New York Times: ‘There Has Never Been a Better Time to Be Short’ – ‘Mate with shorter people’ for ‘a

[rangerrebew]

New York Times: ‘There Has Never Been a Better Time to Be Short’ – ‘Mate with shorter people’ for ‘a greener planet’ & to save ‘the planet by shrinking the needs of subsequent generations’
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NY Times Guest Essay By Mara Altman: "Short people don’t just save resources, but as resources become scarcer because of the earth’s growing population and global warming, they may also be best suited for long-term survival (and not just because more of us will be able to jam into spaceships when we are forced off this planet we wrecked)."

"When you mate with shorter people, you’re potentially saving the planet by shrinking the needs of subsequent generations. Lowering the height minimum for prospective partners on your dating profile is a step toward a greener planet."

https://www.climatedepot.com/2023/01/04/new-york-times-there-has-never-been-a-better-time-to-be-short-mate-with-shorter-people-for-a-greener-planet-to-save-the-planet-by-shrinking-the-needs-of-subsequent-generations/

[rangerrebew]

 

[GtHawk]

They really need to study the Babylon Bee if they’re going to try and do parody well.

[Wingnut]

Paging Randy Newman. 

[GtHawk]

Paging Randy Newman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrjStSqu_w4

[DB]

If it really came down to the survival of short verses tall people I wouldn't bet on the short people... Nature is nature where survival of the fittest rules.

[Free Vulcan]

Billionaires Buffet, Bezos, Gates, Zuckerberg, Dorsey, and Jack Ma are all under 6 ft. Ma is 4'11".

My guess is their 'carbon footprints' are way bigger than my over-6 ft self.

Correlation does not determine causation and all that.

[roamer_1]

If it really came down to the survival of short verses tall people I wouldn't bet on the short people... Nature is nature where survival of the fittest rules.

That could work in weird and unexpected ways. I am a great big dude. my best friends tend to be little monkey boys, with some sort of natural intention. Division of labor stuff... Bantam weight guys can go where I can't - both small spaces and climbing, and they are quick... Meanwhile I provide power and considerable protection. It is a good symbiosis.

[Kamaji]

If it really came down to the survival of short verses tall people I wouldn't bet on the short people... Nature is nature where survival of the fittest rules.

Who's to say that bigger is always more fit?  The smaller dinosaurs outlived the larger ones, for example.

[DB]

Who's to say that bigger is always more fit?  The smaller dinosaurs outlived the larger ones, for example.

That's because the food supply went away. People aren't dinosaurs. Food should be available to those work for it. When it comes down to brute force, bigger (within reason), with all other things being near equal, wins.

[Kamaji]

That's because the food supply went away. People aren't dinosaurs. Food should be available to those work for it. When it comes down to brute force, bigger (within reason), with all other things being near equal, wins.

If one wants to limit one's self to brute force, sure.  But life is not limited to brute force, and things are almost always not "near equal".  Human hunting parties taking down large targets, like mammoths, demonstrates the fallacy of "bigger is always better".

Same goes for asymmetric warfare between human groups.

[DB]

If one wants to limit one's self to brute force, sure.  But life is not limited to brute force, and things are almost always not "near equal".  Human hunting parties taking down large targets, like mammoths, demonstrates the fallacy of "bigger is always better".

Same goes for asymmetric warfare between human groups.

We were talking about people. Not other animals. And when actual survival is at stake it comes down to brute force.

[Kamaji]

We were talking about people. Not other animals. And when actual survival is at stake it comes down to brute force.

No, it doesn't.  That is one of the essential lessons from the survival - and current preeminent position - of the human species.  It takes brains, plus a sufficient amount of force, not simply brute force, to survive.

[DB]

No, it doesn't.  That is one of the essential lessons from the survival - and current preeminent position - of the human species.  It takes brains, plus a sufficient amount of force, not simply brute force, to survive.

So are you saying that bigger people are stupider?

Like I said before, we're talking about people where all other things besides size are essentially equal. If smaller people were generally smarter you'd have a point. But that isn't the case.

[roamer_1]

No, it doesn't.  That is one of the essential lessons from the survival - and current preeminent position - of the human species.  It takes brains, plus a sufficient amount of force, not simply brute force, to survive.

You're mostly right - But brute force first. The establishment of safety, security comes from a particular kind. Thereafter, eggheads and women can thrive.

[rangerrebew]

You're mostly right - But brute force first. The establishment of safety, security comes from a particular kind. Thereafter, eggheads and women can thrive.

There is a speech on Youtube by Admiral McRaven, at the University of Texas Commencement, who headed the SEALS for years.  In it, he talks about his class of candidates and the results.  It wasn't the biggest or strongest teams who came out on top but the smallest team.  Such things as communication, teamwork, and desire were among the components that made the difference.  At the start of the speech, he talks about what a person can do to change the world.  His answer - make your bed every day, it shows commitment.  Everyone should listen to that speech.

