She's Three Feet Tall!

[JustaCashier]

"Well Ma'am, you may think my co-worker stands about three feet tall, but she towers WAAAYYY over you in classiness, compassion, and ethics!"


Mike

[Grumpy]

Yeah, on re-reading it I have to agree: It was kind of rude.


Oh, well. I never claimed to be the brightest bulb in the chandelier.

[sweetj82]

we have a little person working as a cashier. very nice lady one of the best cashiers. customers call her the freak....pisses me off all the time

[hinakiba777]

"Well Ma'am, you may think my co-worker stands about three feet tall, but she towers WAAAYYY over you in classiness, compassion, and ethics!"


Mike

That is a very classy comeback Mike.

@sweetj82 Yeah that would really piss me off too. I mean, we aren't living in the Side Show Days. Little People are totally normal and shouldn't be called "freaks".

[chainedbarista]

customers call her the freak....pisses me off all the time

that doesn't just cross the line, it takes a flying leap over it.

i believe that the freak(s) isn't operating the till...

[Hyena Dandy]

I don't think Grumpy was rude at all. If it wasn't intended in a disparaging way, and Grumpy had a suspicion of who he is, a description is the best way to ask for confirmation if you don't know her name. If she's heavyset and has weird hair, that's a fine description, (although I'd probably have described the hair instead of saying weird).

But I usually factor intent into whether or not I consider something rude, and also whether you say it to the person. If you describe someone using the most obvious traits, that's fine by me. If her most obvious traits were something positive, I'd use that. Like if Monica was the one with the really cool glasses, I'd ask if she was the one with the really cool glasses. The same way, if I'd previously commented she had really ugly glasses, I'd ask my friend if she had really ugly glasses.

He didn't walk up to Monica and say "You're heavyset and have weird hair" and he didn't say "The fat one with ugly hair".





Additionally, I don't see the problem with being described as heavyset, and if you've got a fancy hair color or something, then I doubt you'd be horribly offended to have it described as weird.

[Magpie]

So, would it have gotten the OP in too much trouble to say "I'm sorry, we don't have anyone anywhere near that short working here, are you sure you're at the right store?"

[Athaelia]

Anyone under 4'10" is classified as a dwarf, whether or not they actually have a form of dwarfism.

Not true...you must possess a medical condition. Sorry to play the Devil's advocate. Read on:

Just wanted to clear some things up about dwarfism real quick. Someone 4'9 is NOT considered a dwarf. Just short, or petite, if you will. Dwarfism is a very, very loose term to describe the 200+ medical conditions that CAUSE very short stature--just being 4'9 is NOT condusive of having any of these medical conditions. That's right--dwarfism is a MEDICAL CONDITION, whereas short stature is NOT. There are two kinds of dwarfism--proportionate dwarfism and disproportionate dwarfism. Someone being of shorter height does NOT guarantee he or she has ANY medical condition, it just guarantees there are short relatives in the family tree.
So calling someone that is 4'9 a dwarf, unless he/she knows you are kidding, is sure to offend, and it's better not to label people anyway. We wouldn't want others labeling us. Hope this helps clear up any stereotypes/misconceptions.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Maybe for you.

There's a world of difference between tall and long, Sheldon . . .

Unfortunately, the world seems to be full of people who just don't know how to think before they speak.

[Versalia]

My favorite is when you point someone out as "the black/white/hispanic girl." "THAT'S RACIST!!!!" Did you know that Race by definition is a classification of your physical characteristics? Pardon me if I find it quick and efficient to point someone out by skin color when they're the only one of that coloration in the room.

[Bright_Star]

I'm 5 feet 4 inches in height & I'm considered short.

[MoonCat]

So, would it have gotten the OP in too much trouble to say "I'm sorry, we don't have anyone anywhere near that short working here, are you sure you're at the right store?"

I almost did say something like that, but I realized who she was asking for. It just sounded rude and stupid to me, the woman is nearly 5 ft tall which is nowhere near short enough to be mistaken for 3 ft. Oh well...maybe the heat is getting to me...

[42_42_42]

Not true...you must possess a medical condition. Sorry to play the Devil's advocate. Read on:

Just wanted to clear some things up about dwarfism real quick. Someone 4'9 is NOT considered a dwarf. Just short, or petite, if you will. Dwarfism is a very, very loose term to describe the 200+ medical conditions that CAUSE very short stature--just being 4'9 is NOT condusive of having any of these medical conditions. That's right--dwarfism is a MEDICAL CONDITION, whereas short stature is NOT. There are two kinds of dwarfism--proportionate dwarfism and disproportionate dwarfism. Someone being of shorter height does NOT guarantee he or she has ANY medical condition, it just guarantees there are short relatives in the family tree.
So calling someone that is 4'9 a dwarf, unless he/she knows you are kidding, is sure to offend, and it's better not to label people anyway. We wouldn't want others labeling us. Hope this helps clear up any stereotypes/misconceptions.

My paternal grandmother was 4'10" and I was always told that if she'd been any shorter, she'd have been classified as a dwarf (at 5'5-1/2" I'm the tallest woman on my dad's side of the family, on my mum's side I'm the 2nd shortest). However, since she was born over a hundred years ago, I'm guessing the classification system has since been refined.

[Food Lady]

If any customers called one of my coworkers a freak, I'd correct him/her. Let the complaints & writeup ensue; I don't care.