Did you know that when you’re talking about mythical characters, the plural is “dwarves,” but when you’re talking about real humans, the plural is “dwarfs”? I’m not sure how accurate that is — it came straight from Wikipedia, which means somebody could very well have made it all up.
Still, I’m not sure the technical term “dwarfs” is even politically correct anymore. Even the preferred “little people” is being challenged by some who find it demeaning. Like the super-angry Maurice on Tiptoes
played by Peter Dinklage, who’s really great in everything he does, and was probably the only redeeming thing about the movie, despite Gary Oldman, who I adore, and despite David Alan Grier banging a tiny skank on a pool table.
From seeing movies like Tiptoes and reading books like A Son of the Circus, I’ve learned that many dwarfs suffer from painful orthopedic problems all their lives. So when I saw my first Cirque de Soleil performance two weeks ago, I couldn’t help but be amazed at the small couple performing feats of acrobatics. It was a beautiful thing to see.
This entry was posted
on Monday, March 19th, 2007 at 8:50 pm and is filed under meanderings.
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