It’s like a unique little kingdom, a mystical place where everyone is happy, loving and welcomed. This place looks like a lot of fun and the people of short stature living there seem so happy. It is great to see they have family like friendships, where everyone is accepted equally for who they are. The fact that they have been able to acquire decent paying employment, and be self sufficient is great. There has been criticism about exploiting these people, but if they are happy where they are, feel safe, are productively leading full lives, who is anyone to judge. This story is both wonderful in a way and very sad in another.
The sad truth is that these people were being mocked, bullied, abused, and discriminated against in society, simply because of the way they looked, their disabilities, and their height. Can you imagine walking down the street and having people stop, mock, laugh, and talk about you, to your face on a daily basis? Or stand there saying, “Awe, look just like a little doll.” Don’t you think it would get on a persons nerves after a while? The eventual result would be anger, and avoiding people all together. In some ways that is the extent these people have had to go to for peace, and equality in their lives. In a way they are isolating, and insulating themselves from an ignorant, hostile society whose view of them is as a curiosity. All societies should be making accommodations for all people with disabilities to be treated equally. Interventions should be done and geared toward helping them integrate into the mainstream, so that isolating is not desirable, or needed for them to have a decent quality of life and standard of living.
It makes one wonder when will the illogical prejudice ever end? People with dwarfism are people plain and simple! Many prefer to be called, people of short stature. They deserve the same respect and opportunities as any other human being. God does not make mistakes he has made every human being physically unique and different, for a reason and a purpose. When we learn to embrace people with disabilities we accept his will, and can begin to love one another the way we are supposed to. People with disabilities are over comers just like the rest of us, none of us are perfect. We all have our challenges to deal with, some are just more obvious than others.
I have a friend who has dwarfism, and have seen first hand the unnecessary cruel treatment they face daily by the public. We used to work together and he later went on to become an actor as well. When working there were small things he needed a little accommodation with, but other than that he was perfectly capable and a very hard worker, we helped him as needed, respected him, and didn’t treat him any differently than anyone else. The key is putting yourself in the other persons shoes and treating them, the way you want to be treated! Today he now manages that business and is doing a great job, just as well as anyone else maybe even better.
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