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First of all, "midget" is a tasteless, derogatory term under any circumstances, much like using the "n....." word. Many people under 4' -10" prefer not to be labeled, but between themselves use the terms "dwarf" and "little person." Second, to say that anyone over 4'10" is "normal" and under that is "dwarf" is completely erroneous. You have to consider the cause of the dwarfism; there are more than 300 causes, not all of which are obvious to the untrained eye. Those little people whose dwarfism is "proportionate" may just appear to be extremely short, but even with no other physical characteristics, you'd have to consider how that height affects normal life. Driving - does a little person have to sit on a stack of books to be high enough to see over the dash to drive, and if you do that, can they reach the pedals on the floor? Height of cabinets and counters, the height of door knobs on typical entry and exit doors, window locks, and the list goes on. Many women who are proportionately short have Turner's Syndrome requiring a DNA test for diagnosis which is expensive and out of reach for a person who can't find a job and thus insurance because of their height, etc. The list goes on, and all of the tests to determine dwarfism and the specific type, MRIs and such, are ridiculously expensive and out of reach for anyone without insurance coverage. Finally, I've seen Wayne Carini's height listed as both 5'-4" (five feet four inches) and 54" (fifty four inches, or four feet six inches.). As an aside, it would be so helpful if a standard for dimensions could be established for common use. The one I use, i.e. 5'-4", is particular to architectural drawings but also the clearest, IMO, for every standard usage. One is a very short man, and one is a pretty short male dwarf, and I specify because some of the standards defining dwarfism legally specify differing heights for males and females because in almost all cultures, men are taller than women. It would be helpful to have an absolute source on Mr. Carini's height, but having watched his show(s) for some time using some basic "go-bys" for comparison, it is my opinion that Mr. Carini is a very short man and not a pretty short dwarf. They use camera angles to diminish the difference where it is possible, but many times he is standing for a length of time with the tallest man in the room and there's no covering all of that with camera angles. I've seen him stand next to women with a straight on camera and he appears to be a little shorter than most of the women, but not all. To me, this says 5'-4" or a very short man. If you add to those factors that Mr. Carini, despite the Sicilian roots indicated by his last name, is of strong Irish extraction (fair skin, brilliant blue eyes, etc...) and that heritage does tend to produce shorter than average men and I think you have your answer. But only ever the real one if answered by Wayne Carini. Late addendum: someone expressed the concern that if the government began granting disability payments for little people that we might then have to extend disability benefits for tall people. To some degree, that is already the case. Individuals who suffer from "gigantism" or Marfan's Syndrome are equally disabled. Marfan's Syndrome is the result of a growth or other failure of the pituitary gland, going untreated with a non-ending flood of growth hormone even well into adulthood. It is fairly rare; the tallest woman and the tallest man in the world both have Marfan's. One Asian Marfan's sufferer is 7'-8" tall. For a taste of that life, consider that door heights are 6'-8" and standard ceiling heights are 8'-0". No standard furniture is comfortable, chairs will not support you anyway. No bed is long enough. No counters are high enough, bathroom or kitchen. It would literally be like living out your adult life in the playhouse your dad built for you when you were four. No car high enough to sit in or long enough for your legs if you wanted to drive. No bicycle. No trip to the hospital; no beds long enough and no wheelchairs big enough. Even a trip to the dentist is plagued with complications. Sounds like a disability to me.

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10y ago

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