It's "Short Person," Not "Shortie"

I had an old high school friend of mine get back in touch with me, who I hadn't talked with in probably 16 years. He and his wife loved the show Little People Big World, and his wife was asking him what it was like to have a friend who was a dwarf, or a little person. He said he honestly never thought about it; it wasn't an issue, it was just a friendship. We never really talked about how I was different. What's great about the show is that provides people with information. People might not know much about dwarfism, but they know the Roloffs.

If there is one myth I'd like to dispel on the subject, it's not to be afraid of someone who's different; get to know them first. Someone who looks completely normal could end up being pretty scary, and someone with physical differences could end up being quite normal.

I've noticed people walk on egg shells around the subject. There's the question of "What are we supposed to call you?" and my idea is to complete the thought. A lot of times people will say, "They're a dwarf" or "they're a midget." That's fine, but I would rather see you finish the sentence with, "They're a dwarf person" or "They're a midget person." Sociologists talk about it - how you would never refer to someone who's different with just a one-word title because that's creating the monster of racism and bigotry. If you end it without finishing it, you create this whole master status thing.