It’s time for another The Deaf Edge rant. Now, this isn’t meant to sting or insult people. This is merely my feelings based on what I am observing. I already posted a very similar version of this on Tayler’s DeafRead official blog, but since that thread is winding down, I thought I would re-post and elaborate more on my own blog.
I do not understand why people are still upset over DeafRead’s upcoming changes. Tayler and DeafRead are going to release a version of DeafRead where you can customize the list of v/blogs that you can read/view. In essence, they are empowering us to be more selective in what we want to read and/or view.
Yet we have people saying, “No. This solution isn’t any good. I want the CI v/blogs gone, period. I don’t like them, therefore it shouldn’t exist for anyone and I want DeafRead to do all of the work for me.”
It seems to me that people want to be controlled, instead of being empowered to make decisions for themselves. They want to be told which blogs are good or bad, and what’s Deaf-centric and what’s not and so on. Why else would they want DeafRead to do all of the censoring instead of doing it themselves?
But then, I can kind of understand that. It’s a lot easier to live your life, if someone else’s making the decisions for you. And sadly enough, historically the Deaf Community has had others making the decisions for us. Our parents made all of the decisions for us. Our doctors. Our educators. Everyone, except for ourselves.
And so the self-repression and lack of self-empowerment marches on…
Note - I used repression as defined by www.m-w.com: a mental process by which distressing thoughts, memories, or impulses that may give rise to anxiety are excluded from consciousness and left to operate in the unconscious
April 16, 2008 at 8:30 pm
I can’t stand reading KKK bashing Black people just like I can’t stand CI people bashing Deaf people. Abusive behaviors of any kind should not be tolerated. It bothers me that Deafread allows abusive behaviors on the front page.
April 16, 2008 at 8:31 pm
I think the problem lies is that many of us, deaf people, were denied the opportunity to learn how to advocate or do things for ourselves. Many of us were raised to learn to depend on others, especially hearing people, too much. I admit I used to be one of them because I was never taught the skills to be my own boss. Just my two cents.
April 16, 2008 at 9:19 pm
YES!! I can read anything very advocate ASL and Bi-Bi languages issues and stay away from CI and CI-ASL vloggers/bloggers. I can’t stand them anymore! They spread the lies and babbling about themselves are very superior than us. They are a full of boring stories. Bah.
April 16, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Hedy,
Yes, I see the same thing…that there are some CI users posting blogs emphasizing the superiority of having good oral skills and very demeading to ASL or spread false info about the Deaf community. Those blogs I do not really appreciate because it shows lack of respect to the history of Deaf people and our values.
However, there are other blogs by CI users who are very supportive and very informative. It is their blogs that I enjoy reading about because I want to learn from them.
April 16, 2008 at 9:28 pm
But the point is, WE need to think and act for ourselves. If I don’t want to read something, I delete it (like the rantings from the KKK). If I do read it and disagree with what the other person is saying, I can decide whether I want to politely add my opinion or just delete the message. But I want to make the decision, not have someone make it for me…
April 16, 2008 at 9:51 pm
I guess some people on DR feel threatened by words, mere words on cyberspace. The CI community deserves to have a voice, just as ASL/Deaf culture individuals deserve a voice on this forum as well. I say, time to step up to the plate and “voice” your thoughts but stop attacking one another. There’s plenty of room for a dialogue between different views.
I just stepped up to the plate unwittingly, in a courtroom jury selection process. As many readers or bloggers already know, I’m profoundly deaf from birth, use a hearing aid in one ear and am oral. I was already in the alternate juror row.
Funnily enough, I never expected it, but the judge, after I nervously told him I have a hearing loss, asked what would maximize my listening experience. I told him and the court went thru the usual jury screening process and I found myself moved into the jury box after a prospective juror was excused.
Never expected it to happen in a hearing court, know what I mean. Not only that, but I was called in to courtroom alone after a break so that the court could determine what MY needs were. Whoa, I sat there, thinkin’, huh, somebody here is asking what MY needs were? I have to confess, I was totally disconcerted, ‘cuz nobody’d ever asked me that before. So, here I am, hey…and I found myself stepping up to the plate, NOW’s the time.
April 16, 2008 at 9:52 pm
Ann C…nobody is attacking each other so I dont know who you are referring to? We are just voicing our opinions..thats’ all.
April 16, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Oh, I’ve seen a lot of attacks on DeafRead, from both communities.
I’m glad you stepped up and spoke up, Ann_C..
April 16, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Controlled?
I don’t think so.
I think due to the small deaf community that will go down years from now. At this point there will be more mainstreamed schools. Any Deaf/CI people will interact with hearing people.
