It would be the height of folly

Under Steven Mirkin’s idea, my 5-foot girlfriend would be upfront and I would be, at 6 feet 4, in the back of the crowd (“Taking the Short View,” March 13).

What a great night out! We get to share our experience in the parking lot after the concert.

I guess you want the Rose Parade watchers to line up by height so everyone gets a great view of the floats.

Please go buy “Short People” by Randy Newman and get over it.

Steven David

Laguna Niguel

*

I have also been frustrated by the fleshy wall of towering concertgoers that inevitably springs up around the front of the stage and, without fail, stand directly in front of me. However, at 5 feet 11, I have, more often than not, been the target of sighing height-challenged fans straining in vain on tiptoes behind me to get a glimpse of their heroes.

Maybe I’m just self-conscious, but I swear I can feel their beady little eyes burrowing into the back of my long, graceful neck while their forked

tongues click against their tiny, gremlin-like teeth as they hiss their favorite “life is unfair, how’s the view up there” mantra. Should we, as you suggest, take pity on the little people and abandon our hard-won spots near the stage to accommodate what is frankly becoming a dying breed? Studies have shown that the human race is steadily becoming taller on average. I postulate that by 2010, the average height of a female American will be 6 feet.

In the future, I would suggest you arrive at the venue two to three hours before the show to secure a spot at the front of the stage with the rest of the groupies.

As to the people who complain about fans standing up in concerts where there are assigned seats, too bad. If I wanted to sit down and politely watch a concert, I would go see the L.A. Philharmonic.

Mindy Pye

Burbank

*

At 6 feet 6, I have always been self-conscious about being in the way at any gathering where there is a stage or focal point that everyone needs and wants to see.

I am a polite person, and my instincts lead me toward the walls or the back so that everyone shorter can see. After all, I can see over them and I will always stand in front of someone taller than myself. I suggest that clubs paint markers on the walls indicating height sections like swimming pools have markers indicating the depth of the pool.

Jeffrey Nile Hight

Los Angeles