Originally Posted by carnation (Post 2278649)

I haven't seen the show--they're exploiting people with a medical condition!--but we've been this route. Some people say midget=proportionate and dwarf=disproportionate. Some don't care what you use, others have definite opinions about that. Others are offended by the word "dwarf". I'm about tired of that whole mess because there are so many different opinions and you can't satisfy everyone.

My oldest son has a childhood friend who's a dwarf (disproportionate dwarf, if you will), like his dad and sister. They are also over the terminology business. We are all trying to focus on normal living--let's get the aids we need to in order to live life like everyone else. Period!

Originally Posted by 33girl (Post 2278658)

The only way anyone who agrees to appear on any reality show these days is being "exploited" (which to me implies they aren't aware that they are being used for others' gain) is if they were raised in the woods by wolves and never saw a television set. Like the fable of the woman and the snake, they knew what this was when they picked it up.

Originally Posted by als463 (Post 2278644)

See, I thought the LPA was talking about dwarfism being 4 foot 8 and under to be a dwarf. It didn't answer the question on their webpage, that I saw, explaining what was considered midget but, only that it was an offensive term. I ask because I was always told it was under 5 foot if a woman is over a certain age. I've had many people joke that I am in that category as I am less than 4 foot 11.

Originally Posted by carnation (Post 2278660)

I think when a lot of these shows are pitched, they tell the prospective cast members that this will be a way to highlight their condition/unique status/etc. in a good way, be it dwarfism, big family, twins plus sextuplets, or whatever. After a while, the show needs better ratings so the producers start scripting it or trying to cause drama. Finally it devolves into something that the cast members never anticipated and often their lives and any hopes of privacy are in rags.

The one show that appears to be different is "The Little Couple".