Here they come, marching, marching to the sound and feel of the glorious drumbeats from a 100 foot tall drum as they yell across the landscape in unison while throwing their fists and waving hands into the air.
Rahhhh!
Rahhhhhhhhhh!
Rahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
They march toward the distant horizon of the rising sun while the ground trembles beneath the thundering feet. Locked in arms are the young and old who wear cochlear implants, hearing aids, or none at all. They are the hard of hearing people, hearing people, deaf people, Deaf people, CODA people, late deafened people, and parents of deaf and hard of hearing children. Their backgrounds are varied and rich by those who grew up signing, speaking or listening. They went to mainstreamed schools, deaf schools and regular public schools. They are all walks of life. You cannot pin them down. Do not judge them for what they do or say. Do not define them in order to satisfy your own selfish agenda and to make a buck or two. They are who they are. Do not doubt them.
Want to join a Facebook group called "Deafhood? No Thanks," or DNT. Then go here and join and be free from the pressure, the ridicules, the attacks, and the name callings simply because you disagree or have a different outlook on life. And get away from the microscope of people who label you or the attempt to categorize you with such absurdity as being part of a Deaf hate group. Or worse be called a Deaf hate criminal simply because you have a different philosophical point of view. DNT people are one. They are all. They are part of the larger open society where interactions with everybody else are free, fluid and unrestricted without fear.
This new open society group started but a few days ago has now grown to over 115 members. They include hearing, deaf, hard of hearing, and Deaf people. If you want to join, please do. But do not join in the attempt to spam or cause trouble. You will get kicked out. We do not want trouble makers but people who understand where we stand and have no desire to be associated with "deafhood." Enough with the continuing labeling.
Enough!
UPDATE: A special video message to you Kokonut Pundit readers by Eh? What? Huh?
9 comments:
I hear ya Mike. I am all for open society. There will always be debates and arguments. But, I am sick of unthoughtful attacks from narrow minded closed society types.
I was inspired by your posts about equality among a diverse group such as the deaf and hard of hearing community. I made a video, which I hoped got the point across, at least visually.
Check it out on my blog if you wish:
http://www.ehwhathuh.com/2010/05/message-for-deaf-and-hard-of-hearing.html
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An example of unthoughtful attack from narrow minded closed society occurred again. They're blaming a hearing black man in Indiana of "deaf hate crime" for running over a black woman and her deaf daughter at a car wash. This guy is undergoing mental evaluation right now and yet he's being accused of 'deaf hate crime' by this narrow minded closed society. Now that's absurd. Whatever happened to refraining from passing judgement until the investigation is done with?
All the more reason why I intend to post in the coming days on the irresponsible educating of "Deaf Hate Crime" by this individual. Chicago's event was canceled. Whoo hoo! We need to clearly explain what consitutes "hate crime." A former teacher of the presenter flat out thumbed down his presentation. He considers that to be "hate speech" preclude to "deaf hate crime." Me thinks he is confusing opinions from the true "hate crime."
Hate crime has to be a result of the person committing or threatened to commit a crime towards an individual or a group of people of a certain class with whom he has bias towards and that the crime was a result of the bias.
Snubbing at DH isn't a hate crime.
Saying no to AB2072 isn't a hate crime.
Implanting a deaf child isn't a hate crime.
As some one who has suffered hate crime, I know the difference well enough. My autistic son of 6 and I were knocked to the floor and beaten up because "You are deaf and deaf should be drowned at birth..." There were no witnesses who would testify when I called the police, and then the hate really was stepped up until were forced to move, that included cigarettes thrown through windows, waste food and worse through the letter box, sworn at every day in the street, stones thrown at us and our house, we ran a gauntlet for 16 months of a gang of youths whop pushed us into the road and refuses to stand aside to let us pass, even to go to the shops. With neighbours telling each other "We need to make our views known we don't want to live next to deaf people..it's not right !" Mostly our 'mistake' (As the police put it), was in reporting it, "You just make it worse .." That was after neighbours children climbed up our walls with a ladder and smashed off the CCTV the police advised we install... When some of these deaf get real hate crime, I may take an interest... most of the idiots who went for us couldn't spell deafhood let alone based their hate on it.
Yes, when hate is the motive to commit a crime then that's an altogether a different story. Having a difference in opinion regarding deafness issues isn't a hate crime, nor is it a deaf hate either. Hating something is not a crime. Acting on that hate to commit a crime is a totally different ballgame. These "deaf hate crime experts" need to separate those two facts.
