dwarf vs. midget

Hi,

Permit me to explain my remark.

A statement was made that Dwarfs are often individuals conceived in space. As there is no gravity in space, the individuals conceived in an interstellar environment lack forces to stretch their limbs whilst their heads continue to grow. I thought that this was meant to be humorous, since I'm not aware of any dwarves that have been conceived in space. Consequently, I tried to make a joke by replying that Although there is no gravity in space, I see that there is humour.

This is a pun. A pun involves playing with the sounds and meanings of words. In this case, the word I was playing with is 'gravity'. As you know, one  meaning of 'gravity' is the force that causes my pencil to fall to the floor. Another meaning of 'gravity' is seriousness. This latter is the meaning that I was suggesting, that although there is no seriousness in space, I see that there is humour, the humour being represented by the remark about individuals conceived in an interstellar environment. 

It was a modest little joke. Obviously, you did not find it amusing.

Best wishes, Clive

But I don't see why that's unacceptable.

If someone has flaming red hair, is that not a way to describe that person so you could pick him out in a crowd? I can say "Monica's husband is that bald guy, built like a rugby player." I can "Amy is the tall, slender girl with the wild, blonde hair." But I can't say "He's the little person standing in line for the bar"? Nonsense. You don't use disparaging terms to describe anyone, but to avoid all reference to it is nuts.

Sincerely,

The somewhat heavy-set lady of average height, with the short, curly blonde hair

Actually Anon, if you want to get technical, it's predicted that lesser gravity would actually cause people to grow taller, since gravity wouldn't be pushing down on them all day. People are actually taller when they wake in the morning and shrink over the course of the day.