"Deaf group attacks stem cell researcher for his work on the cure for deafness"

"Arrests were made against a small group of Deaf people who attacked a stem cell researcher for his work on finding a cure for hearing loss. The attack took place at the researcher's home where he sustained multiple injuries. He was treated at a nearby hospital and released. The attack occurred while he was home alone. Graffiti was spray painted on the living room walls and elsewhere in the victim's house with words like 'Audism is wrong,' and 'Deaf babies do not need your help,' along with several epithets. The group, based on the graffiti, named themselve as 'Deaf Crusaders.' "

Could this shocking news conceivably happen someday?

Let's hope not. But with researchers working around the clock all across the United States (and the world) on the cure for hearing loss (see here, here, here, here and here) it would be a matter of time until a cure could be found for various kinds of hearing losses. For some Deaf people they would consider these scientific advancements as a threat to their Deaf culture (see "Will Deaf Culture Die Out Someday - Part I and Part II) should a cure finally be found. And certainly among those few who do view a cure for hearing loss as a threat there could be potentially smaller subset of Deaf extremists who may resort to the use of violence against stem cell researchers on the cure for hearing loss. As with any group there is always a few bad apples who will resort to violence as their means of protesting (see vandalism question at Gallaudet protest). Researchers have been attacked in the past before for their medical work.

Police said several students from the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) attacked a researcher, who uses mice to study breast cancer, at her home Feb. 24. (2008)

The biology professor, who declined to give her name to protect herself and her family from more violence, was at home with her children and husband when the alleged assailants attacked her home just before noon. The suspects attacked the professor’s husband and then fled the scene in a vehicle. Because the incident happened in daylight, the husband, who suffered minor injuries, was able to write down the license plate of the car.

If a bunch of students went after a professor for her medical work on mice to the point of terrorizing and injuring a researcher then it wouldn't be inconceivable that a Deaf person (or a small group of Deaf people) with extremist tendencies to attack a researcher working on a cure for hearing loss. Or for that matter supposingly a cure has been found would a research center get vandalized and broken into in the attempt to "stop" the cure on deafness from getting out. There is always that possibility. It may be small or even non-existant but certainly a possibility based on fear and frustration.

The above news is a hypothetical one but the fact remains that there are always somebody with extremist tendencies who will go further, even to the point of injuring, or heaven forbid, murder a researcher in the name of stopping medical advancements, for example, such as for the cure on hearing loss.