LONDON, May 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --
Little People UK (LPUK), a charity for people with dwarfism, are leading an educational campaign in the run up to 'Dwarfism Awareness Month' in October, to raise awareness about the offensive nature of the word 'midget' and its misuse in society today.
The word 'midget' means something different, depending who you are or where you come from. Dictionary definitions are many and varied. However, one thing is certain about the word 'midget' - its use is particularly offensive to the majority of little people and their families in the UK and can cause distress, even when it wasn't meant as a derogatory term.
Rebecca Nuttall from Little People UK says:
"This issue affects the whole little people community. Many of our members report instances of verbal abuse, which is unacceptable. If someone uses a racial insult, they could be prosecuted for hate crime; we feel the use of the word 'midget' as an abusive term should be treated in the same way. People with dwarfism are people, just like everyone else. They would prefer to be called by their name rather than a label. However, if a term is required, then more commonly accepted ones are: 'person with dwarfism', 'short stature', 'short person' and 'little person'."
Little People of America have been very successful in educating about the word in North America, so much so that it is now referred to as 'the M word' and its wider use is deemed to be unacceptable.
Actor Warwick Davis, patron of Little People UK, commented:
"Stand-up comedians who resort to use of the word in their acts in pursuit of a cheap laugh are popularising the word and inadvertently giving the go-ahead to easily influenced young people who then think it's OK to use when they see someone with dwarfism. Many little people have suffered bullying and ridicule in their lives which causes them to lose confidence and they can become isolated, and it is for these individuals that I am speaking out about this important issue."
The use of the word 'midget' is prevalent in social media too. Facebook hosts an abundance of pages that ridicule people with dwarfism in various ways under the general heading 'midget'. Companies such as Facebook, with their vast resources, should be held responsible and accountable for the offensive material they allow to be published.
SOURCE Little People UK