[roamer_1]

There is a speech on Youtube by Admiral McRaven, at the University of Texas Commencement, who headed the SEALS for years.  In it, he talks about his class of candidates and the results.  It wasn't the biggest or strongest teams who came out on top but the smallest team.  Such things as communication, teamwork, and desire were among the components that made the difference.  At the start of the speech, he talks about what a person can do to change the world.  His answer - make your bed every day, it shows commitment.  Everyone should listen to that speech.

I can believe that - I ain't military... 4f. But I get the band-of-brothers thing, on a lesser scale. Tight circles work like crazy.

[GrouchoTex]

 ‘There Has Never Been a Better Time to Be Short’
WOOHOO!
Hooray for my side, (or should I say size?).
The other day someone told me to stand up.
I told them, "I am standing up!"
 
I am not super short, but lets just say me and Jose Altuve can look eye-to-eye.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Are they trying to get short men to mate with tall women or vice versa? Cause I've never heard guys turn down short women. Most guys don't care.

I started out 5'10" i'm now down to 5'8". I'll probably be 3 feet tall by the time i'm 80.

[roamer_1]

Are they trying to get short men to mate with tall women or vice versa? Cause I've never heard guys turn down short women. Most guys don't care.

Oddly, and I know this is kinda anecdotal... But it seems like great big (tall, muscular) guys get all the teeny tiny women.... I was big and wide shouldered in my day, and most of my girlfriends were under 5'8 Many under 5'1.

The tall gals, who would LOVE to go out with a monster guy, but usually get stuck with the average guy and fight the height thing all the way along

And the little bitty dudes ... The little wild-eyed spring steel and rawhide ones... They always have the supersize fat chicks.... And that is their preference.

Don't ask me why... 

[sneakypete]

We are also smarter,better-looking,sexier,and more modest that tall people.

[sneakypete]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrjStSqu_w4

@GtHawk

I actually got into  a few bar fights because of that song.

Some drunken goober would try to pick me up to talk to me,and it would be "Game ON!"

[sneakypete]

If it really came down to the survival of short verses tall people I wouldn't bet on the short people... Nature is nature where survival of the fittest rules.

@DB


Small people aren't fit?

[sneakypete]

We were talking about people. Not other animals. And when actual survival is at stake it comes down to brute force.

@DB

I am 5'5",and when I was in my 20's had no problem doing multiple deadlifts of 435 lbs,and could do multiple reps of 220 lbs over my head.

I also never had any problems when it came to knocking people out with one punch. Actually,I would sometimes hit them more than once,depending on how long it took them to collapse. After all,anything worth doing is worth doing right.

I think if you did some serious research,you would discover that in situations like bar fights,the participants who are 5'5" or so are more often the victor than someone 6'5" or so. Mostly because the big guys don't seem to get into fights as often as the little guys,and most don't seem to consider the little guys a threat until they become conscious and wonder what happened to them.

[sneakypete]

So are you saying that bigger people are stupider?

Like I said before, we're talking about people where all other things besides size are essentially equal. If smaller people were generally smarter you'd have a point. But that isn't the case.

@DB

On what planet in what universe is this true?

Yeah,I have known a few guys 6'4" or so that had advanced black belts in Karate that were awarded by the Japanese Karate Association,but can't recall ANY of those guys ever getting into a bar fight.

A basic truth of life is that it is drunken Biden-heads that start fights,and they are ALWAYS looking for someone smaller,weaker,and more drunken than they are.

Anybody with any REAL experience with violence knows there is no such critter as a "sure thing" when tangling with strangers,and try to avoid it if they can,and if they can't,they tend to "go nuclear on your ass" right off the bat.

And you can trust me when I tell you there are damn few people who can shake off 3 or 4 rapid solid hits by someone who knows how and where to hit.

Most people who win bar fights are people who actually know how to fight,not drunks who happen to have an attitude.

Frank Miller and I once stood down a whole damn bar full of drunken Marines who seemed to be irritated because two white soldiers came into "their bar" to get a beer.

In our defense,we had no idea it was a "black bar",but I am not sure we would have cared if we had known because neither one of us was a racist. We lived with and worked with people who were primarily dark skinned,and considered some of them to be the same as kin.

We just happened to be in Pleiku on a PX run,and decided to get a beer before we drove back to Kontum.

They seemed to get real quiet when we pulled out a couple of frag grenades and smiled at them.

[sneakypete]

You're mostly right - But brute force first. The establishment of safety, security comes from a particular kind. Thereafter, eggheads and women can thrive.

@roamer_1

Not unless you know the proper way to APPLY that brute force.

Most people don't.

[sneakypete]

Are they trying to get short men to mate with tall women or vice versa? Cause I've never heard guys turn down short women. Most guys don't care.

I started out 5'10" i'm now down to 5'8". I'll probably be 3 feet tall by the time i'm 80.

@Weird Tolkienish Figure

Works for me! I was a paratrooper, so I am not afraid to climb heights.

