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- ardenr, on 10/12/2007, -4/+50This is usually where I laugh at Europe's superiority, but I'm 5'7. Crap.
Oh well, there's always Tokyo. Konichiwa. - Bean945, on 10/12/2007, -6/+41At least everyone everywhere is getting wider.
- Flipsen, on 10/12/2007, -8/+40It must be the food:
http://newmedia.funnyjunk.com/pictures/euro_vs_america.jpg
:) - D4r7h3v1l, on 10/12/2007, -1/+33That's what she said.
- winzippy, on 10/12/2007, -6/+33It's soooooooooooooo long and I'm toooooooooooooooooo lazy.
- atdigg, on 10/12/2007, -15/+405) Be taxed in European style
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -30/+53@atdigg - "5) Be taxed in European style"
or stay in the US and:
5) Get reamed in the ass by Bush and his oil buddies 'merican style - schlurp, on 10/12/2007, -7/+28easily avoided by
3) move back to US after studies/growth are finished - kingfelix, on 10/12/2007, -2/+21That was one of the best articles I've ever seen linked on digg. Fascinating stuff.
I recently lived in South Korea and noticed that very many young Koreans (mostly the boys) are as tall as or taller than their American counterparts, which was truly surprising to me. The most prosperous of them have grown up as only children in families dedicated to the purpose of satisfying their every material need. Their parents and grandparents, though, who grew up in conditions of poverty, near starvation, and political turmoil, rarely exceed five feet in height. - schlurp, on 10/12/2007, -4/+23that's addressed in the article:
a) there are not enough immigrants to explain the difference
b) he excluded immigrants from his calculations
He also mentioned that Japanese are almost the same average height as americans by now - surprising. - kirakun, on 10/12/2007, -3/+17"He also mentioned that Japanese are almost the same average height as americans by now - surprising."
That is so not true. When I was at Tokyo, I towered over *every* person on the streets by at least a head, and I'm considered short among my friends in the US. - cruzlee, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14Coming from Holland I can assure you that I have never, ever seen an ambulance driving with the doors open for the legs of the man inside. And that is just one of the statements that made me cringe. The article is very unscientific. The quoted research however, seems to have been done very carefully and most of all very thoroughly.
I've seen so many articles on the Netherlands in U.S. newspapers that are ridiculously exaggerated. I remember some horrible writings on our soft drugs policies and euthanasia discussions that I hope no one read, because of all the lies.
Maybe the problem with this wrong image of the Netherlands is that most of the dope here is sold to American tourists on their way to the red light district. Americans who do start living here (ex pats), put their children in International schools, go to their own English speaking churches (to spread the gospel over the Netherlands, for which they feel to have a mission), and don't speak Dutch even after 10 years of living here. Who knows what they really think about the Dutch. They never speak to us. - masamunecyrus, on 11/05/2007, -5/+17Funny that the Japanese have the highest life expectancy in the world, and have for several decades (actually, Japanese men fell to #2 for the first time in 40 years, below Singapore, but they're still damn close).
In either case, wouldn't height (past a certain point) be less healthy? That's why people with growth defects (the kind that make them grow tall) all die ~very~ early -- they become too tall and their heart can't keep up, and so they die. The taller you are the harder your heart has to work. - Wuffles, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12I'm European and 4'11".
LIES, I SAY! - xenuxenuts, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10"wouldn't height (past a certain point) be less healthy?"
Well, I'm 6'3" and I've hit my head so many times, I can't remember... who I am. Seriously though, being tall kind of sucks. Cars, chairs, and just about every thing else is made for shorter people. Stairways down to basements are the worst -- I saw white a few times on those in college. I suppose being half Norwegian and half German made me this way. On the plus side, I gained 30 lbs when I quit smoking and people still think I'm skinny. - cruzlee, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11Europeans have been growing taller and taller over the last 50 years, whilst U.S. population averages have flattened.
A couple of scientists did a huge amount of data-analysis, covering all continents, and going back hundreds of years.
Malnutrition, especially in the first years, turned out to be the most important factor of a child not reaching his/her growth potential. - Halodude1489, on 11/05/2007, -7/+16*Insert Joke about how fat Americans are HERE, followed by many equally lame comments about how fat Americans are*
- hoodedrobin, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11Jesus, Muhammad, and Gandhi... Were not that tall and they still kicked ass.
Also, Buddha was fat so... I'm Cool with being short, and maybe a little round.
Not to mention Hitler and Einstein who were also short and they did some pretty amazing things too, look at the short people in the world and see the huge impacts they have had on the world.. Napoleon, Kim Jung, Churchill, I'll include FDR cause he couldn't stand... I'm just saying does hight really matter in the year 2007 and beyond?
