This was the catch line for the movie Jurassic Park. The movie introduced or re-introduced the idea of giant creatures, which sort of expanded our cinematic imagination. In many ways, these giant creatures of Hollywood subdued the other tiny/small creatures of the screen. Earlier we had critters, ET's, Chuck the doll and human forms like Jason, terrorizing us. With Jurassic Park the screen, bullies just got bigger.This blog explores the idea of size and discusses how the size and shape creates a power circle around it. The classic example for this is from our childhood when we used to get intimidated by big, fat bullies who were elder to us. They behaved like gang leaders or goons from another world. They were able to wield power just because of their size. The leaner, thinner ones were always at the receiving end. In popular culture, the weak ones are shown as the ones who possessed more brains than the stronger ones who always excelled because of their brawn power. The toon series Tom and Jerry kind of puts the whole issue in perspective. The cat is bigger and wields more power than the mouse. In one way Tom and Jerry cartoon series appeals to the mind of the young ones, because they identify with the mouse and enjoys the punishments meted out to the so called bully figure - Tom
Even in our daily lives, size plays an important. Certain professions demand a certain amount of shape and size. A police officer should have a hefty body so that he is seen as a dominating figure. I remember reading article about a train ticket collector in Mumbai suburban train service who was meted out harsh treatment just because of his diminutive size. His colleagues who are better build than him was always revered and feared by the public. The article is quoted below for better clarity:
Manoj Paralkar, a passenger who witnessed the incident, said, "I was on the platform to board a train when I saw a TC examining passengers' tickets. All of a sudden, a ticketless passenger violently pushed the TC onto the tracks and fled." S M Karyakarte, senior inspector (GRP), Borivli, said, "We have registered a case of accidental injury." Might is right On the other hand, some TCs never face anything like what Dabre did, because of their intimidating physique that comes across as formidable.
Amol Buchade, bodybuilder and winner of the prestigious 2010 Rustam-e-Hind title, and Keshav Singh, another bodybuilder are two TCs who say that they have never faced such incidents in their careers.
As a teacher, I have experienced both the sides of this 'size does matter' syndrome. Earlier I used to have a thin structure. A few years back, I started putting on weight and the new figure of mine has had an impact on my teachings well. Boys/Girls see me in a new light and I can see that they do notice me when I stand before them. Maybe this is just a figment of my own imagination but I am happy with my size.
In my opinion, a dwarf sized personality holding a bossy position will have little effect on his/her subordinates. It is always the survival of the fittest and biggest.
