Salon | Letters to the editor

_______________ FORGET SHORTY BY COURTNEY WEAVER (04/22/98)

It was nice to hear a woman, finally, yet not quite explicitly, admit that her prejudice against short men is not because of a personality defect inherent in shortness, and thereby defensible, but rather simply because short men are, well, short.
The piece did not note, however, the absence of a similarly euphemistic analogue to "Rubenesque" for short men. This, no doubt, is because at no time in recorded history has shortness in a man been regarded by women as a desirable physical characteristic in and of itself -- although the "Napoleon" tag clings stubbornly to the male and female lexicon.
Despite the way short men are commonly portrayed in the media (i.e., as caricatures and objects for ridicule) and the disadvantages they face professionally and socially -- one will rarely, if ever, read a sob story about the plight of the short man, as one will about the plight of the overweight woman, her battles with self-esteem and eating disorders and male and societal complicity in her condition. This disparity exists despite the fact that short men can do nothing about their height.
A couple of years ago, ABC's "20/20" aired a report on prejudice against short men. The piece was for the most part sympathetic to short men. However, when the report was over, and the reporter on the story, Lynn Schurr, discussed the subject with Hugh Downs and Barbara Walters, Downs, for some reason, felt compelled to reveal that he was, at 6-1, not a short man -- to which Schurr replied, incongruously and without a trace of irony, "Good for you!"
-- Sean Smith (5-8)
Sacramento, Calif.
Thank you for your brave stand on the pressing issue of the sex appeal of short men. Men of small stature have been handed far too much power in our culture, and it's good to see them slapped down to their stubby little knees. How many Dudley Moores, how many Emmanuel Lewises must be inflicted upon us before we give the proper respect to disadvantaged tall men like Shaquille O'Neal and Abraham Lincoln?
I suggest that you round out the piece by making it into a series -- ongoing commentary on societal groups who are vulnerable to sexual criticism. Ask a man to write an article subjecting the topic "Why I Don't Diddle Fat Chicks" to intense intellectual scrutiny. Future titles could include "Prohibit Those Uncircumcized Heathen From Breeding" and "Retards Are Stank."
Through heroically unflinching exploration of our revulsion toward our fellow humans, we can build a better world for our children. Particularly if they're tall.
-- --Evan Stoner
Seattle
Since you are supposed to know so much about sex, I'm surprised that you haven't figured out that dick size and height are not the same thing. Perhaps you owe yourself a trip to the men's locker room to see that tall men don't necessarily have big dicks, and many average-sized (yes, even short) men are very well-endowed.
How would you react if someone wrote that tall women have large breasts, while short woman are necessarily "small." Do you think such a statement would hold water?
In any case, I'm NOT a little man with a little dick, so I have no ax to grind other than to clear up a common fact that you, of all people, should know.
-- Lawrence Weiner
Your "Unzipped" sizist article is about as offensive as an article on why little titties don't cut the mustard. Congrats for aiding yet another cultural stereotype. Since reading your article, my self-confidence has decreased, as has the length of my penis. It's all your fault.
-- Stumpy (5-7 and proud)
_______________ BLACK AND WHITE AND WEB ALL OVER BY JANELLE BROWN (04/17/98)

I detected a disturbing vein of paternalism running through this article. The message seems to be that "we" have to provide access to the Internet to "them" because "they" can't or won't do it on their own. Worse yet, if "they" don't get online, well, it's "our" fault. Get real! "We" don't have to create more opportunity: Opportunity is already there, for anyone with the wit and gumption to take advantage of it.
Computer prices are coming down fast. Internet access is cheap and generally available. More and more people use computers at work, and more and more children use computers at school. So why is anyone hesitating at the door of the Information Age? And should "we" carry "them" across the threshold?
No. The message should be: "You can do it. You can do this for what it costs you for those cokes at the vending machine, or those candy bars at the convenience store, or all the other crap you buy but don't really need. Save your money and you WILL be able to afford a computer and access to the Internet. And you won't have anyone to thank but yourself."
I know this can be done because I have done it.
-- George Mendez G.
Crownsville, Md.
_______________ UNSPEAKABLE LOSSES BY DAYNA MACY (04/15/98)

I have a few comments about this article. I found it extremely touching and important. I have never been so moved by two pages of text.
I do have one problem with one of the questions Ms. Macy asks of the author: "Why did you include a whole chapter devoted to the impact of pregnancy loss on men?" was incredibly narrow-minded and shallow. Does Ms. Macy support the stereotype of the American man who suffers a loss and then starts a bar fight or range war ?
After going through the miscarriage of our first child, many male co-workers and friends explained to me how the loss of an unborn child affected them. How they were there for their wives and talked through the tragic events. How people avoided talking to them about children or pregnancy. How nothing else had ever hit them the way that the loss of a child did. Many of the men I talked with had lost parents, siblings, lifelong friends -- and still felt the loss of an unborn child to be the worst of all. As I was reading Ms. Macy's article, I was thinking that an entire book dedicated to a man's perspective on the subject is the next book for Ms. Kluger-Bell. Maybe Ms. Macy needs to expand her opinion of the American male circa 1998.
-- Michael Mackessy
_______________ THE SQUIRREL AND THE COMPUTER BY ROBERT WINKLER (04/20/98)

I was very touched by the story about the squirrel. In all seriousness, squirrels bring smiles to my face each day. I was pleased to see a writer take the time to appreciate one of the world's finer rodents instead of cursing the poor dead squirrel. Thank you for being sensitive in writing this poignant piece.
The illustration is kinda creepy, though. You could have used one of my happy squirrels!
-- Annie Tomlin
SALON | April 24, 1998

