Sunday, December 17, 2006
ADELE AGAIN
The SMH’s Adele Horin in 2003: “You might have missed the news that short people earn less, know less, and get less respect than tall people, according to several scientific studies, the latest of which came out this week.”
The SMH’s Adele Horin last Saturday: “It’s old news that tall people on average earn more, get more respect, and have higher-status jobs than short people. But you might have missed the latest disturbing news ...”
• 2003: “If you did miss the story, you must be a tall person, or a person of average height.”
• Saturday: “If you are oblivious to this disturbing research by two Princeton University economists, it must be because you are a tall person.”
• 2003: “Once there were advantages to being a small woman. In the days when being cute, perky or sweet were passports to pleasure ...”
• Saturday: “It once was advantageous to be a short woman. You were considered cute, perky or sweet ...”
• 2003: “But now women aspire to greatness, managerial positions, seats on the board, the CEO’s job, that sort of thing, our short stature counts against us.”
• Saturday: “These qualities are of diminishing value with age. They won’t get you a seat on the board, or the CEO’s job, that sort of thing.”
• 2003: “Randy Newman sang with vicious humour that ‘short people got no reason to live’.”
• Saturday: “Society’s prejudice against short people (they ‘got no reason to live’ Randy Newman sang) needs to be dismantled.”
• 2003: “Look at how John Howard was mocked for years for being a ‘little man’ and underestimated by his opponents, even though he is of average height.”
• Saturday: “Look at how John Howard was mocked for years as ‘little Johnny Howard’ and underestimated by his opponents even though at 176.5 centimetres he is about average height.”
Midget Horin is a serial recycler.