130 lines
8.4 KiB
Plaintext
130 lines
8.4 KiB
Plaintext
s$
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$$ .d""b. .d""b. HOE E'ZINE #1059
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[-- $$""b. $$ $$ $$ $$ -- ------------------------------------------- --]
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$$ $$ $$ $$ $$ss$$ "Don't Step On Stumpy"
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$$ $$ $$ $$ $$ by Puce
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$$ $$ $$ $$ $$ $$ 04/7/00
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[-- $$ $$ $$ $$ $$ $$ -- ------------------------------------------- --]
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$$ $$ "TssT" "TssT"
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"But if you please, what are munchkins?" "The little people who
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live in this land; it's Munchkin land." Oh, but if it only were! At the
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beginning of the previous millennium, midgets really had a place in the
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world. Documentation from the Medieval and Renaissance periods show that
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there were many more midgets then than there are now. Back then, they
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were much more a part of mainstream society. Shakespearean plays often
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had midget performers, and the many Louis's of France had many midgets in
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their courts. Midget entertainers were important back then, and although
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they weren't a heavily regarded part of society, they did add a small
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contribution.
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Midgets languished in obscurity (with the exception of The Wizard
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of Oz) until the 1980's when shows like Different Strokes and Webster
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showed the modern world just how inspirational and heart-warming midgets
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can really be. Thanks to Gary Coleman and Emmanuel Lewis, once again, the
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power of midgets was brought home to American families. Thus we saw the
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beginnings of the variety of emotions that can only be conveyed through
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midgets. Gary Coleman was the tough, no nonsense kind of midget, while
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Emmanuel Lewis was more of the naive, easily manipulated, yet still
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innovative midget.
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Equally noteworthy, was the 1988 Ron Howard/George Lucas film
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entitled Willow, staring Warwick Daus, who charmed everyone, including Val
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Kilmer, his co-star. Warwick introduced us to another kind of midget; the
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heroic kind. Finally we came face to face with the facts that while
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midgets are small, they can go to great lengths to get what they want and
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save the world from evil. Furthermore, this movie showed us something new
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and inspiring that may not have ever crossed our minds before. Anyone who
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has seen it can think back to the moment when Willow and his wife are
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reunited and come running towards each other, so happy to be back together
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safe and sound. That was a beautiful moment of pure midget love and more
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of that needs to be seen.
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But now we have entered a new millennium and what I want to know is
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what is going to happen to the midgets? It's all fine and good to have
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movies like Austin Powers: The Spy who Shagged Me, come out and start an
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exploitive obsession with "Mini-me". But really, movies like this only
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seem to degrade midgets and put them down. Mini-Me was used as more of a
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prop, than a person. More movies should be made with midget actors
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playing roles that regular people might play. For example, why must it
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always be the case that Arnold Schwartzenager gets to play action parts.
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And I don't see any reason why Warwick couldn't tackle a James Bond role.
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A recent movie was The Island of Dr. Moreau. Although this film
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wasn't too centered around midgets, it did have one in it and I was
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overwhelmed with emotion. However, I was, at the same time, a little
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confused by the treatment of that midget. This midget was seemingly
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respected, but he was also dressed exactly identical to Marlon Brando's
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character. Although I'm sure that if normal people each had a similar
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looking midget of their own to mirror them in every way (except height)
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they would be thrilled. But I'm not sure that midgets want to be carbon
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copies of regular people. They have their own style and voices and should
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be respected as individuals, not little clones.
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Midgets offer to the world, what no one else can; a miniature
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outlook on life. Mainstream society should reach down and open their arms
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to midgets because how else will we really know what it's like for them.
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And in this way, we can better relate and perhaps, in a small way, live
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vicariously through them. There have been countless times in my life when
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I have wanted to be smaller for some reasons, and midgets get that
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opportunity without even trying.
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I have to make a small confession here. I personally suffer from
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midget envy. Things just seem so much easier at 3 feet from the ground.
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I know that that's not the case and that really, I should feel very sorry
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for midgets, but I just can't help but feel a small twinge of jealousy
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whenever I see one.
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Take Webster for instance. Emmanuel Lewis will always hold a
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special place in my heart. Forever, whenever I think of dumb waiters,
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immediately I think of little Webster, always being small enough to fit
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inside of his, and making me constantly jealous of the life he lead.
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Like that one time when those boys were going to try to rob Webster's
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house, and he hid in the dumb waiter and then called 911. He had a way to
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hide and then save the day, and that's something that I never would have
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had the chance to do. I'm so envious that midgets will always have a
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place to hide, or be able to squeeze in to. They never have to grow up,
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or pay for subway tokens, and they could, if they wanted, play in
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playgrounds or the ballroom at Chuck E. Cheeze's through their entire
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lives. Like Jello, there's just always room for midgets.
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But despite my envy, looking at Webster's world made me want more
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from mine, but still appreciate what I had. Webster's small dreams are
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continually helping me to reach for my higher ones. I guess this is just
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another reason why I want midgets to be utilized more in entertainment
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fields, and respected more in society. I am both envious *and* inspired
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by them.
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Speaking of inspiration, the reason why I am writing this essay at
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all is because Gary Coleman inspired me. My boyfriend worked at an online
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company called UGO networks. They recently created a Gary Coleman
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Webathon trying to raise money for this all time favorite midget actor.
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Gary has been in need of money ever since the cancellation of Different
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Strokes, when his parents took all his money from him. He has worked odd
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jobs ever since, most recently as a security guard.
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Recently, Gary himself came to the company and shook every
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person's hand there, thanking them for their efforts. Gary, despite any
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violent tendencies, was polite and grateful. My boyfriend said that Gary
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even played video games with people, and let them win often.
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Which brings me to another point. Midgets are polite and grateful
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and have to deal with a lot of abuse that average-sized people don't ever
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come into contact with. Assault on their part should be looked past, in
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light of their size. I'm not saying that psychotic midgets should be
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given special treatment, but as far as small time assault is concerned,
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it's highly unlikely that midget assault does much damage on normal people
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anyway. Therefore, in Gary's case, I think he should be allowed moments
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where he can relieve some frustration. Especially since Different Strokes
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was canceled. Furthermore, I think it must be really hard to be a midget
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security guard.
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Unfortunately, today, I get the feeling that many midgets are
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trying to hide from the world. When any are spotted, many people seemed
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shocked and surprised. This should not be. People need to come to terms
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with the fact that midgets are a part of society. Therefore, they should
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do things to make the world a more accessible place for midgets. Things
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should not be put on terribly high shelves, if that can be avoided.
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Avenues should be shortened, so that they aren't as long and grueling,
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especially for little legs. But most importantly, normal children should
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be much more educated about midgets so that they too can grow up
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appreciating them and realizing their value.
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Society can do a lot better, as far as midgets are concerned.
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Their treatment today is simply mediocre. Midgets are small but mighty,
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and deserve their place. We should appreciate them forever, not just when
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it is convenient or trendy. Midgets should not have to bear exclusion or
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torment from average-sized people and they should be allowed to be angry
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and violent if need be. Who knows, midgets could be a step up on the
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ladder of evolution: one day it might be a small world after all.
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[-------------------------------------------------------------------------]
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[ (c) HOE E'ZINE -- http://www.hoe.nu HOE #1059, BY PUCE - 4/07/00 ]
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