Brutal r/askconservatives Is it valid to consider “heightism” a legitimate form of discrimination?

[Lazyandtalentless]

View: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskConservatives/comments/17n6gxt/is_it_valid_to_consider_heightism_a_legitimate/?share_id=wCWHsrLXd54xghEjMx1wu&utm_content=1&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1



Comment by Amoral_Abe:
“The whole movement of people online saying it isn’t right for them to be overlooked for their height is stupid imo. I see the same argument about people who are overweight…and they could control that if they cared enough.”

• Height Is Immutable; Weight Often Isn’t: Adult height is fixed—no diet or exercise can make a 5’2” person 6’0”.
• Real Economic Penalties: Studies show a “height premium” in earnings, with each extra inch of height linked to an increase in wage over a career. This is a systemic disadvantage, not a personal failing.
• False Equivalence with Weight: While weight can be modified, height cannot. Equating the two dismisses the unique challenges of short stature.

Comment by notbusy:
“I don’t think short people should be a protected class. Enough of them are doing just fine.”

• Legal Protection ≠ Universal Victimhood: Protected-class status addresses systemic bias, not universal suffering. Race and sex protections exist despite many in those groups succeeding.
• Persistent Structural Bias: Data show significant penalties for shorter individuals. Studies find a wage increase per centimeter of height for men, equating to thousands of pounds annually.

Comment by PugnansFidicen:
“Heightism is a real phenomenon, but it’s basically just like discrimination on the basis of attractiveness…you can’t impose rules or laws against ‘heightism.’”

• Not Just “Attractiveness”: Height bias extends beyond dating. Employers offer taller candidates higher salaries and faster promotions, even controlling for education and experience.

Comment by SeekSeekScan:
“Never seen height be an issue outside of dating and personal preferences—so it isn’t discrimination.”

• Workplace & Political Impact: Taller politicians and CEOs statistically outperform shorter peers in elections and boardrooms, as height correlates with perceived authority.

Comment by jayzfanacc:
“Discrimination against little people (dwarfism) isn’t ‘heightism’—it’s ableism.”


Heightism Encompasses More: Height-based prejudice affects several short-statured individuals, not just those with medical conditions.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31693261/ Height and Life Satisfaction: Evidence from 27 Nations


Authors: Nazim Habibov, Rong Luo, Alena Auchynnikava, Lida Fan


Published: May 2020 in American Journal of Human Biology (Volume 32, Issue 3)


Article ID: e23351


DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23351


Published Online: November 6, 2019


PMID: 31693261


Author Affiliations


• Nazim Habibov & Alena Auchynnikava: School of Social Work, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada


• Rong Luo: Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada


• Lida Fan: School of Social Work, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada


Study Overview


• Goal: To examine how height affects life satisfaction.


• Method: The study used data from a survey conducted across 27 countries.


• Key Finding: Taller people tend to report higher life satisfaction. This connection remains strong even when considering other factors like age, income, or country differences. The results hold up across different statistical tests.


• Conclusions:


• Height is an important factor in life satisfaction, separate from other common influences.


• Researchers studying happiness or well-being should include height as a factor in their analyses.

Magnusson, P. K. E., Gunnell, D., Tynelius, P., Davey Smith, G., & Rasmussen, F. (2005). Strong inverse association between height and suicide in a large cohort of Swedish men: Evidence of early life origins of suicidal behavior? American Journal of Psychiatry, 162(7), 1373–1375. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15994722/


Abstract
Objective: Previous studies have identified associations between poor fetal and infant growth and increased suicide risk. This study aimed to examine the relationship between height, as an indicator of childhood growth, and suicide risk.
Method: A record linkage study was conducted using birth, conscription, mortality, family, and census register data for 1,299,177 Swedish men, followed from age 18 to a maximum of 49 years.
Results: Over an average follow-up of 15 years, 3,075 suicides were recorded. A strong inverse association was found between height and suicide risk, with a 5-cm increase in height associated with a 9% reduction in suicide risk in fully adjusted models.
Conclusions: The inverse relationship between height and suicide risk may highlight the role of childhood exposures in the development of adult mental disorders or reflect social challenges, such as stigmatization or discrimination, faced by shorter men in adulthood.


Affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institute, Norrbacka, SE-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden.
PMID: 15994722

The study by Blaker et al. (2013), published in Group Processes & Intergroup Relations (Volume 16, Issue 1, DOI: 10.1177/1368430212437211), explores the height leadership advantage in men and women through an evolutionary psychology lens. It finds that taller individuals are perceived as more leader-like due to traits like dominance, health, and intelligence, which were likely critical in ancestral environments where leadership involved physical risks. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1368430212437211?utm_source


Key Findings:


• Height Advantage: Taller stature positively influences leadership perception for both men and women, but the effect is stronger for men.


• Mediating Factors:


• For men, the height leadership advantage is mediated by perceived dominance, health, and intelligence.


• For women, the effect is mediated only by perceived intelligence.


• Evolutionary Context: The study suggests that height, as a proxy for physical fitness and imposing presence, was historically more critical for male leaders due to the physical demands of leadership roles in ancestral settings.

Health and wages: evidence on men and women in urban Brazil - PubMed

Health and wages: evidence on men and women in urban Brazil

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Title: Health and Wages: Evidence on Men and Women in Urban Brazil


Authors: D. Thomas & J. Strauss


Journal: Journal of Econometrics (1997), Vol. 77, pp. 159–185

DOI: 10.1016/S0304-4076(96)01811-8

PubMed: PMID: 12292719

Key Findings:

• Height had a strong positive impact on wages for both men and women in the formal labor market, even after controlling for:
  • Education
  • Nutritional intake
  • Body Mass Index (BMI)
  • Sector of employment (market vs. self-employment)
• Magnitude of the effect:
  • The effect of height was larger for men than women.
  • Height predicted higher wages especially among self-employed men, independent of protein/calorie intake and education.
• BMI had wage effects for men only, and mostly among those with low education.
• Nutrient intake (protein and calories):
  • Positively associated with wages for both men and women in market sector jobs.
  • No wage benefit from protein/calorie intake among the self-employed.

Relevance to Heightism & Economic Penalties:

• Confirms that height is a strong proxy for early-life health, nutrition, and social conditions.
• Even in developing contexts like Brazil, taller individuals earn more regardless of other health and demographic factors.
• Shows the economic return on height is not just about physical productivity, but also social perception, discrimination, and labor-market sorting.

 

[Autistic Uggo]

If progressives weren't superficial hypocrites, they would recognise heightism as a legitimate form of discrimination. They would never attempt to trivialise the socioeconomic ramifications of height. Even the casual bullying and microaggressions short men face would be recognised as abuse.

 

[VλREN]

How does this help me get pussy??

 

[LWii]

Obviously the cuckservatives rush to protect the foids

 

[Yabadadabadoo]

It is and perhaps the worse

 

[AsiaCel]

Obviously the cuckservatives rush to protect the foids

Their views on Israel is enough to push anyone with common sense off

 

[Lazyandtalentless]

This is also a very brutal study.

https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1432&context=law_review&utm_source Analysis of "Falling Short: On Implicit Biases and the Discrimination of Short Individuals" by Omer Kimhi​

This article, published in the Connecticut Law Review (2020), provides a comprehensive examination of implicit biases and overt discrimination against short individuals, especially men, in American society. It combines psychological, sociological, and legal perspectives to analyze the prevalence, impact, and legal treatment of "heightism." Below is a structured analysis of the article’s key points, arguments, and implications.

---

1. Implicit Biases Against Short Individuals​

• Psychological Roots:
  The article details how biases against short people begin in early childhood. Studies show mothers and teachers consistently rate taller children as more competent and capable, even when objective measures (like test scores) are equal.
• Social Perceptions:
  Height is unconsciously linked with positive traits such as intelligence, health, leadership, and competence—especially for men. Conversely, short individuals are often perceived as less successful, less assertive, and less leader-like.
• Cultural Reinforcement:
  The article references pop culture (e.g., Randy Newman’s satirical song "Short People") and real-world examples (such as Donald Trump’s reported reluctance to appoint shorter individuals to high office) to illustrate how these biases are normalized and even trivialized.

