Nativity portrayal of Dwarves

[ChristmasTreats]

Just been to see this years school play, Snow White. Very good, lots of effort gone into it and the kids all enjoyed themselves.

I was a bit taken aback when the seven dwarves came out though as they paraded round the stage several times walking on their knees.

I'm interested to know whether I am being unreasonable to think in this day and age children should not be encouraged to imitate a disabled group of society.

I don't get why men dressing up as women (drag) is acceptable, but painting your face brown to dress up as Usain Bolt isn't.

Are you saying it's ok to black up?

Seriously herat?

No, I'm not saying it's ok to black up. I'm querying what the difference is between blacking up and wearing false boobs, exaggerated make up and a dress is. Men in drag are caricaturing women, but that seems to be OK.
Why does society accept that but (quite rightly) does not accept white men dressing up as black men.

That's a huge derailment of the thread though herat.

I was responding to Plymouth

Thank you for seeing my point. Better stick with dwarves ☺

No worries Plym.
Over and out

Are the dwarves supposed to be people with achondroplasia - or are they supposed to be mythical beings like elves or pixies etc?

If the former then yes crawling about on knees is offensive.

On the other hand the thinking seems a bit muddled - surely the suggestion that 'it should be obvious from their costumes' is equally offensive.

What do people with achondroplasia wear that makes them 'obvious' ' Pointy hats and beards - I think not.

I think the sensible solution would have been not trying to blend the stories of Snow White and the Nativity - what will Easter bring?The Crucifixion and Pinnochio - Jesus on the cross singing 'there are no strings on me'?

If they were dressed as dwarfs from myths and fairy tales I don't see it as a problem. Unless you want to ban all stories, films and pantos that have them as characters - which would be very silly.

Did you go to the pub before the nativity play op?

Never ever have I seen or heard of dwarfs at the birth of Jesus.

What a bloody wierd school.

Of all the things going on in the world, you choose that to post about.

It's a play the kids enjoyed it. This culture, of I will be offended about everything is starting to grate!

I'm almost....sure saying dwarf or referring to dwarves is seen as offensive now isn't it?
Maybe northernmonkey1010 will know more.

Dwarves are mythical creatures, as depicted in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. They are not people with dwarfism. It's therefore you that is being disablist, Op.

Weren't all the dwarves in the Hobbit played by tall actors digitally shrunk to be short? Is that any different?

Dwarves are mythical creatures, as depicted in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. They are not people with dwarfism.

Absolutely.

So are dwarves and dwarfs different? Because if you look

At the meaning :o it's the same?
I absolutely think pupils height should be digitally altered too during the school play. I'd like my children a bit taller please with tidier hair

It's just another example of casual disablism in my view.

How is portraying a mythical character of short stature showing disablism towards people with achondroplasia?

Dwarves, dwarfs, hoofs, hooves, roofs, rooves... all weird plurals that seem to be right either way! I'm sure roves was right when I was small but now I think roofs is more common.

I think the mythical version came first. There are stories of dwarves centuries old and they are nearly always the bearded mining, cave-dwelling type (except when they live together in twee cottages that badly need a cleaner 😊).

There are quite a few medical conditions that cause dwarfism and the name "dwarf" seems to have been chosen because the person's height resembles that of a dwarf.

Because dwarf means stunted growth? That's my understanding
I dunno it begs the question why it was used as a medical term in the first place. A bit like the original medical term for down syndrome.

No, no. It's still disablist because even though dwarves are mythical creatures people with achondroplasia have constantly been hired to play them in films/tv/all the way back to early theatre and latterly variety.

'Dwarves' have very unfortunately become synonymous with people with achondroplasia. We see this in the language don't we? In my head I say 'dwarfism/dwarves' when I see a little person. I don't say 'achondroplasia'.

I am now training my mind to think achondroplasia just like I did when I had to stop thinking 'coloured' as a teenager.

Language changes, we change with it.

Achondroplasia isn't always correct either. It's the term for one condition that causes limited stature. It isn't a catch-all term for all conditions that cause dwarfism.

No, no. It's still disablist because even though dwarves are mythical creatures people with achondroplasia have constantly been hired to play them in films/tv/all the way back to early theatre and latterly variety.

That is irrelevant.

This is the equivalent of someone crouching down to play a mouse or wearing stilts to play a giant.

As I said, actors of normal height were digitally shrunk to pay the dwarves in the hobbit. This is no different (bar the obvious budget andt chnologocal constraints)