Despite on my deafness, I am all one of the different people but weird. Be happy for who I am.
Count me in to become an Army of "Deafhood? No Thanks" gang.
Ten-hut!
White Ghost
I think some folks are actually reading my header as "The new army of Deafhood?" No thanks.
No.
Read carefully again folks.
It says, The new army of "Deafhood? No Thanks." It's the name of the Facebook group called "Deafhood? No Thanks."
I'm not talking about the Deafhood army. LOL. It's the army of people with hearing loss, parents of deaf/hh kids, CODAs, late-deafened, etc. who are marching together locked in armys, shouting, waving their hands, feeling and/or hearing the drumbeats, and feeling the ground rumble beneath from their pounding feet.
It's an analogy about the whole hearing loss population. It's about the need to NOT judge those people because of their choices instead of labeling them.
I Wrote this in deafaslvlogs.wordpress.com on May 24, 2010. 12:03 PM
http://deafaslvlogs.wordpress.com/2010/05/24/poor-mike-mcconnell/
And is "Awaiting moderation." I am putting down my response here just in case she doesn't allow it through. I've heard stories that she would refuse some people's responses to get posted on her blog. Not sure if that's wholly true or not. But just in case here it is.
This is not a so simple world with simple solutions. Each person is unique on how we deal with our hearing loss. Each parents' situation is unique when it comes to their deaf/hh child on communication access. Hearing loss is about people with all kinds of hearing loss from mild to profound. Each person has certain communications needs, wants and preferences. Some don't care for identity politics while others are immersed in them. Some preferred to be called hearing imparied, deaf, hard of hearing, Deaf or simply say "I have a hearing loss." If some are hoping that sensorineural hearing loss would be reversed in 10 or 20 years for now and would like to see their own hearing loss restored as well, good for them. Who am I to tell them they shouldn't do that? Who am I to tell parents they shouldn't do that for their deaf/hh baby? Who am I to tell parents that their communication options ought to be more restrictive or limited for their deaf/hh child? Who am I to tell people whether if they feel whole or partial?
"Deafhood" as I see it is an ideology that mixes identity politics of its own brand, namely Deaf culture, rather than simply on a shared or common interest because mostly I see people that are constantly fixated on the "don't fix me" meme and connect that with "deafhood" and apply that to everybody else. No thanks.
The one single thing that is common in all of us is that we all have hearing loss from mild to profound. How our we deal with our hearing loss and communication barriers vary from one person to the next. So, that's the second common interest we all have. Everything else just de-evolve from there breaking up into various factions. Which is why I say, "Deafhood? No thanks." Accept that. Move on.
As for "deficient human beings," your analysis is wrong. I see potential in each and every human being regardless if a person is blind, deaf, partially paralyzed or has other certain limiting conditions but certainly does not limit their spirit and creativity. What I don't do is limit their choices. If one hopes that he or she will see again or have improved vision with the help of medical technology, I wish him or her luck. If one hopes that he or she will be able to hear fully once again, I wish him or her luck. If one hopes that a cure for spinal paralysis will happen soon on the horizon so that he or she can walk, I say good luck to that person and hope for the best. If a person chooses not to then I say, great, that is a personal choice. It is not my position to try and limit people dreams or hopes on their own journey, whatever that might be. It's not for me to say or define. Neither should you. It is not my position to limit parents' informed decision on how to raise their deaf/hh child. Rather I like to give them the opportunity to expand beyond what's possible by whatever means it would require to make for them see and experience positive success.
I hope that each of us succeed in our own ways that's positive and rewarding that each of us can only appreciate. Hopefully, others will appreciate it as well. Deaf identity politics is just ugly business. I have the right to define who I am, and not from you or anybody else have that right.
Three key words that truly define "hate": intense (and) passionate dislike. Throwing in "hostility" or "aversion" were made to strengthen the meaning and can be used to rationalize the issue(s).
However, certain persons or groups have hijacked the word to attack or criminalize those who disagree with certain beliefs or ways of life. It's totally wrong and grossly misused.
We need to guard against the unwarranted intent of criminalizing persons or groups for having disagreeable opinions or beliefs based on intense, passionate dislike toward another persons or groups for their beliefs or ways of life. So as long as there is no violence involved or any method of intimidation is not used to promote or invoke action in any way.
My suggestion is to stop hijacking "hate" to advance personal or social agenda with a covert opportunity (or an excuse) to criminalize others.
Nuff said.
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