While just about every other minority has been given a sheltered place in our American vocabulary of political correctness, we continue to poke fun at midgets without hesitation. Maybe it is because we objectify them as munchkins, oompa-loompas, gnomes, and, in general, freaks. I find it a little amusing that, were you to substitute other minorities as the subject of some of your ‘jokes,’ all hell would break loose. How would it have looked had you described your phobia of blacks, homosexuals, or even men? You freely admit your prejudice, but give a reason that is plain insulting. How would it sound if I said that I was afraid of blacks because of a particular movie? What if I came to the conclusion that all women were sex freaks just because I had watched one too many pornos? Joke or not, there are midgets out there in this world with real emotions and real minds. They are real PEOPLE, only shorter. They are not objects; little creatures to flinch at and write humor about.I mean, if you ARE afraid of midgets, please try to tackle the subject in a more serious manner. Someone who has a genuine phobia of Hispanics would not have (I would hope) discussed it like “It all started when I watched ‘West Side Story’ as a kid…” If you don’t have a genuine phobia of midgets, the joke was distasteful. There are many differences among people and these differences can make us very uncomfortable at times, but we must approach these issues with both perspectives in mind. It is not enough to say “I don’t like homosexuals because they are weird.”I know you can’t please everyone, but the humor is very demeaning. Why not do an article on the suicide rate among this class of people that you aren’t comfortable with? You might find that they are not very comfortable with their situation either.
Christian Eric WellerdingStudent Programmer 3
