Naturally Deaf?

Recently a phrase "naturally deaf" was brought up where it raised all kinds of questions concerning the expression behind it for deaf people who may use it as sign for "Deaf pride." I get it so don't get me wrong. It's about "acceptance" of oneself, acknowledgement of their deafness, yada yada yada.

Got it.

Yet, the culturally deaf crowd represents barely 2% of the 36 million people with hearing loss in the United States. It's all about personal choice to describe oneself.

But allow me to play the devil's advocate for a moment.

This phrase would make as much sense as saying "naturally blind" or "naturally mute," or, to play the outside of the rules of today's politically correct games, even "naturally mentally retarded" to many people. Their line of thinking would be to ask what's natural about it for those who cannot walk and must use wheelchairs, for example? Exactly what's "naturally" about it some might ask?

In the United States about 2 - 3 infants out of every 1,000 live births will have some degree of hearing loss at birth according to NIH.   About 50% of the babies born are due to genetic factors where some 400 different genes are the root causes of deafness through a variety of genetic mutation. About 15% of those babies born have other conditions that accompanies their deafness or syndromatic (i.e. "multiple disabilities" such as deafness and cerebral palsy) while 25% of them are born only with a hearing loss as a result of a genetic change (non-syndromatic). 

About 25% of cases of deafness are caused by non-genetic factors such as premature birth and illnesses while pregnant like Rubella (German measles), Cytomegalovirus infections, Toxoplasmosis, Herpes infection, and Syphilis. 

And then you have non-genetic causes of deafness after birth such as head injuries, childhood infections (such as meningitis, measles or chickenpox), certain medications (such as the antibiotic streptomycin and related drugs), and even ear infections (otitis media) in rare cases causing permanent hearing loss. 

And the rest of the remaining 25% of the cases of deafness in infants and children are unknown causes.

I might be belaboring this but I see using the phrase "naturally deaf" as an attempt to define oneself in a feel good way sort of thing. And that's fine. Others may choose a different way to express oneself. Not everybody see hearing loss in the same way as the next person. Of course, you don't hardly hear people with a blindness or a vision condition say "naturally blind" and have a forum with that name, too. I'd be just as wary joining a deaf forum under a similar moniker.

Naturally.

UPDATE: In an OCDAC blog I noticed with bemusement of how a few people got it wrong about this blog piece. This piece is about the phrase "naturally deaf" which, to me, appears to be much out of sync aligning with the same idea of people born with mental retardation to be called as "naturally mentally retarded." It just doesn't make sense. I do not need to refer to a website about that phrase and why should I? So, instead these people go about the conspiracy talk.

Lotus got it wrong, eh Weyn?

So did Jill, a serial online bully done via snarkyism and derision at a known deaf-run discussion forum who finally got the perma ban. A hearing woman who was the most addicted forum member who paraded as the savior for deaf people everywhere took the time to go online nearly on a daily basis for hours and went after other forum members who do not agree with her or have opinions she doesn't like. Instead of putting a member on ignore she chose to harass certain members. A woman who, ironically and hypocritically, has a M.Ed in Counseling and a BS in psychology. A woman who was the most addicted member to a particular online discussion forum who posted relentlessly, yet consider the degrees under her belt, her addiction and bullying attitude. It's somebody you don't want to get professional advice from her.  And because of her constant online bullying, I had no choice but to put her on ignore. She continued to berate, "snarkyed," and derided me where others responded to her comments hoping that I would get see her comments. Even those people were eventually put on ignore after I recognized their tactics in getting me to try and respond to "Jill." Her constant bullying soon earned her a permaban after she and others have tried to get me permanently banned for years. I never received a permaban over there or anywhere else. In fact, that one forum was the only forum I constantly attended for several years.

Lastly, there were only two comments I didn't approve. That was because they broke the posting rules. It was not even "numerous comments" that I didn't approve but two. A former moderator and a different person.