R E C E N T L Y+| THE SALON CONSPIRACY BY DAVID HOROWITZ (04/20/98)

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_______________ FORGET SHORTY BY COURTNEY WEAVER (04/22/98)
	It was nice to hear a woman, finally, yet not quite explicitly, admit that her prejudice against short men is not because of a personality defect inherent in shortness, and thereby defensible, but rather simply because short men are, well, short. The piece did not note, however, the absence of a similarly euphemistic analogue to "Rubenesque" for short men. This, no doubt, is because at no time in recorded history has shortness in a man been regarded by women as a desirable physical characteristic in and of itself -- although the "Napoleon" tag clings stubbornly to the male and female lexicon. Despite the way short men are commonly portrayed in the media (i.e., as caricatures and objects for ridicule) and the disadvantages they face professionally and socially -- one will rarely, if ever, read a sob story about the plight of the short man, as one will about the plight of the overweight woman, her battles with self-esteem and eating disorders and male and societal complicity in her condition. This disparity exists despite the fact that short men can do nothing about their height. A couple of years ago, ABC's "20/20" aired a report on prejudice against short men. The piece was for the most part sympathetic to short men. However, when the report was over, and the reporter on the story, Lynn Schurr, discussed the subject with Hugh Downs and Barbara Walters, Downs, for some reason, felt compelled to reveal that he was, at 6-1, not a short man -- to which Schurr replied, incongruously and without a trace of irony, "Good for you!" -- Sean Smith (5-8) Sacramento, Calif. Thank you for your brave stand on the pressing issue of the sex appeal of short men. Men of small stature have been handed far too much power in our culture, and it's good to see them slapped down to their stubby little knees. How many Dudley Moores, how many Emmanuel Lewises must be inflicted upon us before we give the proper respect to disadvantaged tall men like Shaquille O'Neal and Abraham Lincoln? I suggest that you round out the piece by making it into a series -- ongoing commentary on societal groups who are vulnerable to sexual criticism. Ask a man to write an article subjecting the topic "Why I Don't Diddle Fat Chicks" to intense intellectual scrutiny. Future titles could include "Prohibit Those Uncircumcized Heathen From Breeding" and "Retards Are Stank." Through heroically unflinching exploration of our revulsion toward our fellow humans, we can build a better world for our children. Particularly if they're tall. -- --Evan Stoner Seattle Since you are supposed to know so much about sex, I'm surprised that you haven't figured out that dick size and height are not the same thing. Perhaps you owe yourself a trip to the men's locker room to see that tall men don't necessarily have big dicks, and many average-sized (yes, even short) men are very well-endowed. How would you react if someone wrote that tall women have large breasts, while short woman are necessarily "small." Do you think such a statement would hold water? In any case, I'm NOT a little man with a little dick, so I have no ax to grind other than to clear up a common fact that you, of all people, should know. -- Lawrence Weiner Your "Unzipped" sizist article is about as offensive as an article on why little titties don't cut the mustard. Congrats for aiding yet another cultural stereotype. Since reading your article, my self-confidence has decreased, as has the length of my penis. It's all your fault. -- Stumpy (5-7 and proud)
_______________ BLACK AND WHITE AND WEB ALL OVER BY JANELLE BROWN (04/17/98)
	I detected a disturbing vein of paternalism running through this article. The message seems to be that "we" have to provide access to the Internet to "them" because "they" can't or won't do it on their own. Worse yet, if "they" don't get online, well, it's "our" fault. Get real! "We" don't have to create more opportunity: Opportunity is already there, for anyone with the wit and gumption to take advantage of it. Computer prices are coming down fast. Internet access is cheap and generally available. More and more people use computers at work, and more and more children use computers at school. So why is anyone hesitating at the door of the Information Age? And should "we" carry "them" across the threshold? No. The message should be: "You can do it. You can do this for what it costs you for those cokes at the vending machine, or those candy bars at the convenience store, or all the other crap you buy but don't really need. Save your money and you WILL be able to afford a computer and access to the Internet. And you won't have anyone to thank but yourself." I know this can be done because I have done it. -- George Mendez G. Crownsville, Md.
_______________ UNSPEAKABLE LOSSES BY DAYNA MACY (04/15/98)
	I have a few comments about this article. I found it extremely touching and important. I have never been so moved by two pages of text. I do have one problem with one of the questions Ms. Macy asks of the author: "Why did you include a whole chapter devoted to the impact of pregnancy loss on men?" was incredibly narrow-minded and shallow. Does Ms. Macy support the stereotype of the American man who suffers a loss and then starts a bar fight or range war ? After going through the miscarriage of our first child, many male co-workers and friends explained to me how the loss of an unborn child affected them. How they were there for their wives and talked through the tragic events. How people avoided talking to them about children or pregnancy. How nothing else had ever hit them the way that the loss of a child did. Many of the men I talked with had lost parents, siblings, lifelong friends -- and still felt the loss of an unborn child to be the worst of all. As I was reading Ms. Macy's article, I was thinking that an entire book dedicated to a man's perspective on the subject is the next book for Ms. Kluger-Bell. Maybe Ms. Macy needs to expand her opinion of the American male circa 1998. -- Michael Mackessy
_______________ THE SQUIRREL AND THE COMPUTER BY ROBERT WINKLER (04/20/98)
	I was very touched by the story about the squirrel. In all seriousness, squirrels bring smiles to my face each day. I was pleased to see a writer take the time to appreciate one of the world's finer rodents instead of cursing the poor dead squirrel. Thank you for being sensitive in writing this poignant piece. The illustration is kinda creepy, though. You could have used one of my happy squirrels! -- Annie Tomlin SALON \| April 24, 1998