---

2. Economic and Professional Discrimination​

• Hiring and Promotion:
  Experimental evidence shows employers are less likely to hire or promote short applicants, even when qualifications are identical. Height is used as a proxy for competence and leadership potential.
• Income Gap:
  Multiple studies cited in the article demonstrate a direct correlation between height and income. Each additional inch of height can equate to a 2.5% increase in annual salary, a disparity comparable to gender and racial wage gaps.
• Leadership Representation:
  The average CEO is significantly taller than the average American, and shorter individuals are underrepresented in top corporate and political positions.

---

3. Legal Treatment of Height Discrimination​

• Lack of Legal Protections:
  Despite the clear evidence of discrimination, U.S. federal law and most state laws do not recognize height as a protected category. Only a few jurisdictions (e.g., Michigan, Washington D.C., Santa Cruz, San Francisco) have statutes addressing height discrimination, and these are rarely utilized.
• Judicial Reluctance:
  Courts typically dismiss claims based on height discrimination, and there is little legal recourse for victims.

---

4. Why Height Discrimination Is Overlooked​

• The "Naming" Problem:
  The article argues that height discrimination is not widely recognized because it does not fit the common mental prototype of discrimination. Most people associate discrimination with intentional, overt acts targeting protected categories like race, gender, or religion.
• Invisible Harm:
  Height discrimination is often subtle, unintentional, and systemic, making it harder for both victims and society to identify and address.
• Victim Response:
  Even those who are discriminated against may not attribute their experiences to heightism, further reducing the likelihood of legal or social action.

---

5. Normative and Policy Implications​

• Moral and Social Harm:
  The author argues that height discrimination is morally objectionable and perpetuates unjust social hierarchies. It is as harmful as other forms of discrimination and warrants similar attention.
• Policy Recommendations:
  • Awareness and Education: Increase public and professional awareness of heightism through information campaigns and consciousness-raising.
  • Legal Reform: Extend anti-discrimination laws to include height as a protected category.
  • Research and Data: Encourage further research to document the prevalence and consequences of height discrimination.

---

6. Conclusion​

The article concludes that height discrimination is a pervasive and damaging form of bias that has been largely ignored by both the legal system and society. The failure to recognize and address heightism stems from psychological blind spots and the lack of a clear "template" for identifying this type of discrimination. The author calls for legal, social, and cultural changes to bring height discrimination into the mainstream discourse on equality and justice.

---

Summary Table​

Aspect	Key Findings/Arguments
Implicit Bias	Height linked to positive traits; short people seen as less competent/leader-like
Economic Impact	Height correlates with higher income; wage gap similar to race/gender
Legal Status	Rarely protected by law; few cases brought or won
Recognition Problem	Heightism doesn’t fit mental template of discrimination; often unintentional/invisible
Policy Recommendations	Raise awareness, expand legal protections, further research

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Final Thoughts​

Kimhi’s article is a thorough and persuasive call to recognize heightism as a serious social and legal issue. It demonstrates that height discrimination is not only real and measurable, but also deeply embedded in cultural and institutional practices. Addressing it will require both legal reform and a shift in societal attitudes—a process that begins with awareness and naming the problem.

 

[erenyeager]

Their views on Israel is enough to push anyone with common sense off

Yeah, hopefully young people will hate the Jews more. Only people commenting this are literally ugly face white tall men that can pull because of their leg bone


JUSTICE FOR SHORT MEN

 

[Maikowski]

They are not conservative, it's reddit trannies + irrational hate for taxes

 

[Maikowski]

i get not wanting tax payer funds going to niggers and foids but expecting a hypothetical 99.9% white country with pro men laws to not have taxes is retarded