Will Deafread change 10 to 20 years from now? I think it will.
April 16, 2008 at 10:27 pm
controlled? i dont think so
disenfranchised?
maybe
lack of self-empowerment? again which comes first, egg or chicken?
April 16, 2008 at 10:29 pm
You guys are rejecting DeafRead’s changes which helps with self-empowerment. So you tell me.
April 16, 2008 at 10:35 pm
There is nothing wrong for a person to say that they see that CI enables one to speak well and move ahead in the world. that itself isn’t bashing at all. It may be ignorance on some levels. I’ve seen real nasty bashing from ASL deaf towards CI more so than the other way around. I’ve seen my share of statement from CI that I thought showed lack of concern. I think theres more that we all can learn from each other.
It’s ok for anyone to tell them that you felt the statement they used showed lack of respect for you or whatever…it’s ok to share that but so far I’ve seen nothing but people jumping without thinking. Digest your emotions before saying anything!
April 16, 2008 at 10:36 pm
I’m not customizing! I’m a big girl! haha!
April 17, 2008 at 1:51 am
I have had a hard time understanding why a few Deaf people want the CI blogs to be censored out of DeafRead.
I read what I feel like reading. If I don’t enjoy a blog, I don’t read it. Simple as that. We are not forced to read every single blog in DeafRead. There are some blogs I **never** read in DeafRead and others I **always** read. Others– it depends on the title.
I read DeafRead the same way I read the newspaper. There are conservative viewpoints I don’t agree with that get published in newspapers, but I would never want those views to be censored. It’s really important to know what others think. Even when we don’t agree with them.
April 17, 2008 at 3:05 am
Way to go, Deaf Pundit. Hopefully, some will see the light and get off their pablum!
April 17, 2008 at 6:15 am
hey, KKK bashing articles will not get on the front page of ny times. that is the point. we can ignore kkk bashing articles but if they are given the front page, it is something wrong with the editors! i have no problem with respectful blogs!
April 17, 2008 at 6:25 am
Deaf Pundit –
It has nothing to do with the self-empowerment.
I hope I explain to you clearly and does not misunderstood to you.
Deafread will remain the same as the self-empowerment.
I like your blog, though.
April 17, 2008 at 6:29 am
also customizing DR is like taking away the perfumed inserts in the magazine, ha ha! you can even ask the magazine company NOT to put in perfumed inserts…that is more classy than what DR can provide for us.
April 17, 2008 at 7:00 am
Hi White Ghost
I think I understand you a bit.. but a bit more explanation would be better.
Deaf American - You’re not making any sense to me. And you haven’t even answered the questions I raised in my blog. You are the one who controls what goes on the front page, with the DR option. What’s the problem?
April 17, 2008 at 7:43 am
*chuckle*
Yeah, I can see your point. When we imagine there is an invasion, we start running amok like ants and crying for help. So Taylor steps in and offers to help out…
We like order, and we feel ASL gives us an order and stability in our lives, because it is something we understand and we feel threatened by CI because we don’t understand it. So Taylor is offering to customize DeafRead (as to hide behind the wall… out of sight, out of mind.)
Well, even beehives, anthills, wolf packs, etc. have order (or control, as you pointed out.) We look up to “alpha”, “queen”, etc., to make decisions for us… I really don’t think we are any different, except for having more decisions made for us because we are used to it.
April 17, 2008 at 7:44 am
I know, I know, I am making generalizations… I apologize.
April 17, 2008 at 8:08 am
Hey DP!
You know NAD equals Deafread.
NAD considers all equals.
Deafread considers all equals.
For instance, the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) considers all people to live in the same community.
So, in my opinion, I consider the self-empowerment should be treated all the same.
I know it sounds to me is that it is complex.
That is why it has nothing to do with the self-empowerment.
April 17, 2008 at 8:19 am
I am with Kim and White Ghost. Per Kim, I read some and I never read others, etc… depending on my mood.
Per White Ghost, I read and apply to myself… like, for an example, she just discussed the equality… that is enpowering for me, helping me see the world as a place for equality, that we are equal even with our differences.
:o)
April 17, 2008 at 9:18 am
I am almost willing to bet if avt advocateas had their own avt site. They definitely will not let asl users blog or vlog there. If you want to prove me wrong, I would like to see you try this approach over there and see what kind of response they give you. If they give you a welcoming response and accept you for who you are, then we can open our arms to ci users who are against asl.
If they want to come in deafread, they have to respect asl and not to put down asl, in fact what are they doing in deafread if they don’t want to learn asl or whatever, and they are just promoting ci and avt? Then that is not what we came her for. We came her because it was our frist time to have asl deaf perspective and then avt proponents come in and try to tell us that asl is not needed. Why do we need to hear them out? They are oppressing us and yet we are allowing them.. It isn’t right.