And ill leave you with this last quote "its not the size of the dog in the fight, its the size of the fight in the dog" Samuel Clemens - burk1234, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11"He also mentioned that Japanese are almost the same average height as americans by now - surprising."
I do not know about his other "facts" but this is ludicrous. I lived in Tokyo 1999-2001 and at 5' 7" I consistently saw over the crowd on train platforms, on the street and in lines at amusement parks and everywhere else. I had a feel for what it is like for two 7 footers to see each other above a crowd in other taller cultures. - Lazybones, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9I'm Canadian and 6'4", I hate traveling to placed with lower average hight.. Sucks taking a shower on your knees because the shower head is at your chest if you stand.
- Lazybones, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8If you eat crap when you are growing up you limit your growth.
Hight is also genetic, but only the maximum potential, those that do not eat right might not be reaching their potential.
Some countries are reaching their potential better than others on AVERAGE. - blackjack75, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6"Sure the Swedes and Scandinavians will be taller, but the Italians and Greeks still tend to be shorter people."
Actually, that's where it's funny: not anymore. I dunno much about greeks but as far as we're talking italians, spanish and portuguese (from my personal obseration in Switzerland and around) we are basically all much bigger than our parents by like a head or two. It's not uncommon to see a 1 m 95 guy with two 1 m50 parents. It certainly doesn't apply to every person but on the whole the change is rather evident. - blackjack75, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6That's because we keep tapping on their heads, Benny-Hill style. Otherwise they'd be bigger.
- erkokite, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I am 6' tall, male, and American. When I went to Germany, I noticed that most ethnically European men were taller than me. Kinda made me feel inferior, but then again, so did their foreign language skills.
- Comatose51, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6@cruzlee: I don't know dude. I spent a week cycling through Holland in September and everyone there seem very tall. I remember going to a bar in Enkhuizen once and noticed that the vast majority of girls were taller than my friends and I. OK so we were on the shorter side of the scale but that would still make Dutch girls a few inches taller than the average American girl. Love your country and the people BTW. Hope to learn Dutch and retire there some day.
- trieste, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Below average in the Netherlands.
- Comatose51, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6@kirakun: Sorry guys but I would go with his study based on large sample sizes and accurate measurements over casual observations by a few people vocal enough to voice them. In addition, I've read something very similar to this from another source. As the Japanese population start to lose their older, shorter generation, their average height is rapidly climbing.
- Elranzer, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7Saying "Europeans are taller" is quite general, since it's not just one country, you know. Sure the Swedes and Scandinavians will be taller, but the Italians and Greeks still tend to be shorter people.
- powatom, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Agreed, didn't think I'd find it interesting, but once I started reading, I couldn't stop :)
- Reaganomicon, on 11/05/2007, -1/+6Meh, I'm 5'7", I gave up feeling sorry for myself for my height a long time ago. If a girl won't go out with me simply because I'm not tall enough, frankly she's an idiot and I'd rather not be with her anyway. It's a good way to weed out the creepy ones.
- masamunecyrus, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6According to Wikipedia, the average height for Americans (non-Hispanic blacks and whites) is 5'10" for males and 5'4" for females. In Japan, it's 5'7" for males and 5'2" for females. 2-3 inches is a significant difference in terms of nation-wide average height.
It's also worth noting that the average height in England is 5'10" for males and 5'4" for females -- exactly the same height as Americans. - Comatose51, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6The most obvious difference is between a North and South Korean. The average South Korean male is 2 inches taller than his North Korean counterpart.
- blackjack75, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6And how many inches do you walk per day, on average?
- Woknblues, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7what a weird article. While they focus on historical "Facts" I just can't see this being accurate at all, or referencing medical journals of any kind. Isn't it that the whole developed world is getting taller (and bigger), due to increased nutritional intake? BTW, is the author of this article trying to classify Americans as a "race"? That is really weird, too.
- appetite, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I'm 5'3" male. shortest guy I know including my entire family. also the first in my family to go to graduate school, play a div 1 sport, be the high school sr and jr class president, capt. the wrestling team. i'm physically stronger than the majority of men. i'm proportional so i don't look odd at all. so i can't attract some girls that prefer tall guys, but there are plenty of beautiful and great women who care more about my personality, brain, face, and kindness to other people. i've always had very hot girlfriends and i've had many. i'll never play pro-basketball, but neither will any of you. people always seem to take me seriously. i'm reallly short, like 1 percentile and i don't think it has affected my life very much at all besides the bad jokes some people make. but some people make good jokes about it, so it probably evens out in that respect. i really haven't encountered many situations where height actually matters in the real world. just seems like something people talk about a lot but when it comes down to it, the size of your presence is made up more by your personality than the size of your body--by far.
