Something I Really Want to Know

This is going to sound like a crazy question, but I really, really want to know the answer. I asked it as an aside in last night's VP debate thread, but that thread was moving so fast it got brushed aside.

So I made my own thread.

OK, here's the question: think back to what you have seen of Mike Pence, specifically the photos that have been taken of him. If you had never heard of the man, and saw a typical photo of him, would you characterize him as a "big man"?

I know he's only 5'-10" tall. That's not what I am asking. I am asking what your initial impression from a typical photo would be if you had never seen him before. If I get the answers I am expecting to get I'll let everyone in on why I am asking.

I'll start. Yes, it seems a lot of his photos appear to be slightly tilted upwards, making him look taller. Maybe it's the way he stands. I was actually shocked when I found out he was under 6' tall.

TheRedneck

a reply to: TheRedneck

Race Bannon.
That is all I think about him any more.

a reply to: butcherguy

Race was a "big guy" though, wasn't he? He was Dr. Quest's bodyguard...

So looking at Mike Pence, does he give that impression of being a "big guy" too?

TheRedneck

a reply to: TheRedneck

As far as impressions at face value in photos go i see a wholesome, sincere aura guy next door type of persona.

A stockie build, fit but not big, broad shouldered but not a chest pumper.

Then he opens his mouth and low and behold he personified that impression.

originally posted by: TheRedneck
This is going to sound like a crazy question, but I really, really want to know the answer. I asked it as an aside in last night's VP debate thread, but that thread was moving so fast it got brushed aside.

So I made my own thread.

OK, here's the question: think back to what you have seen of Mike Pence, specifically the photos that have been taken of him. If you had never heard of the man, and saw a typical photo of him, would you characterize him as a "big man"?

I know he's only 5'-10" tall. That's not what I am asking. I am asking what your initial impression from a typical photo would be if you had never seen him before. If I get the answers I am expecting to get I'll let everyone in on why I am asking.

I'll start. Yes, it seems a lot of his photos appear to be slightly tilted upwards, making him look taller. Maybe it's the way he stands. I was actually shocked when I found out he was under 6' tall.

TheRedneck

Always seemed like an average height man to me. Never really thought of him as short or tall.

In terms of initial impressions, he seems like he has a flat personality. I don't view it as bad or good but he doesn't have a typical politician personality.

No, and I've never thought of him as big. He just doesn't give the impression of being big.

Even while debating last night, he clearly was winning and dominating, but he didn't have what I would call a "big" presence. Still it can't be argued that what he has is very effective. You don't end up as a governor without being an astute and charismatic politician.

I think the term you want to look up is stolid. He definitely is confident, and that cannot be denied.

I think it’s his ability to command things and his composure give him those few inches.

Like a small dude and his truck, Pence is large because he takes charge 😏

a reply to: Arnie123

I think he's fully self-actualized and knows thoroughly who and what he is. You're not going to move him very easily and that comes through. He's a rock and it shows.

a reply to: ketsuko

No, there's a specific reason why I chose the term "big guy." Something in the back of my mind that is trying to make sense. That's why my question seems perhaps a bit vague on the surface. It is really more about perception than about actual stature.

Another reason I asked ATS... I don't think like most people, so my impression might be seriously flawed based on that.

TheRedneck

If you mean big in a physical sense, I would say no. My first reaction to him was he was of average or less physical stature.

He never struck me as a large man, but this is coming from a guy who is 6'-4", wears a size 54 jacket and a 15EEE boot.

For context. One time by chance I met the wrestler Randy "Macho Man" Savage in Detroit Airport. I always expected him to be a behemouth, but he wasn't. He was just a little guy. He was billed at being 6'-2", but there was no way he was that tall, more like 6'-0" or less. He was all decked out in a furry white mink coat and a big hat and had at least 3" platform shoes on and I was still looking down at him. Not mocking him here, he seemed like a pretty nice guy, he just wasn't nearly as big as I expected him to be from how he appeared on TV.

