Small People- Big Career

MangoMachine

Nikolas Sarkozy, Enda Kenny, The Lovely Alan Shatter and many more. It hit me that many men in power are quite small.

Why do you think this is and have you ever had any experiences of this; "Small Man Syndrome"?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1191798/Sarkozy-steps-podium-French-President-uses-footstool-prove-hes-Brown-Obamas-equal.html

Menas

Many are quite big too. Arnie, Dev etc etc....

Sky King

There goes your hypothesis OP.

The verisimilitude of your arguement was somewhat convincing, even if it did turn out to be a load of shit

HeidiHeidi

Enda Kenny isn't that small, he's a fairly normal height

MangoMachine

Trigger Happy wrote: »

Many are quite big too. Arnie, Dev etc etc....

Yeah i suppose, had an experience recently of a small guy (5'4) compensating by having huge heels on his shoes!

Sir Arthur Daley

Wee man from Jackass.

Chucken

I'd tend not to judge a persons ability based on their height/weight/shoe size etc

MangoMachine

Punjabi Megastar wrote: »

Hitler?

Napoleon Bonaparte.

Sir Osis of Liver.

Didn't Michael D take part in the presidential debate on Primetime on stilts.

HeidiHeidi

Sir Osis of Liver. wrote: »

Didn't Michael D take part in the presidential debate on Primetime on stilts.

I was going to mention him, but he doesn't have any power!

Call Me Jimmy

Chucken wrote: »

I'd tend not to judge a persons ability based on their height/weight/shoe size etc

Even if your job was in a shoe-model recruiting agency?!?! I NEED ANSWERS

Ihatecuddles

Do we just name small men?

Danny de Vito. Am I doing it right?

Turtyturd

Punjabi Megastar wrote: »

Hitler?

Wasn't he compensating for only having one ball rather than his lack of height?

MangoMachine

Sky King wrote: »

There goes your hypothesis OP.

The verisimilitude of your arguement was somewhat convincing, even if it did turn out to be a load of shit

I wouldn't call it an "argument" or "a load of sh**", I was simply putting out there something I've noticed recently, chill the beans.

roadsmart

Turtyturd wrote: »

Wasn't he compensating for only having one ball rather than his lack of height?

Himmler had something........like that too, afair.

sopretty

I found it amusing watching a world leaders' summit where most of them were very tall! Don't think there is any merit to the notion that height has anything to do with anything. Well, maybe, that the taller they are, the more successful they usually seem to be.

MangoMachine

sopretty wrote: »

I found it amusing watching a world leaders' summit where most of them were very tall! Don't think there is any merit to the notion that height has anything to do with anything. Well, maybe, that the taller they are, the more successful they usually seem to be.

Vlad Putin is hardly stooping to go under the doors now...

Chucken

Call Me Jimmy wrote: »

Even if your job was in a shoe-model recruiting agency?!?! I NEED ANSWERS

In that case I'd just quit before I started.

At least I'd still have my morals

sopretty

MangoMachine wrote: »

Vlad Putin is hardly stooping to go under the doors now...

That's true. Obama is quite imposing. Can't remember who the line-up included, but our own bucko looked tiny beside them all lol.

MangoMachine

sopretty wrote: »

That's true. Obama is quite imposing. Can't remember who the line-up included, but our own bucko looked tiny beside them all lol.

Haha yes, don't know if Gilmore or Kenny will be playing in the NBA any time soon!

I think the conventional wisdom is usually on the side of the tall guys being more likely to do well than the little people. Tallness commands respect, more of a 'presence' and all that stuff. The tend to earn more too, because of it.

I'm rather petite myself, and am often referred to as 'the little girl' when people point me out. This does not command respect.

MangoMachine

Candie wrote: »

I think the conventional wisdom is usually on the side of the tall guys being more likely to do well than the little people. Tallness commands respect, more of a 'presence' and all that stuff. The tend to earn more too, because of it.

I'm rather petite myself, and am often referred to as 'the little girl' when people point me out. This does not command respect.

Yes I understand what your saying but I don't think respect is gained upon appearance, more the persons mannerisms and how they carry themselves.

MangoMachine

MangoMachine wrote: »

Yes I understand what your saying but I don't think respect is gained upon appearance, more the persons mannerisms and how they carry themselves.

But...your mannerisms and how you carry yourself are part of your appearance!

I often hear the word 'imposing' in the same sentence as 'tall'. Tall makes an impression that small doesn't, and it tends to be good.

How many times have you heard the words 'small' and 'insignificant' in the same sentence?

It's easier for tall people to be noticed, and that is a very good start if nothing else.

MangoMachine

Candie wrote: »

But...your mannerisms and how you carry yourself are part of your appearance!

I often hear the word 'imposing' in the same sentence as 'tall'. Tall makes an impression that small doesn't, and it tends to be good.

How many times have you heard the words 'small' and 'insignificant' in the same sentence?

It's easier for tall people to be noticed, and that is a very good start if nothing else.

Well when you mentioned appearance I presumed you meant physical appearance, sorry about that. For me personally, whether a person is tall or small would have no influence on what I would think of them and I think the same would go for most other people.

