A Man of Letters, a Man of Honor

Recently, while waiting for a connecting flight at Chicago Midway Airport, I popped open my laptop and went to one of my favorite websites, the online magazine Grantland. The e-zine features an enjoyable mix of sports, culture and comedy. In particular, I like the summer movie reviews.

As I was reading a review about Total Recall, a rehash of the 1990 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger (based on a short story by Philip K. Dick), one particular sentence in the review jumped out at me. The author, Zach Baron, was comparing the current movie to the 1990 version:

“The 1990 adaptation was directed by a Paul Verhoeven near the peak of his evil powers — his Total Recall had a midget stripper mowing down bad guys with a machine gun.”

Normally, while I find this characterization of people like me — people with dwarfism — wince-inducing, it is so commonplace in the media, and especially comedic culture, that I internally groaned and continued scrolling through the article. However, my conscious nagged at me and in a “total recall” moment of my own, I apprehended all the good work my organization has been doing in recent years; educating the media about the appropriate terminology for people with dwarfism.  I decided to write Grantland to lodge a complaint, and cc’d my email to Baron. It wasn’t my best writing (I was in an airport and travel-weary), but it went as follows:

To the editors of Grantland,
I enjoy your publication immensely and I am a regular reader. However, I was upset that you apparently don’t understand or follow current style guidelines. In an article by Zach Baron about the new Total Recall movie, titled, Summermetrics: Hollywood Knows Dick, he makes reference to the 1990 original in which he says, “his Total Recall had a midget stripper mowing down bad guys with a machine gun.”

I want to point out that the M-word is a highly offensive and derogatory label for people who have dwarfism. Dwarfism is defined as a medical condition characterized by short stature, and is often accompanied by orthopedic and respiratory problems. In 2009, my brother passed away from complications due to dwarfism at age 45. The origins of the the word m*dget are found in the carnival, freak-show era of the late 19th-century. It comes from the word, “midge” which is a type of pesky, annoying fly. The history of people with dwarfism has been one riddled with violations of civil rights and exploitation. For example, I am a person with dwarfism, and I cannot get health insurance because it is considered a “preexisting condition.” Given the tragic loss of my brother, and my continual struggles for simple rights the average American takes for granted, it is painful to read the word in a publication I enjoy.

In our community, we consider the word as offensive as the African American community does the N-word. We would ask for the same amount of respect given to the black community.

I would ask that you please consider revising your style guide, and alerting your writers to the offensive valence of this word. The New York Times and the AP style guide have already made note of this and have committed to banning its usage. This is not a matter of being ultra PC, but an attempt to highlight awareness about the word, and the historical baggage around it. We are human beings who just want to live normal lives with a modicum of dignity.

Thank you.

Bill Bradford, Senior Vice President,
Little People of America, Inc.

To my pleasant surprise, the author himself responded in less than seven minutes:

Dear Mr. Bradford,

Intended no offense, and I’m sorry for giving it. What, for future reference, would be the correct word to use there? Not sure if Grantland will change stuff like that after it has run but I will certainly ask.

And again, let me say I’m genuinely sorry.

Zach

WOW. This was completely unexpected. Color me jaded, but my experience has been that people in popular media tend to ignore such letters, or come up with a paltry defense. (I know because I used to be a newspaper editor.)  I composed a reply:

Dear Zach,
Thank you for your prompt reply and sincere apology. I understand it wasn’t an intentional slight. It is part of my duties with my organization to raise public awareness. For the future, terms like “little person,” “person with dwarfism” or “dwarf” would be the preferred nomenclature.

I enjoy your writing and most of the articles on Grantland.

Again, thank you.
Bill

And once again, Baron swiftly responded (less than 20 minutes later):

Thanks for this–passed along to my editors, who I believe will getthe word out of there.

And that is not a mistake I will make twice!

Thanks Bill,
Zach

I think Zach Baron just became my all-time favorite movie-reviewer. Not only did he sincerely apologize, and ask for clarification, he persuaded his editors to change the text in the article. You might have noticed if you clicked on the link above.

I want to extend my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Zach Baron, and it would be great if all the readers of this blog did the same. This is responsible journalism. This is a man of letters and a man of honor. Zach’s twitter handle is: @xzachbaronx. You can also write the editors at Grantland and express your appreciation: editors@grantland.com.

Thanks, Zach. Next time I’m in New York, I’ll buy you a beer.