What Do Dwarf People Prefer to Be Called?
The following exchange, reprinted here in its entirety, began with an e-mail to Ebert's Motion picture Respond Man column.
From Daniel Woodburn to Roger Ebert
April 6, 2005
Dear Mr. Ebert,
I am an actor that you have reviewed neither favorably nor unfavorably in ii unlike movies: one was "Decease to Smoochy," the other "Things You lot Can Tell Just By Looking At Her." I accept absolutely no objection to you trashing a pic or lauding it. I do object to the apply of the discussion "midgets" in your review of "Death to Smoochy."
As a writer you are enlightened of the power of words. The use of the word midget is, for Fiddling People, equated with any other hate word someone might use to describe a minority group. I simply enquire you: if you were to encounter Little People children would y'all have away their humanity in the same way with the use of such a hate word? I can respect a yes respond but I cannot respect the person who answers aye.
Sincerely, Danny Woodburn
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April 12, 2005
Beloved Mr. Woodburn,
I had no idea the word "midget" was considered offensive, and yous are the only person who has ever written to me near information technology. In my listen it is a descriptive term, like "dwarf." "Petty People" has seemed to me to have a vaguely condescending cuteness to information technology. If I am now informed that "midget" is offensive, I will no longer utilise it. What is your feeling near "dwarf?" Is "Little Person" ever the preferred term? Our newspaper's style book, based on Associated Press, does not consider "midget" or "dwarf" to be offensive terms, but perhaps we accept not caught up.
Sincerely, Roger Ebert
P.S. I am sure you take seen the essay below, which I found online and thought interesting.
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Essay by Leonard Sawisch, PHD: http://the-m-discussion.blogspot.ca/
Most of us in the United States take been teased or harassed or otherwise had our personal space invaded "only because" nosotros are members of the dwarf customs. Our reactions can range from indifference to humiliation; from announce to outrage and sometimes perhaps even fear for our rubber. Because of their connection to u.s.a., our average-sized family members, friends, and peers have more than likely felt the aforementioned things.
Somewhere around third grade, our average sized son Brandon started getting into schoolyard fights. Lenette (always the more insightful parent) realized what was happening. Kids would come up to Brandon and ask "aren't you the kid whose parents are midgets?" Regardless of the intent of the question, Brandon was raised in the dwarf community where midget was the nigger word. In his young mind he saw no choice but to defend his family unit'south honor!
I was devastated. I had spent over a decade of my life every bit a inability advocate and spokesperson for the dwarf community promoting "politically correct" use of terminology. I had helped make the give-and-take midget such a powerfully negative word that it was endangering my son! And we had never actually talked about the discussion -- he just picked up the value from growing up with piddling people. So we sabbatum him correct down and began desensitizing the word midget. We too enrolled him in Karate course and then he would larn that violence was a last resort.
I had fabricated a classic mistake. I had confused the discussion midget with the mode information technology was used by people who intended to brand me feel bad. Ironically, midget is the newest term for people like us. It was coined by PT Barnum in the mid 1800'due south to describe members of the dwarf community who were the almost socially adequate, i.e., "well proportioned" little people who could entertain on the front phase for polite lodge. The rest of the dwarf community, those of united states whose bodies are shaped differently enough to look more than than just "really brusk," were relegated to the dorsum stage or freak shows.
In fact, even into the 1950'south, it was still considered more than socially adequate to be a midget than to be any other kind of dwarf! I remember hearing parents say "if my child has to exist small, then thank god she'due south a midget, and not a dwarf." And piddling people themselves would fight over who could call themselves midget and who couldn't. Billy Barty, our organization's founder, was raised in this era, and grew up claiming to exist a midget, fifty-fifty though his "wind swept" legs and "stubby" fingers would not come across the standards of the more conservative midgets.
So what happened? First, LPA happened. Originally to be chosen "Midgets of America," the folks who could afford to attend the early meetings were as likely to exist not-midgets as midgets. And then a compromise was fabricated to telephone call the grouping Midgets and Dwarfs of America (observe who came first). Information technology didn't take long, however, for the fledgling members to notice that the non-midgets (by Barnum's standards) were greatly out-numbering the midgets. So a 2nd compromise was struck to call the group "Footling People of America."
2nd, PT Barnum was and so proficient at showmanship that the term midget became common vernacular, and used for almost anything smaller than usual. As a effect, Information technology became the word that most people learned and used. Which meant that when people wanted to telephone call attention to brusk stature and body differentness, midget was the first word to come up to mind. Those of us raised in this state from the fifties and after came to associate "midget" only equally a bad and hurtful discussion.
In the 1970'south, perhaps as a parallel with the civil rights movement and the women's rights motility, some of the younger members of LPA began using the term "dwarf" and "dwarf ability" as a symbol of cocky and group pride. At start, the older picayune people (and their average sized families and friends) were horrified! They felt the midget/dwarf result had been resolved and that "Little People" had won the mean solar day. To them, "dwarf" was equally negative as "midget" seems to be today.
However, the intent of the people using the term was empowerment. The message was strength and unity. When the Dwarf Athletic Clan of America was formed in the mid 1980's, there was still quite a stir about the use of "that" word. But once more, the intent was empowerment and pride; the opportunity for people like us to excel in athletic contest, to be America'due south all-time at something. Information technology was pretty hard to resist that kind of positive appeal. As a event, I can refer to united states of america as the dwarf customs today without raising likewise many eyebrows. I can also refer to us equally the LPA community with a similar reaction.
Why tin can't I write about us as the midget customs? I imagine just well-nigh everyone reading this just had a visceral reaction that wasn't positive, even though in much of the rest of the earth information technology is the preferred terminology. Simply I acknowledge it wasn't all that easy for me to write it!
I have let myself be a victim of my times, and peradventure that's why I wrote information technology. Considering it is fourth dimension to take some of the power away from the word midget. We tin't beget to let ourselves and our children be victimized past that word whatever longer. And the word volition not become away. We need to toss the word around more amongst ourselves. Nosotros need to de-mystify it and play with it and empathise information technology in new ways. Nosotros need to begin to reverberate information technology in our fine art and our civilization in ways that reduce its negative affect. We need to brand fun of the way information technology has been used. Maybe we demand to visit a midget petting zoo and detect some peace.
Len Sawisch
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April 13, 2005
Love Mr. Ebert,
Cheers for your genuine, honest response and for the commodity. In answer to your question, personally, I still feel, as many do, that the term midget is akin to "nigger." I am forty and grew up in that Dwarf Ability era as Mr. Sawisch discusses. I do believe that it would be slap-up to merits "the word" as our ain in much the same manner as African Americans and Blacks have claimed "nigger." The truth is, if I say "nigger" I am getting my caput cracked open up, but non too many LP'southward or Dwarfs are doing whatever head-crackin' afterwards being addressed as a "midget," (just out of sheer cocky-preservation). Nor are they standing upward for their correct to exist addressed as human beings in a verbal way.
I practise use the term, "midget" in the satire of my stand-up one-act human action, and that is the closest I get to it. So often, the use of the give-and-take volition eliminate a person'south humanity. Next time you hear it used in Boob tube, film, or print see how it makes you experience virtually "midgets." Notice the imagery, if in that location is whatever. It's by and large demeaning and dehumanizing. I think to fully claim the word in empowerment, the way black Americans have claimed the discussion "nigger," entails getting it abroad from those who abuse information technology or misuse it.
The truth is Niggling People or Persons of Short Stature or Dwarfs do not have equal rights under the law. We are forbidden to join the military or police force force based purely on size and non ability. Accessibility laws laid down by the ADA are non always all-around to Little People. The ACLU, has not, in my experience acknowledged such issues as forcible eviction, denial of housing, or employment and education when it comes to people with Dwarfism. The response was "We don't recognize that there is any such race equally the Dwarf race." True though it may be, in my stance there needs to be a precedent set in support of Little People.
With regard to the term Trivial People, I suppose that until we can get the world at large not to describe someone as black or Jewish or disabled or Asian or Hispanic when we talk of their beingness, we must include the term "People" in guild to go along them in the one race that nosotros all share -- the man race.
I suppose it is more than you expected after your note to me, just information technology is something that I take great passion nearly and have spoken publicly at every opportunity and information technology is the reason I pursue interim as passionately as I practice.
Sincerely, Danny Woodburn
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April sixteen, 2005
Well, I will retire the word "midget" right hither and now.
Y'all touch on a strange phenomenon: The style members of various discriminated-confronting groups use words amid themselves that would be fighting words if used nearly them by others. You doubt that "midget" will ever be domesticated among Piffling People in the same mode "nigger" has been tamed among blacks, but actually I call up that is simply too.
Words that crusade pain should be retired, although perhaps during the transitional period they tin can offering a sure homeopathic relief. I have recently been in correspondence with disabled people over the ending of "Million Dollar Baby," and note that they sometimes utilise terms like "crip" and "gimp."
I am going to share with you an boggling Usenet posting nigh Cockney Rhyming Slang used amidst disabled Cockneys in East London:
=== Mutton Jeff = Deafened. Canary Wharf = dwarf. Cardinal Wolsey = cerebral palsy. Raspberry Ripple = cripple. Prophylactic and plastic = spastic. Tulips and roses = multiple sclerosis. Salary rind = blind. Diet Pepsi = epilepsy. Benny and the Jets = Tourettes. Wasps and bees = amputee. ===
Best, Roger Ebert
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Apr 16, 2005
Dearest Mr. Woodburn,
With your permission, I'd similar to reprint our correspondence in total on the web site.
Best, RE
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April 17, 2005
Honey Mr. Ebert,
The mere fact that you have decided to retire the give-and-take midget from your work -- which I accept watched on PBS since the 70's indeed has made my week. Every significant move forward is huge. My married woman always tells me every pace, no thing how big or modest, is a step. The thought that you publish this on you site honors me farther.
Regarding the use of "nigger" and "gimp" or "crip." When I have felt a particular closeness with someone of color or inability nosotros accept often exchanged those derogatory terms for one another. I think that when you do have that bond and take used those terms with someone in an even, equal exchange, it is then that the words are truly owned. It is a recognition of having defeated the detest that comes with the terms.
With regard to Midget I take coined a term on stage that eliminates its touch on in much the aforementioned way African Americans and Blacks (which traditionally was not capitalized in the same way White was to describe race) take altered the discussion "nigger" to "Nigga." I have decided that dropping the "t" and changing the "e" to "a" to create Midga deflates the impact. Then in closing I would just like to say to you lot Mr. Ebert -- "Yous my Midga."
Sincerely, Danny Woodburn
PS. I prefer the Cockney versions of everything.
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his decease in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.
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