As a member of the Reacher-sized community, I appreciate the show's thoughtful exploration of the fear and insecurity we feel when encountering a person who is even larger. 🫶
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I am 6'4", which makes me the biggest person around most of the time. Freaks me the fuck out when I encounter someone taller. I don't know if I'd classify it as fear so much as a David Lynchian creepy "something is very off" sort of feeling.
My dad is 6’10” and my brother is 6’5”. I’m 6’2”. Around them, having someone taller than me seems totally normal. Anyone else taller than me and I’m definitely standing up straighter. I love tall people!
6'8, 375 here. Anyone larger than me, I just inherently see a Souls boss lifebar underneath them, the universal signal something abominable approaches and there is no victory only death.
And as a lifelong member of the fun-sized community, I enjoy the show's clever little tricks which demonstrate that the large can be suckered into doing themselves damage. 😊
The show has one glaring error I struggle to forgive, namely that Reacher can walk into a consignment shop and get clothes that fit perfectly.
Oh no, that's not how clothes shopping goes. It's more like a D&D quest to find even a t-shirt that fits. Would you like tight chest or balloon stomach?
Lol. I’m 6’2 and top out between 180 and 200 when I’m at my largest, I can see over most heads anywhere I can go, and don’t even register as tall in my family. The majority of my male cousins are 6’4, I have one who is 6’11, and one who was a 7’.
My profile pic is actually a candid picture at a wedding. In the full picture, a group of groomsmen are sitting on high barstools. Everyone's feet are dangling except mine, which are flat on the floor. 😂
(a friend says one of the hardest things about wheelchair life is that instead of moving through life at 6 feet tall, you are suddenly 4 feet tall. For the rest of your life.)
I routinely ask VTP (very tall persons) if I can get something. Why? Midlevel eye space costs $$$$ than really tall or really short people can reasonably expect to reach. Yeah, I do this kind of legal contracts
And we must smile magnanimously and generously when we do so, as in, “I thought you’d never ask! I’ve been desperately looking for a way to utilize my tallness” 🤣
Working in public libraries, I have defused several situations by standing up at the Information desk. Being at eye level, or above, with men has caused many to reassess causing havoc with the librarian.
Seated at the computer, intimidation is a constant annoyance.
I remember the first time meeting someone taller than me; a shadow came over my shoulder and it genuinely freaked me out. Turned out to be James Worthy.
I'm a 6'5" 280 lb rugby player, and I occasionally run into people taller than me, and I occasionally run into people bigger than me, but basically nobody is both taller and bigger than me, and when I encounter someone who is I'm totally incapable of behaving normally.
Scariest drill sergeant in basic (Ft. Benning) was a tiny Hispanic dude that was about 5'5". Mofo was the dude who dealt with severe insubordination ie a recruit saying fuck it throwing hands...he was TERRIFYING.
5'7" 26 YO me walked into an elevator at the Compton Union Building on the first floor; on the second floor the Russian Basketball team walked in. Yowza!Of course on the third day after half of Pullman had the flu.
I had this at a car wash. The hugest man I’ve ever seen came in. Not fat, just a massive wall of muscle. Turns out he was an NFL player. (And very nice.)
I’m not a dainty woman, but I felt like a little slip of a thing.
I had a similar experience in the Kansas City airport a few decades back. I’m 6’4”, and a professional basketball team was waiting for their plane. I wandered past them just to have the experience of looking up at a group of people.
Everyone is ignoring the Tom Cruise attempts at portraying Reacher. As a Lee Child fan from the beginning, that version was obviously of no interest. Now, enthusiasm somewhat subdued, still reluctant. At 5 ft, help at the grocery whenever requested.
Thanks, tall folks!
My son is 6’1” so far, and the tallest in our house by several inches. We saw someone in the grocery store who was so much taller than him that it was extremely hard for us to be chill and not stare.
In general it's kind of odd and disconcerting when someone else is at my eye level. I know that's how most of the world perceives people but like... it's weird. the natural viewing angle to see another person is a slight-to-severe downward angle
I get this coming from a short guy’s perspective. You’re so used to not quite fitting the average that finding someone in your statistical bucket feels like the matrix broke.
My favorite was, in an elevator, a man entered who was at least 6'9". I looked up at him with doe eyes and asked earnestly, "do you play basketball???"
"I hate when people ask me that! You should know better!" 😂
I was in Bordeaux during the 2023 Rugby World Cup. We shared our hotel with the Fijian team. Every time one of them would get in the elevator, you could feel the machinery groan and then sigh with relief when we were going down, not up. Understand: I am also a rugby player and am sized accordingly.
Gotta admit if I'm asked to play rugby and someone on the opposing team is 6'9" then I will coincidentally develop the strong opinion that "rugby isn't a real sport" and that is why I am declining.
I got caught in the elevator with a little old lady who commented on my height. I explained that it was actually the confined space of the elevator that made me seem taller. I said, “I’m really only 6 ft.” She nodded in agreement.
My favorite moment of being a big galoot was pushing my way through a packed club and hearing a woman scream how dare I push my way through and insisting "he" would kick my ass.
Cue a guy half my size trying to convey w every iota of his soul that he would *not* try to kick my ass.
