Is this important journalism? No way. Is it funny as shit? I think so.

  • gregorum
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    1 year ago

    Exactly. If he weren’t drawing so much attention to it, nobody would care. He’s not even that short.

    • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Also, the argument that taller people get elected is a post hoc fallacy. Taller people live entirely different lives from short people. They grow up with simultaneously additional expectations and confidence. Tall children are treated as if they are more mature, more advanced, and more athletic. They’re more likely to be eating well at home, getting exercise, and come from taller parents. The perception of maturity creates pressure to take advanced education classes, act as leaders among peers, and make decisions requiring authority, all advantages that compound across generations.

      That doesn’t mean a short person couldn’t also experience the same advantageous upbringing due to the circumstances of their birth. It just means that, on average, society has a bias towards taller (but not too tall) people. Voters also have a slight bias towards taller candidates, but putting lifts in your shoes doesn’t give you a lifetime of easy confidence and increased expectations. If anything, it reveals a sense of insecurity and inadequacy, not to mention brazen dishonesty.