Fair and Balanced

In October, "Good Morning America" ran a story about limb lengthening surgery, a procedure that allows people of short stature to lengthen their bones, and gain from six to twelve, or more, inches in height.

The issue begs a lot of debate within the community of people of short stature. The problem with the "Good Morning America" story was that it eliminated any debate. It failed to present the depth of the issue and in so doing supported the idea of changing our bodies in order to fit in with the world, rather than working to create a more inclusive world in which we are not pressured to change our bodies.

On Sunday, November 30, the Washington Post Magazine ran a new story about limb lengthening. Though, similar to the "Good Morning America," the Post story focuses on a young girl who decides to undergo limb lenghtening surgery, this story is very comprehensive, covering all sides of the issue, including interviews with a young woman who chose not to have the surgery.

In this corner

On November 14, Jamie Fallon and Nazih Kheir squared off in what supposedly was the first professional boxing match for fighters of short stature. The match was in Australia, which in the past has been home to dwarf tossing, now banned in several states in the United States. The fight was originally cancelled because officials feared the match was nothing more than a gimmick, similar to dwarf tossing. But the fighters, their crews, and the promotors insist the fight is legitimate. They've trained hard, over many months, to box, not entertain. And that's what they do. They box; they don't put on a sideshow, unlike outfits in the United States such as the pint-size-brawlers, who objectify and degrade their stature in order to draw an audience, (leading the crowd in chants of "midget, midget, midget . . ." before an event and asking the crowd "who wants to see a midget bleed. Click here for a report written by a university student on campus where a midget wrestling troupe made a recent appearance). In fact, officials are pursuing paperwork to create a professional league specifically for boxers of short stature.

I hope the boxers are successful, and hope the attempt to create a league is successful as well. Whether it be boxing, wrestling, or any other sport, anybody has the right to pursue their interest in the sport, whether the person be short stature or non-short statured.