Taking Political Action

After seeing this article about the Bush Administration capitulating to the pressure of 500,000 Sikhs in the United States, The Height Site wonders how much would it take for tall people to get the same amount of recognition.

Tragic backdrop or political positioning
A Sikh man was killed at the gas station he owned in Arizona by a mob of ignorant Americans who thought he was a Muslim after the 9-11 tragedies. Sikhs wear turbans and there are only about 500,000 of them in the United States so perhaps the confusion is understandable even if the violence isn't. Some may argue that the Bush Administration's decision to celebrate a major Sikh holiday is just a reaction to these events. Is it just election year posturing? Is Bush trying to pander to a misunderstood conservative religious minority?

Lessons to learn
Regardless of the reasons behind the decision, we wanted to look at some of the details and see if the tall community could learn anything from the Sikh experience.

Ask for something simple with a precident
The Sikhs weren't the first religious minority to get the White House to acknowledge one of their holidays. The White House already honored many Jewish holidays as well as hosting Moslem celebrations for Ramadan and Hindu celebrations for Diwali.

Perhaps the tall community could ask for equal protection in government safety regulations. They currently stop at 6ft3 and the precident for inclusion has already been established by people with disabilities. We don't have to go as far as the ADA, but it's not too much to ask that at least ONE vehicle be safety rated for taller drivers.

Get and stay organized
The Sikh community is tied together by daily religious activities and a shared background.

Perhaps tall people should look to one another more for support and strengthen our ties to each other. Those sentiments were behind the creation of tall clubs around the world. Tall clubs aren't for everyone, but we also have the Internet and if you're reading this, you've found a large portion of the online tall community already. Getting involved and staying connected now is as easy as sending and receiving e-mail.

Show your unity
The Sikhs are easy to spot in a crowd because of their religiously mandated turbans and head coverings. The majority of their community expressed their singular demand for greater understanding of their religion at every opportunity.

Tall people are easy to spot in a crowd because of our height. If we could focus on one pressing and easy to understand issue like the way tall people are treated, we could effect change. Of course the majority of really tall people would have to support the idea and feel strongly enough to talk to their friends, family and coworkers about it.

Capitalize on the climate
The attacks on Sikhs all over the country and a president making a bid for election converged to create success for minority recognition.

With safety and security being in the forefront of public policy for the forseeable future, perhaps the tall community could have a victory in this area. Even without a really tall president, there are still enough congressional leaders looking for ways to get into office to ensure initial success.

If they can do it, so can we.
With only 500,000 Sikhs in a nation of about 280 Million, they were able to get official recognition and get their demands met by the government. Surely there are at least 500,000 people 6ft4 and over so maybe tall people can effect change as successfully as the sikhs.

What do YOU think?
Do you think tall people can get together in large enough numbers to get government action on tall issues? What do you think are the most pressing issues facing the tall community? send us an e-mail

The comments below were sent in by Height Site visitors in response to the article above.

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