Thanks to everyone who stopped by and took the time to leave comments. I think this discussion is interesting and well worth having. There are a lot of people out there who are having a hard time understanding the concept of comparing Deaf cultured people to other minority or ethnic groups. Yes, they are similar in a lot of ways (oppression and misunderstandings from general population, a sense of community and togetherness, own languages, etc.). But, I still do not agree with the analogy I came across.
So, until the general population views Deaf or deaf and hard of hearing people as an inferior and vile group, because they don't like their language, the way they talk or compose themselves, their hearing aids, or other ridiculous reasons, then I will say that the analogy makes sense. But, for right now, the general population views deafness as a medical issue not a cultural issue.
Here is a comment from Don G. and my response from my earlier post:
Don G. said:
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So, until the general population views Deaf or deaf and hard of hearing people as an inferior and vile group, because they don't like their language, the way they talk or compose themselves, their hearing aids, or other ridiculous reasons, then I will say that the analogy makes sense. But, for right now, the general population views deafness as a medical issue not a cultural issue.
Here is a comment from Don G. and my response from my earlier post:
Don G. said:
- What's so ridiculous about this analogy? Deaf people have a culture, and we have characteristics that mesh with characteristics of ethnic groups (and yes, Deaf people's culture, language and very existence have been devalued, and oppressed in a multitude of ways). To attempt to force members of an ethnic group to change (whether it be linguistic, cultural, or racial if it were possible, is ethnic genocide, whether you are talking about Blacks, Indians, gypsies, or any other group deemed "inferior". As for the contention that Deaf children are born to Hearing parents, and therefore were "supposed" to be Hearing, let me leave you with this: Gay people are born to hetero parents most of the time. Were they "supposed" to be straight? Is it ok to force Gay people to change to heterosexuality through medical or other means?
- Don G., I agree that it would not be fair to expect a culturally Deaf person to change or become hearing, because others see this persons' deafness as a 'problem' or makes the person 'inferior'. However, this is not so for hearing parents who only want what is best for their deaf children by choosing to focus on oral/aural methods or by choosing to implant them. They are not doing it with seeing deafness as a cultural attribute. If someone views deafness as a cultural attribute, such as someone who is a lesbian or someone who is African American, and want to change them into hearing because they view deafness as a problem (not a medical problem, but solely because they view being deaf as something 'inferior' or disgusting), then it could be seen as being similar as making someone who is gay into a straight person.
Don G's issue is not culture, it is like the rest who share his view, an lack of defined ID. The sign thing is no longer that definer, neither is deafness. You can have both these things and still not be any part of what he defines as a culture of deaf people. The deaf versus disability thing is relative of course, little wonder most aspire to the disability aspect as only about 3% of deaf are hereditary anyway.
ReplyDeleteI see why you have presented this argument and I agree with both sides.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to point out that analogies like this are important to the outside world. A majority of the population does not understand Deafhood, culture, etc, but they ARE exposed to black culture more frequently. That is the purpose of an analogy, not for those of us who are already educated, but to put something complex into simpler terms, to allow people to gain a new perspective. When we start breaking them down is when we lose their substance and purpose.
I also read the analogy a little differently. Rather than discussing how similar Deaf and black are, I think it is comparing how similar minority and majority are. Folks outside of Deaf culture have no idea that there is an issue, they think all Deaf want to become hearing.