Jonathan Novick (YouTube)
Aug. 17, 2014 Staff Report
One Sunnyside resident is fed up by the way people treat him.
Jonathan Novick, a dwarf, told the Huffington Post that every day he is gawked at, photographed by strangers, harassed and mocked.
Novick, who is 22 and has a type of dwarfism called achondroplasia, says he became so “fed up” with these countless negative encounters that he finally decided to do something about it.
“I wanted to stop telling people what happened to me and I wanted to start showing people what happened to me,” he said. “I wanted to show everyone what a day in my life was like.”
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30 Comments
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Welcome to the neighborhood! Very happy to have you here.
Real disrespectful. Making fun of this dude. I grew up in woodside. To them disrespectful motherf*ckers. Karmas a bitch. Have some respect for this guy. I don’t see anything different about him. Normal person like us. Keep doing your thing bro. Don’t let losers. Discourage you. Look at them and laugh. When they laugh at you. Tell em f*** you. Much power to you bro. Let these losers. Stick to watching social media
And whatever else entertains them.
Keep your head up brotha. Sky is the limit
SunnysidePosthatesme16, schools can’t teach more ethics and common sense. have you seen the thugs in public schools these days? better to teach science and math instead of having a cretinous society whose only purpose to provide mind numbing “services”.
Human beings of all kinds are hurt every day by the thoughtlessness and the conscious cruelty of others. There are many here who seem to thrive by using sharp words to drive poison into the hearts and minds of others.
The young man has at 22 years old discovered how cruel the world is. Sycamore and most other women learn this far earlier in life. They are often taught by the kind of people who comment here.
Bravo to the young man. You opened some eyes to some pain.
Shame on the rest of you. You think very small thoughts and scream them to make them seem big.
I’m glad you live in Sunnyside. We are proud to have such a talented artist in our neighborhood! I hope to run into you someday and get to meet you.
@sycamore
I take it back. You are not a 100 but a big fat ego. One that uses every living moment to let everyone know about you and your sad little story. Oh me and my bodyparts! Acknowledge me! White woman privilege !
Do you understand that you are diminishing the importance and purpose of this young man’s story? What is the point? Who benefits from it? All things being ephermal, you need to get over yourself.
If I’m an egomaniac then you’re ego-centric. Do you not see how you inserted yourself and your own plight into this young mans own issues. In doing so you reduced his video and diminished his issues by elevating your own. There’s no misinterpretation, you backed up your stance in your last comment. Nobody questioned you are what you went through and if you made your own video how would you like if someone came and told you what you’re going through was nothing …cuz you know…thats basically what you did there.
My last sentence should have said “commenters think his experience is outrageous.”
@SPHM Your egomaniacal misinterpretation has just added another person to the list of those who don’t favor you.
Where did I say I was a ten or beautiful, or better than any other women? I have what all women have, two things on my chest and a place between my legs. Since I am eight years old men have been making me uncomfortable in public by showing me what they have, rubbing what they have against me, telling me what they would like to do with their thing to my things, etc.
I speak for myself, so i gave you my experience. But women of all ages, shapes, sizes and colors experience this every day, sometimes multiple times a day. And no one cares one bit! In fact you disparage me when I mention it.
The fact that one guy who was well-supported in his home and his hometown has in the last year discovered the world isn’t as nice as he would like it to be doesn’t seem remarkable to me. Yet, his experience is outrageous and you rush to his defense.
Misogyny is alive and well-represented on the pages of the Sunnyside Post.
“I try my best to hide what attracts but it just doesn’t work! they keep staring at my giblets!” – Sycamore.
Puhhh lease. What a conceited twit you are.
What a great film this is. Well done and it’s so nice to hear people voicing themselves in a calm clear and educated way!
House of ‘Shea
Ignorance is a problem society shares. If schools taught more ethics and common sense society as a whole would benefit. Obviously it’s the parents job but when the parents can’t/don’t do it, Schools should. Otherwise you get adults with the common sense of children snapping pictures of a dwarf as if that’s something to share.