[sneakypete]

Oddly, and I know this is kinda anecdotal... But it seems like great big (tall, muscular) guys get all the teeny tiny women.... I was big and wide shouldered in my day, and most of my girlfriends were under 5'8 Many under 5'1.

The tall gals, who would LOVE to go out with a monster guy, but usually get stuck with the average guy and fight the height thing all the way along

And the little bitty dudes ... The little wild-eyed spring steel and rawhide ones... They always have the supersize fat chicks.... And that is their preference.

Don't ask me why... 

@roamer_1

THEY are PRECISELY the one you need to avoid pissing off and starting a fight with. I don't know why this is true,but it seems to me like those boys just don't have a back-up button on them,and you damn near have to kill one to get away from them.

And if you DO manage to knock one of these adreneline-powered skinny boys out,you damn sure need to get away before he becomes conscious again because you are in for "Round Two" if he can find you once he gets back on his feet.

I have no freaking idea where all that strength and determination comes from,but they have it.

[roamer_1]

A basic truth of life is that it is drunken Biden-heads that start fights,and they are ALWAYS looking for someone smaller,weaker,and more drunken than they are.

@sneakypete
Nope. I am likely to always be the biggest guy in the bar. Not always tallest, but close, and generally always widest... Thickest neck, biggest guns,and thighs... Nobody beat me in real strength...

And I quit going to bars altogether because I was sick to death of always getting in fights, because of folks picking the biggest guy in the room. Every bar I went into, I got challenged. Regular as clockwork.

[roamer_1]

@roamer_1

THEY are PRECISELY the one you need to avoid pissing off and starting a fight with. I don't know why this is true,but it seems to me like those boys just don't have a back-up button on them,and you damn near have to kill one to get away from them.

And if you DO manage to knock one of these adreneline-powered skinny boys out,you damn sure need to get away before he becomes conscious again because you are in for "Round Two" if he can find you once he gets back on his feet.

I have no freaking idea where all that strength and determination comes from,but they have it.

Like I said upthread @sneakypete , I tend toward a little guy as a best friend... I know all about it. And besides, I can toss em like a guided missile. 

[DB]

@roamer_1

Not unless you know the proper way to APPLY that brute force.

Most people don't.

Remember that "with all other things being nearly equal" part??? Nothing prevents the bigger guy from knowing how to apply it. And drunk is not at all optimal for fighting for survival. It's just stupid being a thug.

[roamer_1]

@roamer_1

Not unless you know the proper way to APPLY that brute force.

Most people don't.

@sneakypete
I was thinking more of warlords than speaking to individuals.
If SHTF, it's the fighting type that establishes a safe zone through strength.
Warlords or chieftains in a feudal environment...

Once that is established, there is a place for the weak to survive.

[sneakypete]

Remember that "with all other things being nearly equal" part??? Nothing prevents the bigger guy from knowing how to apply it. And drunk is not at all optimal for fighting for survival. It's just stupid being a thug.

@DB

That is one of the most prominent truths,and size,age,strength,etc,etc,etc makes no difference.

Hell,even thugs know this. It's why they always travel in packs,and generally speaking,they are dumber than dirt.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Ranged weapons sorta take care of size advantage with some exceptions.

[sneakypete]

@sneakypete
I was thinking more of warlords than speaking to individuals.
If SHTF, it's the fighting type that establishes a safe zone through strength.
Warlords or chieftains in a feudal environment...

Once that is established, there is a place for the weak to survive.

@roamer_1

True,but I have known and been friends with more than a few "professional warriors" in my life,and it is really rare to find one that goes out looking for trouble,or even one that is quick to anger. NEVER seen one actually start a fight,or even get pushy with someone talking trash. If the goober hassling one ever throws a punch or pulls a weapon,it is "Game ON!",though,and most people just ain't ready for the level of violence these people can inflict on you if you insist on being stupid.

Which is probably good thing for any goober that might have tried to start something with them.

[sneakypete]

We were talking about people. Not other animals. And when actual survival is at stake it comes down to brute force.

@DB
No,it comes down to the size of your army,their skill with arms/their training,and their tactics.

[rangerrebew]

I was a teacher of the severely emotionally disturbed and I once had a smaller student try to impress me with saying he always figured the bigger people were, the harder they fell.  I am not a small person.  I told him I figured the smaller they were the farther they flew.  No more challenge.

[Smokin Joe]

If one wants to limit one's self to brute force, sure.  But life is not limited to brute force, and things are almost always not "near equal".  Human hunting parties taking down large targets, like mammoths, demonstrates the fallacy of "bigger is always better".

Same goes for asymmetric warfare between human groups.

Oh Yeah?

Well, if humans didn't gang up on just one mammoth, it'd be a different story.

Go one on one and someone is gonna get squished!

(humans don't fight fair!)

[GtHawk]

@GtHawk

I actually got into  a few bar fights because of that song.

Some drunken goober would try to pick me up to talk to me,and it would be "Game ON!"

The world has never had a shortage of stupid people

[Wingnut]

The world has never had a shortage of stupid people

Yup.   But, short people are entertaining.