But seriously I have no doubt that a lot of things in life get exponentially more frustrating every inch above 6'5" or so, like cars, airplanes, desks, clothes, etc.
Last month he flew for the first time in like twenty years and said 'the seats got smaller, right?'
On being called a freak: He once left a party at my house (in college) because a little person showed up. He was 'nope, not gonna sit for those pictures.'
My husband is 6' 7" and until I met him, I never realized how miserable it is for tall people traveling on airplanes. And yes, I think the size and pitch of seats has shrunk.
I 6’ 4 and I am always shocked when someone is bigger than me. Do not like. Also, I think my son is going to pass me too, I’m going to have to get used to it.
Best answer to the dopy tall comments is one I heard on line at the airport. Someone looked the casual sports gear clad man in line who must have been 6'10 at least and said, "Oh, you're tall!" You think?? He was so much more gracious, and said simply, "Lil bit." 😂❤️
I encountered two college basketball players in a San Antonio restaurant one time, and as I looked up at them, I said “nope don’t like being on this side of the line.”
I had three centers on my dorm floor. One of them broke Shawn Bradley's nose in camp. The other kicked a hole in the dorm lounge wall and was expelled for being a giant thief.
I'm only 6'1", so I'm used to having taller people around.
I also used to live in the same apartment building the Texas Legends (Mavs' G League team), so it wasn't uncommon to have 6'6"-6'8" guys in the elevators.
One day I bopped in and there was a guy that dwarfed the normal Legends players.
Once I saw someone who was taller than my brother, who is 6’7”. I pointed the guy out, and my brother was like, holy shit, that’s Kareem Abdul Jabbar. So that was the one time.
I’m a little shorter than you (6’2) but even then it’s a little disorienting when I meet someone taller than me out in the wild. It just doesn’t happen very often. And even more rare to feel *shorter* than someone, which only happens when I come across someone 6’4 or taller.
I worked for a company where the tallest guy was 6'6". He assumed he would keep the title of Tall Guy for some time and, if he were beaten, it would only be by a little.
I once worked for a 6’ 7” former Australian Wallaby rugby player. Walking around with him was a learning experience. He lives such a different life to us regular sized humans. 😊🤞🦋
When I was 3 or 4, Manute Bol attended the university where my father taught (cleveland state). Somehow my dad ended up driving him around a bit. I recall seeing Manute and my dad walking side by side towards the car. It forever changed my view of my dad to see how short he looked (he was 5'11").
We also drove around Manutes friend, Dang Dang (unsure of spelling). He was only 6'6". We had a Honda hatchback (this was mid 80s). My mom sat up front and put her seat back way fwd. She hunched forward so their legs would fit. Brother and I in the trunk watching these two men in disbelief.
I used to have a 110lb German shepherd x and I have a photo somewhere of the moment he met a Saint Bernard for the first time. His expression is a mix of what, how, and no thank you.
Comments
Oh no, that's not how clothes shopping goes. It's more like a D&D quest to find even a t-shirt that fits. Would you like tight chest or balloon stomach?
You're right. That's a significant flaw.
DXL.
Judge herself was under 5 feet.
Courtrooms have a way of distorting perspective, so when we'd walk out with the judge, you could see people gawking at us like we must be 8 feet tall.
Like Reacher, I solve life's problems by being physically larger than them.
Had someone tell me "You'd be the guy dragging the M60 along, right?"
I dunno?
It does help with reaching stuff on the top shelf for others, so I'm fine with that.
I'm tall but not THAT tall so I know I'll never be the tallest person in a large group yet I'm always surprised when I see someone taller
Seated at the computer, intimidation is a constant annoyance.
He’s a machine!
I’m not a dainty woman, but I felt like a little slip of a thing.
(*trying to remember last time*)
Thanks, tall folks!
https://nypost.com/2025/02/14/lifestyle/i-was-bullied-for-being-tall-now-men-pay-me-75k-a-month-for-their-giantess-fetishes/
https://youtu.be/yi1kMSHmD8g?si=ywfFcFGxxX65LHn-
Knowing you're 2 inches taller than me feels like an attack.
Gotta be 6'8" or taller for full giant status.
He too is 6'3".
You are no "lesser" giant, sir.
Sounds like I need to watch Reacher.
"I hate when people ask me that! You should know better!" 😂
Cue a guy half my size trying to convey w every iota of his soul that he would *not* try to kick my ass.
But seriously I have no doubt that a lot of things in life get exponentially more frustrating every inch above 6'5" or so, like cars, airplanes, desks, clothes, etc.
On being called a freak: He once left a party at my house (in college) because a little person showed up. He was 'nope, not gonna sit for those pictures.'
I also used to live in the same apartment building the Texas Legends (Mavs' G League team), so it wasn't uncommon to have 6'6"-6'8" guys in the elevators.
One day I bopped in and there was a guy that dwarfed the normal Legends players.
I was wrong. He was 7'7.26" per Guinness, and the tallest living person from the UK.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Sturgess_(basketball)
I was the shortest person on the HS basketball team tho.
Then someone 7' tall joined.
If I’m on a train and someone is in my 6’5 airspace or God forbid looking down on me?
“What the h*ll is that dudes problem anyway “