What is the correct terminology for a person who is clinically "Small"?

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   Matthew Kirkposted 11 years ago

   What is the correct terminology for a person who is clinically "Small"?
   
   Basically I mean actual "Dwarves", or do they prefer "midgets" or perhaps vertically challenged or something else?
   
   What is the PC term?

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   Hauntyposted 11 years ago

   In the UK, it's just titch. jk I think it varies by person and by context. Some prefer "midget" in a funny sense, but for the main I would just use "short."
   Btw, the official terms for the condition are "dwarfism" and "short stature."

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      Matthew Kirkposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      So Oompa Loompa isn't acceptable? Dammit I'm in trouble!

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      Hauntyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Nooo, wait! I didn't say that. I mean... how am I supposed to know?! Are you a dwarf? Or did you just find out? Poor, poor Matthew. Trust me, it's no biggie.

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      Matthew Kirkposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thats the problem haunty I'm not a 'biggie', I'm a 'smallie', people like you disgust me!

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      Hauntyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Hey I didn't mean to offend! You should know that. Well, maybe if you remove the 'h' from the 'whit.' On your Twitter, I mean.

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      Matthew Kirkposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Just playing with you haunty, I'm 6 foot

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   JThomp42posted 11 years ago

   I think from what I have heard and seen, They prefer "Small person".

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      Matthew Kirkposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Small person it is from now on, no more oompa loompa

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      JThomp42posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you Matthew.

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   darklandposted 11 years ago

   Personally, I don't understand "vertically challenged", can you be challenged if you can't possibly change the situation?  I think, perhaps "vertically limited" might be more accurate.
   PC terms only seem to make a delicate situation worse by not only underlining the fact but making it unspeakable.  Short people know they're short and they'll only be offended if it is noted unnecessarily or condescendingly.

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      Matthew Kirkposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      So when a small person gets on the bus and I say "awwww what a pretty little dwarf" they don't like it? But when I say "hello dwarf" and shake their hand they do?

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      darklandposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      certainly the second one is less condescending but why would the situation call for the designation?  Do you say "hello, woman" or "hello there, black man" when you meet those people?  I'm not Miss Manners, but why be discourteous?

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   Sherry Hewinsposted 11 years ago

   They are Little People, They even have LPA (Little People of America) conventions.

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      darklandposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Leprechauns have always been known as "the little people", what will they think?  I don't think we should handle one problem by creating another. Thanks for the answer, I didn't know that.

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