Hi Jay,

I make a clear disctinction between discrimination and insulting. "Midget" is a insulting term for small people, but in it self does not discriminate: It is very rude way to specify small people. The story become different when you say: "Midgets not allowed here". That is discrimination.

discrimination and insults are not the same. Discrimination is making insults about a well defined group of people. Insults are not directed at clear defined groups but one or some individuals.

But you made me think. For example, when someone insults people in a way that can be explained as having no respect for 'small people' and that beeing the sole reason to call someone a midget, it is a form of discrimination ("All small people don't deserve respect"), but this is hard to prove. The evidence need to be overwhelming. The same of course applies to terms like nigger, tickle, cheese, kiwi.

If I have a fight with a little guy and call him a dwarf or midget, I don't think I'm discriminating. I targeted this at one individual.

When I say:

-"Blacks are criminal", I clearly discriminate
-"Some blacks are criminal", I just don't make a generalisation of blacks, rather talking about some individuals of the black population

Don't get me wrong. We both agree that terms like "Midget", "Blonde airhead" and "Black rat" are (highly) insulting, but to apply discrimination it just misses the explicit generalisation component. IMO, all to often we grab to the discrimination argument out of emotional, context, historical backgrounds all to often.

Walter,