9 April 2014

unfairly tall

● I recently came across the following shocking statistic: 90% of adults categorised as “tall” come from families where one or both parents are also “tall”. This despite the fact that “talls” represents only 10% of the population.
Clearly social mobility is far too low.
To aim at perfect mobility, so that everyone has an equal chance of ending up tall regardless of parentage, may seem too ambitious at this stage. It has been suggested therefore that we should aim, instead, at doubling mobility within ten years.
Fortunately, a possible technique for producing the desired outcome is to hand. It is well known that attendance at state children’s homes severely stunts growth – as well as reducing life chances in various other ways.
A possible approach is therefore to release for adoption, without any of the usual numerous restrictions, children in state homes categorised as “short”; while simultaneously increasing the readiness of child removal by social workers in cases where the child looks set to be “tall”.
The statistical correlation in height between children and parents would be reduced, hence “mobility” would be increased.