If I was a midget, and a cute 4 year old girl told me to eat my veggies to become big and tall, I'd think it was really cute, not offensive!

They can't tell a lie

At least she's taking your advice!

I agree with #38!! lol

Yeah, well you can't blame the kid and as a midget I think you should play along with it. Agree that you should have eaten your veggie's when you where younger. Some midgets are acting like they are angree for being small while others well enjoy their live and use their size for humor.

I can't stand people who say "If I was a.." - You aren't, so you can't determine what you would do or what they should do. I have a friend who is a midget, he us constantly put down and made fun of. Obviously they might be touchy about the subject.

i agree with #101. you dont know how the midget feels when she says it but i think he knows its just an innocent girl who doesnt know any better so he doesnt care about it

@101, i would like to say I am a supperficial as you that i coudl say I can't stand people based on a remark which you obviously become oversensitive about. But I cannot, I do feel sorry for you though. It is a shame you live in such a mind set where people must avoid touchy subjects that are obvious to us all instead of living in a world full of positive humor. Also you forgot to take in your judgement that you are not the only one to know a person of a shorter lenght. But unlike your friend the one I know is perfectly fine with it. She accepts her disadvantages, and enjoys her advantages. And above it all she grew up to be probably one of the biggest fun to be around with, mostly because in situations like this she would totaly play along. personally I do not know what gives her more enjoyment the look on the kids face who will eat his greens for the rest of his life or the shocked faces of uptight people who think that just because you are small everybody should be sensitive about you. I am 1m95, she is half my height and we keep dissing each other almost every change we get and would hate to see it the otherway around. She would get angry if during a fight you would NOT call her something to let her know she is small as to her that means you do not see her as equal but as someone you feel pity on. AND THAT for her atleast is the worst you can do. I am sure she could not stand you if you keep that attitude after just a few minutes.

I was told by a midget that they like that word.

5, you say "yet" as if using the word "midget" contradicts something, as if OP's a hypocrite about something. She didn't tell the kid to use politically correct terms, so what's your point?

#19 so if a black person tells me, I like to be called a "N-word," you have right to say that to every black person?

And #20. Typos be a btch

"Midget" IS offensive to some people!

Come one, come all! See the worlds dumbest ******* comparison in the world! 5 cents a look people, you'll all be amazed of how ignorant this commenter really is! I know, it's disappointing, but remember boys and girls.. No refunds!

Awl damn, I used worlds twice..should have said the universe..

Dammit, son, why ruin a great comment with a follow-up comment?? You had me reaching for my wallet and everything!

Well shit, there goes my retirement money.. Guess I'll have to be a fml commenter til the day I die..

When did it become wrong to refer to a small person as a midget? Get off your high horse, you're making the "little people" jealous.

Actually, I've heard they don't like the word "midget" and that they prefer the terms "little person"or "dwarf" depending upon their reason for being so unusually short. Although, one rarely meets a little person or dwarf, so it's hardly common knowledge. I doubt OP meant to offend anyone.

Midget is not the preferred term. It's similar to "handicapped." Handicapped has not been the preferred term since the 70s, yet it's still in circulation. In the same way, midget is still in circulation, and colored also appears in some places. While the terms aren't extremely derogatory as in the n-word, it's still not polite.

#5 what else are you supposed to call them? "Midget" isn't a derogatory term. and little people sounds more offensive.

This thread is just a reminder of how overly politically correct we have become. It doesn't matter that a term that was acceptable last year isn't this year and the other way around, we are suppose to keep up. If there isn't malicious intent behind the word, we all need to stop being thin skinned. When I became sick, the most fun I have is calling myself a gimp and watching reactions. And no, I don't get offended at the term if someone else uses it.

Jesus ******* Christ , I don't understand these sensitive people! Unless someone is using it as an insult, who the **** cares what you call them? As long as its not ridiculing the person (even then people need thicker skin) it shouldn't matter. Words are just noises or lines on paper, they only have as much power as you give them. This is the same reason replacing curse words with something else is stupid, the meaning is the same!

Midget is an acceptable word if you are actually referring to a midget. Dwarves have short arms & legs not in proportion to their body. Midgets are in proportion just very short.

80: Just because YOU do not have a problem with a derogatory term that could be used to describe yourself, doesn't mean that other people feel the same way. If a term is derogatory, the term is derogatory, and many people in the little people community have expressed that it is used in a derogatorious fashion. Going on a rant about political correctness is an attempt to shy away from when someone called you out on being offensive. Being polite isn't a bad thing. Respecting people isn't either.

In fairness to OP, I moderated this post and when I read it, OP actually said "little people." It seems like it was edited before being published. The post that I voted for did not use the word "midget" at all.

That's not 100% true. My son has a type of dwarfism and he is proportionate.

The problem is that people take too much stock in the word itself and not in the way the word is used.

So is retard, special, downs. But believe it or not mental retardation was a medical term. Words with things you don't want to be, as the definition, become bad words. These words like the n-word pollute the language, I can't say the word niggerdly without turning heads.

86 I am actually a very polite person. I've often been told that I'm too nice. But if someone doesn't know that a term is hurtful and uses it, why am I going to get upset at them? I have also found humor makes certain things easier to deal with. When I'm face planting constantly because my muscles are too weak to function, I can either feel sorry for myself or crack jokes. I've had not so nice terms thrown at me over bipolar because people didn't know better. I've also had them thrown at me out of people just being mean. It is the intent I react to, not the word itself. I have found always tiptoeing around a subject makes things worse on the long run.

What would you want him/her to say?

I think by all the vote downs and comments against you, you should realize you get butt hurtway to easily. grow up

I loves all the likes on my comment!!!!

This could just be me, but I think "little people" sounds way worse.

How about "Halflings"?

Little people is generally the preferred term. 'Midget' has been deemed offensive because of the usage in 'freak' shows back in the day

If I were midget (little person, whatever), I think I'd prefer "midget". "Little person" sounds too politically correct, like saying "African American" instead of "black". Although I'd prefer "halfling" above anything! :D

Huh, according to wikipedia 'little people' IS the preferred term, over midget anyway, but I have to agree with 41 - to me it just sounds really patronising and I'd much rather be called a midget. I think a lot of people say midget but don't mean any harm by it - they are simply using it as an objective, descriptive term. You can probably tell people's true perspectives and prejudices from the WAY they talk to you though, rather than the actual word they use.

Yeah, "little people" just sounds condescending to me.

I think "halfling" sounds great

or hobbit.

I vote that halfling becomes a term to be used to describe a little person. Eh, little does sound condescending. Let's stick to halfling. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY YAY.

yay!

Quite the contrary, my good sir. I do believe it is calcium that makes bones strong and tall, and it is becoming increasingly acknowledged that too much [animal] protein in fact depletes calcium from bones. http://www.everydayliving.com/archives/myth_about_milk.htm. Cheerio!

You must be fun at parties

#10, people now grow taller because, for the most part, they arent stunted by a lack of nutrition. People were shorter in the hunter gatherer days because food was scarce and not everyone could eat well. Arsenic, which helps you grow oddly enough as long as you dont overdose, is found in seeds, nuts and fruit. Meat was never supposed to be our main diet, since human is an omnivore with an emphasis on plants. Not that I think thats an argument for vegetarianism. Meat is delicious. The more you know!