Supposedly if jewsih people were running a site and christian people come in and try to save them, the jewish people will not be happy wiith them and will ask them to leave.
Same thing with homeschooling sites, they do not want parents who advoxcate for public school education to come in and promite education to them. We have the right to be inclusive.
Get my point?
April 17, 2008 at 9:23 am
Gotcha, Karen!
I know we do have our differences, eventhough, we do have our self-empowerments.
I know it is complex.
April 17, 2008 at 11:08 am
a deafie,
See, those sites have a very specific policy on what can be discussed. DeafRead does not. That is the difference between those sites and this.
And following your logic, because the AVT people are committing wrongs against us, we should be able to commit the exact same misdoings against them.
How does that make us better than them? I don’t know about you, but I would prefer to be a better person than them.
April 17, 2008 at 11:57 am
To me it is a question of definition. Is this a site specific to ASL only, or is it a site specific to Deaf issues? There are a lot of Deaf issues that do not involve ASL. There are a lot of Deaf people who are oral. Do we exclude everyone who is oral? Are we supposed to continue the divide? I want to share information, and learn from the “other side”. If we are segregated, we will never understand how everyone else feels and thinks. Healing will never happen. Growth will not occur. So what is the goal?
April 17, 2008 at 12:11 pm
K.L., I am glad you brought it up.
Hopefully people would think over what you said…
April 17, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Hi there,
I already compose my thoughts on Tayler Myers’ vlog/blogsite.
I am all for the experimential changes within the DeafRead to see what will happen. That would not hurt at all.
I greatly admire the DeafRead editors and other contributors to make the DeafRead coming back to its glory day without ugly squabblings over little things.
No questions about some people being inflirators and provoceautrs (msp.) for making waves, belittle others and impose their own superiority upon others without any rational agruments, etc.
Let’s work together to make our Deaf Blogosphere much pleasant place to browse, read and view!
I ain’t no Big Bad Wolf!
Robert L. Mason (RLM)
RLMDEAF blog
April 17, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Tolerance begets tolerance.
Intolerance begets intolerance.
:o)
Paotie
April 17, 2008 at 2:08 pm
So… we should tolerate intolerance?
April 17, 2008 at 11:01 pm
Think K.L. hit the nail on the head about definition. Should DR be about ASL/Deaf culture only or about d/Deaf issues? To me, d/Deaf issues are much bigger things because of the way they impact us all in our daily lives.
ASL/Deaf culture has an impact on a smaller Deaf population but doesn’t necessarily influence all of us d/Deaf in a larger population, no offense intended.
There are bigger issues than ASL /Deaf culture, such as communication accessibility, deaf education, job equality and compensation, etc. These are the things we should be focusing on. I recognize that language acquisition is an important part of deaf education, but it is only one aspect of a much larger scheme.
I’m all for enabling a deaf child to acquire language thru whatever means necessary, so there will be no one way that will fit every deaf person. Circumstances, family situation and finances, resources, child’s own abilities, etc. determine a deaf child’s journey to whatever he/she will become as an adult.
The bigger problems are public perception of deaf people– that deaf people can’t drive??? or they’re not intelligent enough to hold management-level jobs, or that they shouldn’t raise deaf children, etc. It’s another version of letting others determine who we are. Deafhood should be more about empowerment, standing up for oneself and letting others know what you need in your listening/communication environment and don’t apologize for it.
April 17, 2008 at 11:07 pm
Hey Deaf Pundit,
Just wanted to say a few words about your comments. Sorry, but I do not care about CI. I am tired of all the blah blah blah talk about CI. All that talk about about the new technology is so boring. I’ve noticed many schoolchildren have CI. It’s just too late because there are already so many kids out there with CI. Oh well. Enough is enough with the discussion.
Someday I’m going to set up my own vlog on DeafRead. I’ve put it off because I’m so busy with family and kids. I am Deaf and strongly support ASL. I graduated from a school for the deaf. I want to share my story about discrimination, etc.
Thanks,
Thumbs up
Bobby L.
April 18, 2008 at 2:32 pm
DP, are you sure it’s about being controlled, versus controlling other people?
Customizing “your” Deafread, only helps yourself. If DeafRead were to disallow certain bloggers, it would be disallowed for all DeafReaders. So someone who could persuade DeafRead to eliminate a B/Vlogger, would be “controlling” everybody’s experience, and attempting to “shutoff” someone else’s opinion.
April 18, 2008 at 3:25 pm
*smiles at Bill* You’re a smart man.