- spanner, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5If you go with the immigrant thing then you didn't bother to read the damn article.
Geez nothing worth than half assed opinions from people unable to take the time to understand the topic. - gboodhoo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5A Korean friend (mid 30's) tells me she notices the youth in Seoul are much taller than when she was that age. And apparently her generation was considered taller than their parents.
- blackjack75, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5I wonder if Europeans can read longer articles?
- Jarasmen, on 10/12/2007, -7/+11I use feet for walking, not measuring stuff.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7for the folks too lazy too read: (that means you,rabidgnome)
1. even though america is still a land of much wealth,the growing disparity between rich and poor is affecting the population's ability to both properly feed and care for the health of it's citizens,as reflected in the average height of americans for the last few decades,which has not increased,as it seems to in most other industrialized nations.
2. the fast food culture may also be responsible,as a lack of a healthy diet,particularly during adolescent growth spurts,is also reflected in height.
3. most european cultures seem to not have these problems,as the height of their populations has been steadily increasing for decades.
4. americans not only are ruining their bodies,but also their minds,as evidenced by their refusal to read for more than 10 seconds,even on a topic that greatly affects their health and their societies well being.
there ya go,now you can all get back to obsessing over that newfangled iphone. - garrettnb, on 10/12/2007, -15/+19@bean945
actually its just mostly americans - fdemmer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3it's all because americans dont use the metric system!
- JJP0223, on 10/12/2007, -6/+9We are getting wider and wider.
- Comatose51, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I'm 5'7" as well but I don't think girls who won't go out with me is any more idiotic than me not wanting to date a ugly/fat/stupid girl. Everyone can find a date as long as they lower their standards (pun partially intended). That's entirely up to ourselves.
- Woknblues, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3have you been to Thailand? They are not actually very "short" compared to say, Vietnamese or Filipinos. I think you are generalizing, just like the author of this story....
- Lazybones, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3No, you didn't read carefully. The point was that you don't reach your maximum potential hight if you have a poor diet.
Your Potential hight is limited by genetics. Taller men are most often preferred which drives up hight over time. - blackjack75, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5To be fair some North Koreans got their head cut off for speaking badly about Kim. That might explain the missing inches.
- washcapsfan37, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4An interesting, but not very well supported, historical view of height amongst the different nationalities. I like the personal accounts tossed in, even if they were a little long-winded and over-embellished.
I'm American and I'm 6'9" (206 cm). Not quite sure where it came from. My father is 6' (183 cm) and my mother is 5'7" (170 cm). I have an older brother who is 6'4". Most of my close family is average height. I'm 30 years old and have always been tall (I was taller than all my teachers by the age of 10). When I go out, I tower over everyone else (in US). I can't drive most cars, chairs give me lower back problems, beds leave my feet hanging over the edge and stadium seating makes my knees hurt.
I do agree with many social aspects of being tall mentioned in the article. I do believe I am paid more than others around me who do the same work. I get a lot more attention from my bosses. However, being so extremely tall, I think it actually hinders some women who might be intimidated by my impressive stature. But, then again, I've dated someone who was 5'1".
I think I'm going to have to go visit the Netherlands ;) - Comatose51, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Erwin Rommel was only 5'7 or 5'8. Likewise for U.S. Grant, who defeated the 6+ feet tall Robert E. Lee.
Buddha (as in Siddharta) wasn't fat. You're thinking of the "fat" Buddha statues. They don't depict Buddha but are rather symbolic of the Buddhist believe that meditation starts with breathing. Thus a large belly, representing the diaphram, represents someone well versed in meditations. Plus he's always depicted as smiling. He more or less represents the Buddhist idea. :-)
I'm cool with being short (wish my parents had moved to the US before my 2nd growth spurt thought). That's just the way you are. Some people don't have parents. I'm lucky enough to be an American and living in a developed nation. Plus shortcomings build character :-) - lp66, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Is everyone so lazy that you can't spend 10-15 minutes to read a fascinating article?
In short, nutrition during three main periods of growth is the most important factor—just after birth, between 6 and 8, and during adolescence. This nutrition is affected by the income, because people with higher incomes generally are able to afford more nourishing food, better healthcare and therefore also avoid many diseases. But, the study was not able to show why Americans have stopped growing for about the last 50 years, even while their incomes are largely still the greatest. Possibly, it is because of the large gap between rich and poor.
Sorry, @rabidgnome, I made it to 4 sentences. Read the article, though, it's a good read. -
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