Another time I saw (but didn't meet) Shaquille Oneal also at the airport. Now THAT dude is one BIG son of a buck! He's so big he doesn't even look real! I had to do a double take to make sure he wasn't standing on a table or something, seriously! And, he's not just tall, he's thick as a monster oak tree. In his case, I had absolutely no idea he was THAT big in real life.

So I guess it can go either way, but my impression of Pence has always been that he was a smaller guy.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Wait... you met Macho Man?

Cool... just damn cool.

TheRedneck

a reply to: TheRedneck

You want to know if he's been more important to the presidency than perceived? The power behind the throne as it were? That sort of Big Guy?

It's possible. He and Trump seem to be polar opposites for sure, and it's hard to see the two of them meshing well because of that.

a reply to: ketsuko

No, visually in a photo. That simple.

If someone had never seen nor heard of Mike Pence, and were to suddenly see a picture of him in a newspaper identifying him as Vice President, how likely would it be that said person could then describe him as a "big guy"?

TheRedneck

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: TheRedneck

You want to know if he's been more important to the presidency than perceived? The power behind the throne as it were? That sort of Big Guy?

It's possible. He and Trump seem to be polar opposites for sure, and it's hard to see the two of them meshing well because of that.

Kinda like the Dark Lord Cheney was to bumbling Bush and his tree house?

Most compared to you are small. 15EEE? Sheesh.

I'm 5'10" and wide-framed so I look bigger than I am. When I look at Pence I consider him to be solid, like a tree. He doesn't look big, however Ahnold and whatshisname look huge and they're shorter than I am. Camera angles do wonders for someone's appearance.

a reply to: ketsuko

He and Trump seem to be polar opposites for sure, and it's hard to see the two of them meshing well because of that.

Not meshing , complementing .
My wife and I are diametrically opposed in everything.
For all of 42 years.

Now, I guess I should point something else out also, but unrelated to physical size.

Over my life I've met lots of different people, many of them professionals or executives. There's a certain type of a person who can walk into a room and instantly command respect without saying a word. They're usually very reserved and deliberate when they do speak. Some of them can turn out to be dumb as a bag of hammers, but their physical presence speaks before they do. Pence strikes me as this way (not suggesting he's dumb as a bag of hammers though).

If I was sitting across a negotiating table from him, I would automatically pick him out as a person to be very wary of, and to listen (and analyze) every word he says for possible meaning. I would also probably not speak, or be very reserved, until I let him say whatever he needed to. In other words, I'd let him paint himself into a corner before I started putting the hammer down.

a reply to: TheRedneck

Yep, standing in line at the American Airlines ticket counter at Detroit Metro Airport. I was doing some work on some systems at the ticket counter. I looked up and saw this guy in a white mink coat, big reflecto-sunglasses and this flashy red sequined cowboy hat (which would get anyone's attention). Everyone was staring at him, but not saying anything. So I jumped out from behind the ticket counter and walked over to him and said..."Hey, aren't you Randy Savage?" He smiled and said he was. I introduced myself, shook hands and we chatted for a few minutes. The first thing he did was pull out a Sharpie because I think he thought I was going to ask him for an autograph, but I didn't. He seemed kind of relieved that someone finally came up to him and recognized him. We talked for a few minutes, and he asked where the American club was. I wished him good luck and he was on his way, that was pretty much it. He seemed like a cool guy.

I'm seeing a lot of references to "presence," which makes a lot of sense to my context.

Let me try an experiment... which of these guys look "bigger" to you?

Mike Pence:or Teddy Roosevelt?
I know, they're the same height. But which one looks bigger?

TheRedneck

a reply to: TheRedneck

I don't think you can see it from the photos. You would also need to have photos that are a more direct comparison. Pence you just have his upper body and the photo is smaller. Roosevelt has most of his body standing against objects in the background. Otherwise, they're similar men.

I'm betting without really being there in person, you don't get an idea. One thing everyone talks about with Roosevelt was his outsize personality -- his presence.

Pence is similar although I think perhaps Roosevelt might have had something a bit more Trumpian going on. Pence has an outsized personal presence although if reports of his personal faith are true, not window dressing, it's tempered with humility which is why he seems so quiet and self-effacing.