Re: Little Person

[Guest guest]

Good Question!! being NEW to all this I'd like to know what census say...

Thanks, Eileen

Phil Osipher <pmd9020@...> wrote:Some one ask me this question recently,

I decided to post it here and get your feed back....Thanks.

actually what qualifies a person for 'little person' status?

is it genetics? or is it based purely on height?

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

......actually what qualifies a person for 'little person' status?

is it genetics? or is it based purely on height?.....

Well, the website www.dwarfism.org has a definition:

Dwarfism

n : a genetic condition resulting in short stature.

adjective

1. A reference to anything much below the usual or average size;

Theres alot more info, just pasted parts of the definition.

Dawn

[Guest guest]

" Little person, " " dwarf, " and that word beginning with " m " ... I'll think of

it in a bit ... are all non-scientific words, so there really isn't any

agreed-upon definition.

LPA defines dwarfism as any medical or genetic condition that results in an

adult height of 4'10 " or less, male or female. But that's not a hard and

fast rule. I've seen attempts to define dwarfism medically that are somewhat

different from that -- basically a little taller for men and a little

shorter for women.

BTW, membership eligibility in LPA is a bit more expansive than that -- if

you had a dwarfism condition but were a little bit taller than 4'10 " , or if

you were 4'10 " or under but you didn't have any medical or genetic

condition, you could still join in most instances.

=====

Dan Kennedy

Editor, LPA Online

Little People of America, Inc.

<http://www.lpaonline.org>

On 9/3/04 8:19 PM, " petlvr40 " <petlvr40@...> wrote:

>

> .....actually what qualifies a person for 'little person' status?

> is it genetics? or is it based purely on height?.....

>

>

> Well, the website www.dwarfism.org has a definition:

>

> Dwarfism

> n : a genetic condition resulting in short stature.

> adjective

> 1. A reference to anything much below the usual or average size;

>

> Theres alot more info, just pasted parts of the definition.

>

> Dawn

[Guest guest]

We seem to be dealing with two concepts here " Little " and " Person " .

The second one, I have absolutely no problems with, yes, I and every other

human being on this earth is a person.

The first, " Little " , hmmmmmmm, what exactly IS " Little " ?

In this particular case, yes, it obviously refers to size. Size of Person.

BUT!!!! Is this size reference a physical reference or a consequential

reference?

For it to be a size reference, it has to be comparative. " Little " compared

to what?

People say I am little, yet I am an average sized Achondroplastic PERSON.

I am bigger than some, the same size as most, and yet smaller than a few.

In no way can this therefore, refer to me being Little.

If I was born in the deepest darkest parts of the African Jungle, then I

would be most certainly average, compared to my pigmy counterparts (I think

I have my geography correct).

Similarly, compared to the Aborigini's, yer, I'm average!

So, using size, nope, I aint little.

Therefore am I little by consequence? In other words am I of NO

consequence, or little consequence?

To put it another way, is the question quantifying my significance in the

world, compared to my peers?

Since I think we agree I am not 'Little' by physical size, then yes, it is

telling me I am of no or very little consequence.

Therefore, I have to ask myself if I, an average size person, agrees with

the evaluation of others that I fairly insignificant in this world.

I wonder how many of us would agree with that evaluation of ourselves, as

made by others. Others, who, have absolutely no idea about us.

Finally, the question must therefore be begged, Where ARE all these " Little

People of America " ?

Or, have I got the whole thing wrong? Am I, like so many other little

things in this world, actually considered to be " Exquisite " ?

Hmmmmmmm

Tongue in cheek, Fred