However, I understand what you mean about being noticed in a crowd for example but many tall people would rather be the same height or smaller than the people around them as they feel insecure about their height.

MangoMachine

MangoMachine wrote: »

Well when you mentioned appearance I presumed you meant physical appearance, sorry about that. For me personally, whether a person is tall or small would have no influence on what I would think of them and I think the same would go for most other people.

However, I understand what you mean about being noticed in a crowd for example but many tall people would rather be the same height or smaller than the people around them as they feel insecure about their height.

I don't think many people make conscious judgements on the basis of height, you'd have to be extraordinarily shallow to do so. I think the effect is more subconscious, we favour people closest to a physical ideal because evolution has taught us thats the best way to be.

It's also been demonstrated that people with symmetrical faces are likely to be treated better by parents, teachers and employers...and its most likely the same bias at play. That's why it's the pretty babies who get the most attention, and why we go for the lookers when we're on the prowl.

Good looks are aspirational and indicate good genetic makeup, we can't help but be in thrall to them. All we can do is try to compensate, but our patina of civilisation can only go so far .

MangoMachine

Candie wrote: »

I don't think many people make conscious judgements on the basis of height, you'd have to be extraordinarily shallow to do so. I think the effect is more subconscious, we favour people closest to a physical ideal because evolution has taught us thats the best way to be.

It's also been demonstrated that people with symmetrical faces are likely to be treated better by parents, teachers and employers...and its most likely the same bias at play. That's why it's the pretty babies who get the most attention, and why we go for the lookers when we're on the prowl.

Good looks are aspirational and indicate good genetic makeup, we can't help but be in thrall to them. All we can do is try to compensate, but our patina of civilisation can only go so far .

Would you agree however that sometimes smaller people try to compensate for their height, or lack of it, by overbearing others?

Brego888

Male leaders are generally at the far ends of the scale i.e. short or tall. Seemingly average height does not a great leader make.

Pug160

Candie wrote: »

I think the conventional wisdom is usually on the side of the tall guys being more likely to do well than the little people. Tallness commands respect, more of a 'presence' and all that stuff. The tend to earn more too, because of it.

I'm rather petite myself, and am often referred to as 'the little girl' when people point me out. This does not command respect.

I think being taller makes you stand out more but it doesn't always command respect in itself. There are a lot of very awkward lanky men. I think being taller does give men an advantage in life but good body language makes a huge difference.

MangoMachine

MangoMachine wrote: »

Would you agree however that sometimes smaller people try to compensate for their height, or lack of it, by overbearing others?

I think the Napoleon complex is quite real, much more so amongst some small men than small women. If they can't get noticed by the power of their physicality, they can compensate by overbearing or conspicuous behaviour to make their presence felt.

Small women have less of a poison chalice to drink from; we're not expected to be brawny protector/providers so get more of a pass for being shortarses. I do know one or two very didactic small women though, so who knows!

Pug160

Pug160 wrote: »

I think being taller makes you stand out more but it doesn't always command respect in itself. There are a lot of very awkward lanky men. I think being taller does give men an advantage in life but good body language makes a huge difference.

People don't respect the tallness in itself, they respect the presence it gives a person.

You can have all the good body language in the world, but if you're a man under (say) five foot five, you won't draw much attention in a room of taller people.

Awkwardness is something you can overcome, shortness isn't.

anncoates

I'm 6 foot but my Da is about 5'6" and my ma is just under 5 foot*

Shortarse bullet dodged.



*Still terrifying

Femme_Fatale

I'm just under 5ft 5 barefoot. I know nothing about either being tall or being small.

Femme_Fatale

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

I'm just under 5ft 5 barefoot. I know nothing about either being tall or being small.

Platforms and a beehive would sort that out

Legs.Eleven

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

I'm just under 5ft 5 barefoot. I know nothing about either being tall or being small.

For some reason I thought you'd be taller than that! You've a tall personality. No idea what that means but you do.



I'm 5 ft 5. A grand height and the average for a woman in Ireland. Can I blame my lack of any career success on the fact that I'm neither small nor tall?

anncoates

Any men sensitive about their height should swiftly move to a working class area in Belfast as you seem to get called Big Lad or Big Man by all other men, despite you size.

Jimoslimos

MangoMachine wrote: »

Nikolas Sarkozy, Enda Kenny, The Lovely Alan Shatter and many more. It hit me that many men in power are quite small.

Why do you think this is and have you ever had any experiences of this; "Small Man Syndrome"?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1191798/Sarkozy-steps-podium-French-President-uses-footstool-prove-hes-Brown-Obamas-equal.html

Nah...confirmation bias.

I'd prefer to be average, especially when I'm trying to get something off the top shelf in the supermarket.

The only advantage I can think of is small size shoes tend to be heavily discounted in the sales, and people assume I'm nicer than I am because I'm non-threatening .

Galwayguy35

I'm a shortarse, somewhere between 5'6" and 5'7", I can see why women go for taller men, it gives their future kids an advantage in life because the chances are if your old man is tall then you will be as well.

MayoSalmon

Short arses are the worse kind of arses!