Tennessean.com – Nashville news from The Tennessean, MUSIC CITY U.S.A– I’m most amused by the people who blame illegal aliens for “bringing down the average.” That may be an element but it seems as if the horrid food supply is part of the problem. This can only get worse.
America used to be the tallest country in the world.
From the days of the founding fathers right on through the industrial revolution and two world wars, Americans towered over other nations. In a land of boundless open spaces and limitless natural abundance, the young nation transformed its increasing wealth into human growth.
But just as it has in so many other arenas, America’s predominance in height has faded. Americans reached a height plateau after World War II, gradually falling behind the rest of the world as it continued growing taller.
By the time the baby boomers reached adulthood in the 1960s, most northern and western European countries had caught up with and surpassed the United States. Young adults in Japan and other prosperous Asian countries now stand nearly as tall as Americans do.
Even residents of the formerly communist East Germany are taller than Americans today. In Holland, the tallest country in the world, the typical man now measures 6 feet, a good two inches more than his average American counterpart.
In the USA we’ve done tall! Now we are going for wide!
Perry
children of illegal aliens born and raised in America turn out much taller than their parents. My father is 5’7″– and I’m 6′ 0″. And my kid is the tallest in his class.
John, how tall are you, BTW? You look over 6′. What about Mrs. Dvorak? (only asking because someone mentioned she was an ex-model, not trying to be too intrusive.)
Wonder if immigration post WW2 has anything to do with this? I quickly checked and found a 2005 statistic that the average US male is 175.5 cm, while males from Mexico, China, and India are 171.8, 169.7, and 167.6 respectively.
Perhaps shifts in the ethnic makeup of the population has something to do with this.
Feh. I hope they bump their heads on their low ancient doorways.
Saying that the average german is taller than the average american is all well and good, either way the americans still win becasue we’re fatter….
I find this height thing really funny because I’m of german descent and i’m 6’11” – Ive met 4 other people in my entire life that are taller than I am – and 2 of them are also of german descent…
If being “second-rate in stature” means fewer freaks like Andrea the Giantess in that picture, I’m not so sure that’s such a bad thing.
I am 6’1″, and would categorize myself as “about average” compared to most guys I see out and about. There are only so many superstar positions in the NBA; the rest of the seven-footers are just side-show oddities.
To #6 – Most of us “side-show oddities” generally classify sports as something that only feeble-minded individuals would be interested in…
and 6’1″ is kinda puny… take some calcium supplements laddy – ye’ll gow a wee bit more
Tallwookie, you must have a bitch of a time on those “regional jets” that the airlines are using for 4-hour flights these days. Even my head hits the ceilings, and the seats are waaaaaaaaaay too small.
God bless ya if you enjoy being 10 feet tall; I just don’t see anything wrong with being “normal”-sized. I’m not sure using the headrest on a “regional jet” as a lumbar support cushion is all that desireable.
Maybe I’m dense, but I just don’t get the point here, John C.
“…this can only get worse.” Worse? In what way? Will we be individually or collectively less virtuous? So tomorrow, we all get up and discover that we’re now shorter – that the average American male is now 5’6″. So WTF does that change? We’ll be “worse”?
How does a nation’s average height have anything to do with anything except as an inconsequential datum, a bit of trivia?? WHAT’ll be worse? WHO’ll be worse? WHY will it / they be worse?
Doesn’t make one bit o’ sense.
@9: the average heigth of a population is an indicator of health, just like the average life span.
It means Americans in general once were brought up healthier, in their formative years.
WHAT A USELESS STORY…WHO GIVES A FLYING F ABOUT HEIGHT AS A “COMPETITION???”
I’ve always looked at nutrition as a question of anthropology – maybe even paleontology – and that’s been the context when I looked at most studies which concluded the American “boom” in height in the past century as a function mostly of fat consumption.
As other nations switched somewhat to the “wonderful” American diet after WW2 – as their own economies began to grow to meet us – they got taller. Notably first, the Japanese; now, the Chinese. Some cultures retained their concern for healthier diets and didn’t change as much, e.g. Scandanavians. And, of course, genetic potential still ruled.
I haven’t seen any studies and they would and should be time-consuming. But, I think all we’re seeing is a predictable divide in the American population – less educated folks and incomers stick with the Mickey D nutrition plan and get wider and tallest. Better educated folks have been reducing fat for a generation or two and exercising more. Getting skinnier and probably dropping a small amount in height.
#8 – lol i gave up flying years ago – its like paying to be forced into a sardine can – I’ll pass
#11 – Lets have a fat contest then. You win!!!
You are what you eat. Heck just making soda with real sugar would do wonders. We are poisoning ourselves, and this is only one of many indicators flashing warning signs.
#11, Tomm
Tall people do.
I would say this has more to do with other countries getting taller, as they have been able to eat more food, better health care etc.
>>i gave up flying years ago
Are you John Madden? In any case, you’re fortunate to have that option. I am forced into the sardine can on a regular basis (although my company pays), and the one thing I am thankful for whenever I’m shoehorned into one of those God-awful “regional jets” is that I’m not 7 feet tall. Of course, I often end up sitting next to some guy who weighs 300 pounds, and even the armrest can’t keep the blubber in his seat.
#1
The germans are catching up.
When they come out with numbers like this I think they should have one number for the USA as a whole and one for just white Americans.
#17 – Actually, I specifically choose employment opourtunities where i am not required to travel as part of the daily grind… it pays less, but less stress for me (ie less chance of freakin out on an airplane when i’m so huge in comparison with other passengers that I could strangle people with my bare hands – the TSA would prolly frown on that)
I am a white American male living in Germany. Back home in New York, I was one of the taller people, I am 6’1″. I even notice this now when I go home.
Here in Germany, I am absolutely average, or on the short side. I have been with groups of friends 4 or 5 (all the others were German) and I was the shortest one.
Andrew said:
“When they come out with numbers like this I think they should have one number for the USA as a whole and one for just white Americans.”
Why? I can’t think of any reason not to use the whole population for data about Americans.
Fortunately, Lauren the Bigot hasn’t found this thread yet.
Among other things, such as a brain and a spine, you could use glasses.