@House of Shea @ New Here It seems I hit a nerve. Overreaction is the prime sign of unconscious guilt. You are both beneath being taught anything new.
@Crane – You honestly think that not one New Yorker would do or say any of these things ” most of those people in your video are not NYers, they are tourists, ignorant fools, and just some kids.”. There are no ignorant fools or kids in NYC?!
As a person with the same dwarfism I can vouch that this happens EVERYWHERE, EVERYDAY to ALL of us at one time or another. I am sure it happens to Peter Dinklege if the person doesn’t recognize him as a TV/Movie star.
Talented young man. He’s got a career in documentary films.
People are nasty to each other, not just to small people.
@sunnysideposthatesme
Stop blaming the schools. Its the parents. It starts at home. Teach your kids how to behave before they go to school. That some people are allowed to procreate…
@sycamore
Yes you are a hundred on a 10 scale. If you can cover up your mouth like your other parts. Then..
@Sycamore: Barf. This article isn’t about you… Or your eons of struggles. Narcissist much? Let the young man have his moment. There are entire academic degrees dedicated to the study of women’s issues. This poor guy gets a piece in the Sunnyside Post. So don’t try to hijack the conversation.
Kids I can understand , a parent just has to quickly correct them on the matter but the rest is unacceptable , even if they are tourists there’s no excuse for being an idiot in this city.
But hey…it happens for fat people too. Fat people get looks, comments, disrespected ALL the time.
And Ugly people. If you’re REALLY ugly…you’re gonna get looks and comments.
I blame the school system, they’re so concerned with the stupid common core instead of teaching these kids something that can better society.
The keyword here is “I only moved to NY about a year ago”.
Welcome to NY, most of those people in your video are not NYers, they are tourists, ignorant fools, and just some kids. I am surprised you added kids to the video, if this is the worst of it, it seems to be just fine. As New Yorkers, we do not care what anyone looks like, we don’t care what they wear, or how they walk. Remember, you are not being made fun of or called names because you are dwarf, it happens because you are “different”. Just different for those people because they just see someone in a size they have never seen before. That’s all. Put your headphones on, and just ignore them, you cannot educate everyone.
I’m very sorry he has to face this sort of abuse. I was as disgusted by the people snapping pics of him as I was of the a****** commenting on him near the escalator. What an ignorant bunch of people. I hope at least Sunnysiders treat this man with the respect and kindness he deserves since apparently other New Yorkers have a lot to learn about appropriate behavior.
You are a rock star!!!..
This city as great but it also has it’s fair share of asses. I can only ask that you continue to live your life and let those jerks slide right off you. I hope I can get chance to shake your hand one day my man.
Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
You seem to be a man experiencing what many women experience every day, unwanted attention based on your body.
It is wrong, but for eons women have been told to learn to live with it.
Personally, I do what I can to hide that which attracts attention. That only goes so far, though. So I just don’t get on the subway anymore.
This guy is awesome! Why do people have to be such jerks — especially when they think they can get away with it? New Yorkers are better than this.
Welcome to the neighborhood bro!
Now there’s irony for you. A woman who decides to study dwarfism has a baby with the condition.
Jonathan – you are intelligent and brave for creating this project as a positive way to combat the ignorance you face on a daily basis. I’m sorry you’ve even had to raise awareness about this issue, but your efforts are not in vain. A great judge of character is measured by how people react to adversity, and you’ve more than proven yourself. Keep up your awesome spirit, your intellectual and logical approach to things, and you can be a great force of change in the world. I’m bookmarking this video for my little girl to watch as an excellent way for her to learn how to treat others with humanity and mutual respect. Thank you.
Enjoy your life. Forget the stupid stuff.
It really is discouraging all this footage could be captured on a single day. It seems to mainly be tourists and children.
sorry (manners)
Absolutely nobody should make fun of this person or anyone else for that matter — how would these people like it if someone made fun of someone in their family — I do not think that they would — grow up people learn some matters and respect and stop it for once and for all —