Outskirts Press, INC.

There’s a new “ism” in town!

There are more forms of discrimination than racism, sexism, homophobia, and xenophobia. Enter heightism, a similar form of discrimination that, chances are, you’ve never heard about, and/or you participate in it without consciously realizing it. But there’s good news: once you read this, there’s no excuse for being a heightist anymore! Short men face issues as real as any other individual claiming to be a victim of racism, sexism, or homophobia. We short men are also at risk of falling into some of the same negative mental and social traps as people in those groups, such as victim mentality and identity politics. These are unnecessary mind-sets and tactics that can lead to real mental health issues and, in our politically divided country, can divide us even further away from each other instead of bringing us together in understanding. We’ve all had dreams of changing the world for the better, especially those of us who feel life has been unfair. Maybe the key to that dream is changing ourselves and the way we see the world. Instead of playing the victim and yelling at other people to change, perhaps the change that needs to happen is within ourselves. Nothing else is working, so it’s at least worth a shot. Always remember, you’re only a victim for as long as you want to be. Also, Buzzfeed can suck it.