my healthy head o' hair:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y5/freedumb2003/FD2002InRepose.jpg)
Looks like Bill Clinton... :-)
-
Sounds like somebody has S.M.S. Short man syndrome.
-
I'm short, female, conservative and left handed. The world hates me. :-)
-
I'm short, female, conservative and left handed. The world hates me. :-)
You're LEFT HANDED?? Damn!
-
I'm short, female, conservative and left handed. The world hates me. :-)
You're LEFT HANDED?? Damn!
You know, my mama tried to make me right-handed. Sigh. :-)
My brother loves to point out that Clenis is left handed too. As are many other leaders and prominent figures. We're not all bad.
-
I'm short, female, conservative and left handed. The world hates me. :-)
Well, bless your heart. :-)
:tongue:
-
I'm short, female, conservative and left handed. The world hates me. :-)
Heh... my minority penis is still bigger. . .black and bisexual.
Yahtzee! :lmao:
*TKay*
-
You know, my mama tried to make me right-handed. Sigh. :-)
My brother loves to point out that Clenis is left handed too. As are many other leaders and prominent figures. We're not all bad.
I am too. Looks like I'm in good company. :-)
Besides, we're supposed to be the crafty ones.
-
^Just don't call us "artsy-fartsy" :-)
-
You know, my mama tried to make me right-handed. Sigh. :-)
My brother loves to point out that Clenis is left handed too. As are many other leaders and prominent figures. We're not all bad.
I am too. Looks like I'm in good company. :-)
Besides, we're supposed to be the crafty ones.
I thought it meant that you use the wrong side of your brain. At least that's what I tell my wife (left handed freak)
-
I thought it meant that you use the wrong side of your brain. At least that's what I tell my wife (left handed freak)
I'm an abodiginal. I golf and bat right-handed. :-)
-
I thought it meant that you use the wrong side of your brain. At least that's what I tell my wife (left handed freak)
I'm an abodiginal. I golf and bat right-handed. :-)
So. I can write with my D!ck. :cheerleader: :cheerleader2: :lies:
-
I thought it meant that you use the wrong side of your brain. At least that's what I tell my wife (left handed freak)
I'm an abodiginal. I golf and bat right-handed. :-)
So. I can write with my D!ck. :cheerleader: :cheerleader2: :lies:
Short stories? :rotf:
-
I thought it meant that you use the wrong side of your brain. At least that's what I tell my wife (left handed freak)
I'm an abodiginal. I golf and bat right-handed. :-)
So. I can write with my D!ck. :cheerleader: :cheerleader2: :lies:
Short stories? :rotf:
More like Epic Fantasy :naughty:
-
I thought it meant that you use the wrong side of your brain. At least that's what I tell my wife (left handed freak)
I'm an abodiginal. I golf and bat right-handed. :-)
So. I can write with my D!ck. :cheerleader: :cheerleader2: :lies:
Short stories? :rotf:
:bwah:
-
I'm short, female, conservative and left handed. The world hates me. :-)
Me too :cheersmate: