Short Prejudice

In Toastmaster's Tips, they announce Toastmasters are not to be prejudiced against race, gender, religion, or sexual preference. (read article) They think they are so open minded! Well, what about short people? I think it's time we stood on chairs to be counted! Our society discriminates against short people and it's time we acknowledged it.

Think about it. Short people can't be serious actors, models or athletes. Just look at Danny Devito. We have to go to a special section of the store (which is always smaller, and occasionally nonexistant) to get clothes that fit us! Parents even encourage this discrimination by measuring their children's height against each other!

I was lucky. I didn't encounter height discrimination until high school.

It was close to the end of my freshman year. I had new friends, I had done well in my classes and was awarded the "Most Improved" plaque for the varsity swim team. Then I got to track. I wanted to run sprints, but I wasn't fast enough. I wanted to jump, but I couldn't jump far enough for the long jump or high enough for the high jump. For a moment, I was afraid I'd have to throw things.

Then I saw the lonely fences set in a row on the field. I didn't know what they were at first, but one girl was leaping over them. I went to investigate. As I approached, the coach told me, "You can't do hurdles, you're too short!"

Well, I wasn't going to accept that. I had to at least try. I ran up to the first hurdle - and stopped. Deer jump fences! It is against human instinct to jump waist-high obstacles. We sensibly walk around or climb over fences. But I was determined. I walked back a little farther. I ran up to the hurdle again and sailed over it, and the next, and even the last!

The coach had no choice. There were only two other girls willing to try it. I was on the team. But I hadn't proven myself.

I was the fastest hurdler on our team, but that wasn't good enough. The coach said, "It's too bad you're not taller. Then you could do three steps between hurdles rather than five if your legs were longer." Well, that got me mad. "Why can't I do four steps?" I asked.

"If you did four steps, you'd have to switch legs. Not many people can do that," he said.

"I can." I said. I ran up to the first hurdle, sailed over it, and stretched my legs. I forced myself not to take that extra little step and sailed over the second hurdle with my left foot in front. Suddenly, I wasn't just the best hurdler on our team. I was one of the best hurdlers in the district! I started winning most races, and placing in all the others.

When we got to the semi-finals, however, I was in the third heat. My coach had no confidence in me, and neither did I. I left early, and I didn't even bother to go to the finals. I found out, when a friend saw my name in her event guide, that I had made the finals and my coach didn't even pay attention to the hurdle winner announcements. If my coach had been able to look past my height, I would have run that day.

Size isn't important. Determination and enthusiasm will win over raw talent any day!

Recognize your prejudices, and attempt to overcome them, especially when you have to work with a person over a long period of time. You could be throwing obstacles in their path without realizing it and slowly destroying their self esteem. So remember: when it comes to prejudice, don't forget the little guy.

last updated October 23, 1999