Palaver versus the tall men

Whenever I change the picture I use for my column, I get responses from readers. Over the years, I’ve been described as an armed robber, a playboy, a pastor, a dancer, a millionaire, a choir-boy, and a poet. My latest picture, which I started using about three weeks ago, has elicited a single response: people say I look like a boxer.

Looking closely, I’m tempted to agree. It makes me wonder if I am in the wrong profession—I should be training for title fights and dislocating jaws in the ring for pay. I remember my last real fight in Secondary Form One. I was skinny, agile, and felt like I was floating “like a butterfly.” I fought a Form Two bully who had harassed me for two terms. Despite his size and wrestling skills, I won by a technical knockout after a clever dodge caused him to punch a stone instead of me.

Today, with my height and weight, I could be a heavyweight contender. My only problem is that I’ve lost my dancing skills in the ring, though my height remains intact.

This brings me to height and the Tall Men’s Club. A member, J.G.K. Mensah, wrote a rejoinder to my article “Palaver of the Tall Men” (November 4). Unfortunately, not all readers got a copy of the paper, so here’s a recap:

One group recently formed is called the Tall Men’s Club, consisting mostly of Dogo Moros. When an executive invited me to join, I asked whether it wasn’t being formed to mock short people. I expressed that such clubs can indirectly embarrass those who are not naturally tall, similar to if women formed a “Beautiful Women’s Club” or a “Handsome Men’s Club.”

History shows that stature doesn’t determine achievement: Hitler, Napoleon Bonaparte, and many others were short yet influential. Definitions of “tall” vary widely by society—5’2” is considered tall in some places, 6’0” short in others. In some regions, extreme height is even considered undesirable.

The rejoinder
Mr Mensah’s reply was long but failed to make a compelling point. He explained the club exists to collectively negotiate more space in commercial vehicles, king-size mattresses, furniture, and coffins. I find this reasoning weak—these are problems individuals can solve without an association. Most tall people adjust to their circumstances, as demonstrated by Mark, a 6’7” copper still at his post without complaints.

Critique
I maintain that the problems of tall men are not so severe as to justify a Tall Men’s Association. If it were a fun club, it would have attracted little attention. Instead, the rejoinder appears as a rationalization of exaggerated claims. If, as Mr Mensah says, girls like tall men, then these men already enjoy social advantages—they don’t need a club to secure more benefits.

What if women also formed a “Beautiful Women’s Club”? Would that not embarrass women who are naturally less attractive?

For now, I leave the debate here and dare Mr Mensah to respond again.

This article was first published on
Saturday November 18, 1995

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