Puny Americans

[Martin]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3625031.stm

Professor John Komlos, of the University of Munich, analysed data from the last 200 years for around 250,000 people.

He found that while Europeans are getting increasingly taller, Americans have "stopped growing."

In the 1800s, the Dutch were, on average, three inches shorter than Americans - now they are around three inches taller.
...
Immigrants, and people of either Hispanic or Asian ancestry were not included in the study.

Here is a much longer article on the same guy's research:
http://www.newyorker.com/archi...04/04/05/040405fa_fact

Over the past thirty years, a new breed of ?anthropometric historians? has tracked how populations around the world have changed in stature. Height, they?ve concluded, is a kind of biological shorthand: a composite code for all the factors that make up a society?s well-being. Height variations within a population are largely genetic, but height variations between populations are mostly environmental, anthropometric history suggests. If Joe is taller than Jack, it?s probably because his parents are taller. But if the average Norwegian is taller than the average Nigerian it?s because Norwegians live healthier lives.

 

[buck]

*insert bad teeth joke*

 

[BoberFett]

Define American. White and black Americans are as tall as ever, if not taller. Mexicans are generally shorter, so the large influx of immigrants has brought our average height down. I'd be willing to bet the US height average to be affected far more by immigration policy than nutrition or health or anything else.

 

[irishScott]

Originally posted by: BoberFett
Define American. White and black Americans are as tall as ever, if not taller. Mexicans are generally shorter, so the large influx of immigrants has brought our average height down. I'd be willing to bet the US height average to be affected far more by immigration policy than nutrition or health or anything else.

Exactly.

/thread

<--------- 5'10" 180 lb American

 

[crystal]

Originally posted by: irishScott

Originally posted by: BoberFett
Define American. White and black Americans are as tall as ever, if not taller. Mexicans are generally shorter, so the large influx of immigrants has brought our average height down. I'd be willing to bet the US height average to be affected far more by immigration policy than nutrition or health or anything else.

Exactly.

/thread

<--------- 5'10" 180 lb American

From the snipe that he posted...

Immigrants, and people of either Hispanic or Asian ancestry were not included in the study.

 

[irishScott]

Originally posted by: crystal

Originally posted by: irishScott

Originally posted by: BoberFett
Define American. White and black Americans are as tall as ever, if not taller. Mexicans are generally shorter, so the large influx of immigrants has brought our average height down. I'd be willing to bet the US height average to be affected far more by immigration policy than nutrition or health or anything else.

Exactly.

/thread

<--------- 5'10" 180 lb American

From the snipe that he posted...

Immigrants, and people of either Hispanic or Asian ancestry were not included in the study.

So who does that leave? Africans and Europeans. According to the snip he posted, Europeans used to be shorter then Americans, and Europe was a HUGE source of immigration up till a couple of generations ago.

 

[Martin]

Originally posted by: irishScott

Originally posted by: crystal

Originally posted by: irishScott

Originally posted by: BoberFett
Define American. White and black Americans are as tall as ever, if not taller. Mexicans are generally shorter, so the large influx of immigrants has brought our average height down. I'd be willing to bet the US height average to be affected far more by immigration policy than nutrition or health or anything else.

Exactly.

/thread

<--------- 5'10" 180 lb American

From the snipe that he posted...

Immigrants, and people of either Hispanic or Asian ancestry were not included in the study.

So who does that leave? Africans and Europeans. According to the snip he posted, Europeans used to be shorter then Americans, and Europe was a HUGE source of immigration up till a couple of generations ago.

RTFM-ing isn't a popular past time on ATOT...

Read the New Yorker article - like any proper research this one accounts for variables before reaching its conclusion.

 

[sandorski]

Obviously the Euros sent their Shorties to the US to skew the statistics!!!!

 

[Captante]

I blame fast food.

 

[BoberFett]

I admit, I read the first article and not the second. If immigrants were excluded, then I suppose it's certainly possible. Not here in the midwest though. We grow 'em big out here. Maybe east and west coasters are shrinking. *shrug*

 

[foghorn67]

Do you only post articles that give you positive reinforcement on your anti-American views?

 

[bladder23]

Are these race-height charts accurate ?

I assume other=asians (Chinese+indian etc)

 

[jw0ollard]

Originally posted by: foghorn67
Do you only post articles that give you positive reinforcement on your anti-American views?

Do you only respond to anti-American posts so that you may attempt to enforce your anti-anti-American views?

 

[vi edit]

It's because we are getting so heavy that gravity is actually pulling us down and out, not up.

 

[SoundTheSurrender]

I'm 6 feet tall and I find that there a lot of short people. I feel short too but not compared to them. I'm from Polish decent though.

 

[TehMac]

Who cares?

 

[bladder23]

Originally posted by: TehMac
Who cares?

qft

 

[foghorn67]

Originally posted by: jw0ollard

Originally posted by: foghorn67
Do you only post articles that give you positive reinforcement on your anti-American views?

Do you only respond to anti-American posts so that you may attempt to enforce your anti-anti-American views?

Do you only respond to people that...ummm....I quit. You win.

 

[compnovice]

We have decided to grow along the 'x' axis and not the 'y' axis, you dumb Europeans...

 

[Fenixgoon]

Originally posted by: compnovice
We have decided to grow along the 'x' axis and not the 'y' axis, you dumb Europeans...

haha we will out breed them!

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: Martin
Height variations within a population are largely genetic, but height variations between populations are mostly environmental, anthropometric history suggests. If Joe is taller than Jack, it?s probably because his parents are taller. But if the average Norwegian is taller than the average Nigerian it?s because Norwegians live healthier lives.

[/quote]

I don't agree with that. I think it's a genetic thing. How come in central Africa alone, you have tribes of pygmies that average 4.5 feet tall and then you have tribes of people that average 6.5 feet tall? You're saying that one of those groups just lives a much healthier life?

 

[miketheidiot]

very interesting article, and not really surprising.