Thank you.

It's time but will say it short and sweet. I'm moving on to focus on other things in my life. That was my advanced news I mentioned back in September only that it took longer than expected to make that announcement.  And, yes, people still send  me stuff but that will stop, too.

Kokonut Pundit had a good run for 9 1/2 years with over a million hits and the longest continuously running deaf/hh blogsite with the most blogs ever at 2,230 blogs written. I penned many more pages than the book War and Peace book (1,440 pages). As the genius mathematician Andrew Wiles who solved Fermat's Last Theorem once said, "I think I'll stop here."

I think I'll stop here, too.

My advice to my loyal readers?

Watch out for monsters who like to celebrate the passing of deaf/hh people. Watch out for people who support monsters and bullies who will look the other way which will only encourage monsters and bullies to continue their deeds They can be just as bad in some ways. And watch out for those who "lead from behind" and those who talk out of the side of their mouths doing one thing but hypocritically does another. We know who they are.

Next, Carl Schroeder's recent passing is a sad one even though I, at multiple times, disagreed with him during various blogging/vloggin debates over the years such as my most recent debate over Kappa Gamma's salutes. I did not like him much but respected him enough to know the difference. One can disagree and walk away instead of harboring such constant hatred. That is not healthy. Learn to agree to disagree in life and you'll be much better off as a person. RIP, Carl.

Thank you for supporting my blog.

Adios.

Au revoir.

Good bye.

Is Daniel Winship's art seen as "bullying"?

This what Tara Congdon wrote in her blog piece about Daniel Winship's own drawing depicting a deaf boy's head getting his cochlear implant drilled to his head:

"Precisely because of all the reactions posted on the image and its iterations across the Internet, Winship’s art must NOT be censored, as some demanded, or even labeled as bullying, as the operators of thedeafcommunity.org have done."

Art is fine. It's a form of expression based on many things. Some people don't even consider certain art as being art but a heap of mess instead. I understand that, too. Censoring art isn't a great idea, either (of course, perhaps with extreme prejudice that could depend on some things). Having said that, people do have a right to feel or think that certain art is seen as a form of "bullying." Seeing how it is provocative through the art's view own hyperbolic expression helping spread the myth continue to grow and misinform.

The owner of thedeafcommunity.org has every right to label certain art as the "bullying" kind if the person feels it has that kind of feel to it. Not quite the same thing but I think I understand the reason behind it when people think it's a form of "bullying" such as the claimed example seen in the "Bully File."

De'VIA (Deconstructing the Forced Assimilation of Deaf People) resistent art used as tactis to scare, bully and silence anyone who is pro-options for deaf children. De'VIA art is exhibited in places such as Gallaudet University.  For the an example of one such work, click on one of these links:

http://www.zazzle.com/the_deaf_militants_battle_with_the_hydra_monster_poster-228388261844109024

 

http://pinterest.com/silentmobster42/deaf-militants-battle-with-hydra-monster/

 

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=349626648493186&id=325226907599827

 

This example was shared among numerous sites on the internet in May 2013. Do note, "The Deaf Militants Battle with the Hydra Monster" poster is available for sale but without the permission of the person(s) represented on the image.
 

But are those art examples truly a form of bullying? Perhaps not. Perhaps not in the bully context as we know it but I believe I understand where this person is coming from. I cannot say that this person's viewpoint or perspective is entirely wrong saying it's a form of bullying. That kind of context need to be explored further.

Maybe some people feel that some art or drawing exhibit a form of "bullying" because of the pushiness it exhibits constantly at certain people or organization through examples of hyperboles and total exaggeration. Or that it mocks, demean, or ridicule certain people. And so on. After all, art is all about interpretation and people interpret art differently. Seeing it as a form of "bullying" is one of them.

Bullying Inside the Deaf/HOH Community Rehashed

It's sad whenever (cyber)bullying occurs by deaf/hh bullies in the deaf/hh community whether bullies know sign language or not over deafness-related issues or that the target has a communication preference different from others as a reason for the attack. Recently an unfortunate circumstance occurred a few days ago in a Facebook forum that got out of control between two adults with one being the obvious aggressor. Equally unfortunate was that the author of the Bullying Inside the Deaf/HOH Community article used the situation by making unfounded assertions.  The admin of this Deaf/HH Blogs FB group, yours truly, had already rectified the situation as already explained yesterday, April 10th, under Aaron's post that began on March 27, 2013 (scroll down until you see Aaron's March 27 posting).

If you click on "members" in the upper right part of the FB you can see who currently are members. The said person is no longer a member since yesterday. It is understandable that Sveta is upset with what has happened. One thread was already removed yesterday. I already explained on the day of the incident that I will need to sit down and read what was going on before deciding what I needed to do since I've been busy away from home. People here do have the option to not respond to an offensive post. People are mature enough to recognize when to stop and let the admin handle it should it get out of hand. This is a low volume FB group and it just so happens personality and conviction clashed.

I purposely let the Aaron thread alone so others can see exactly what had happened and how perspectives, feelings, and beliefs can vary widely even in the deaf/hh community regarding communication access and deafness-related issues. I have made my points clear more than a few times that any hearing loss organization should be prepared to provide the proper communication access when requested by deaf or hard of hearing individuals. Not doing so make them a hypocrite organization. There is a difference when one tries to accommodate vs those who do not try at all and flat out refuse such service.

This is also a reminder that even those in the deaf/hh community (non-signers) still need to be educated on the value of communication access and the need to help others feel accepted in the community. And conversely, some in the culturally deaf community need to be educated as well.

The discussion did stop on March 28 with Aaron's initial post that began on March 27th. However, the discussion was picked up again on April 10th, Wednesday, almost two weeks later after it stopped and it all went downhill quickly after that. I addressed the incident on April 12, Friday coming off of a week long multiple projects that required my attention. I can't always hover around each and every posts that get submitted and follow each every comments made. There's a reason why you turn off your FB apps on your phone.  In this situation some give and take are needed as well maintaining proper sensibilities.

The bickering made worse when ad hominem attacks were used instead of using cogent arguments to make the case.  Feelings ran high, people made rash decisions and rash words. But because emotion was running high so soon after that incident the author of Bullying Inside the Deaf/HOH Community who felt victimized by the whole incident, and I don't blame her, decided to use my name to skew the situation unfairly.

Bullying inside the deaf/hh community, especially in the culturally deaf community, isn't new. It has been going on for years. I've written many topics on cyber/bullying in my blog (see http://tinyurl.com/d99o7d4 ) and I have been a target myself many times because of my views and opinions. I don't see myself as a victim but rather that some people still need to be educated. That includes the Deaf community, deaf community, hard of hearing community and the hearing community.

And that, folks, is in a nutshell.