Peace in our time ?

Just before WW2 broke out Neville Chamberlain waved a 'peace treaty' signed by Adolph Hitler, shortly afterwards war broke out. 2003 or thereabout Mr Ladd wrote about deafhood, and a new 'war' broke out between Deaf and deaf. (I am drawing a parallel of concept, NOT suggesting Mr Ladd is Adolph !).

Understanding Deafhood failed to make deafhood an inclusive concept, Mr Ladd was rumbled, had the debates and famous 'discourses' only taken place, in the 'Deaf' world, he would have got away with it, but deaf.read and other aggregates online, include much wider diversity than he ever had access to, he was overtaken by events. Local versus global, and the globalists shredded his book, concept-wise.

The feedback made it clear we are ALL deaf and if, there is such a thing as a culture and community of deaf and HI People, (I was never entirely convinced), then we should all be in it, it cannot be exclusive to one area background or one area communication, or one person's idea of our history, which is all bound up together. Diversify, accept, and include, or deafhood faces the consequence, the DBC appear to have been one focus of that consequence, but any coming together of diverse deaf is going to provide the same feedback.

Respect, also has to be earned, it isn't a god-given right, we can, and must respect any mode used, we are however, not bound to respect the bigots who use them, and then hide behind it to divide us, no matter which direction they come from. The politics of inclusion is very difficult to equate for everyone, years, of skirmish and confrontations have to be addressed. Years of each sector having set up their own charities, lifestyles, and groups, and gone their own way, and are now being dragged into a 'global' aspect, sometimes unwillingly, if it works why fix it anyway ?

In reality it only worked because of avoidance systems, both educationally, and otherwise, poor access, or, they simply ran parallel lives to others, but they still clashed where mutuality forced them to address what divided them, the net is a great leveler, sign users fear it in part, despite having access too, because via demands to access and the 'level playing field', they want that sign, which is intrinsical to the cultural concept, captioned, so we got a divide again where stalwarts won't do it.

Deaf village ensued, showing us all, well, then, we will demand you do if you want in here, none too sure this is an ideal way, because that gives yet another impetus to those who feel 'hard done by' and can also promote the alternatives, i.e. sign-only aggregates..... then we are back to a stand off again...

What the deaf are experiencing is what EVERYONE these days is experiencing where global is 'local' now. 'Deafhood' is not going to be a 'label' the rank and file of the world (American !), deaf and HoH are going to have put on them, jars have labels, people don't like them, Americans are apparently obsessed with buzz-wording and labels, despite campaigning against, they seem to need them to ID each other, quite a lot more than other world deaf seem to...... The British want to be 'Visibly Invisible', (Which is a good trick if you can do it), and Houdini would have given a lot for....

There was a lack of inclusion and emphasis on all deaf together, and too much emphasis on respecting the divide, and the sometimes discriminatory reasons why divisions exist.. It pandered to those who felt 'culture' had its back to the wall, the deaf who felt trapped, forgotten about, discriminated against, non-included, or, the more inclusive aspects in society watered down the images of it, deaf didn't want to merge, and become part of the whole, that would make them invisible yet again, deaf people had an invisible disability long enough, now they wanted to be seen.

Sign language has been largely lost to them as the guardians and movers of it, more people sign not with cultural leanings, not even deaf sometimes, and have reduced it to 'one system amongst others', not given it the total priority some wanted, ran signing system their way, to take in the Politically Correct aspects of everything, inclusion policies here and there have forced them into situations, a number are not ready for, because unity and mutuality, had to cross the communications barrier.....

PC has undermined everyone's right. Commentators have long discussed this via 'colonialism' and other terms, it is in reality progress, and you can't fight it, if more people use a language, more variations will ensue, it is sod's law. If you can't beat it, join it, at least then you get some influence.

I was told recently "Why bother with America/deaf.read ? they aren't the only deaf people around, or the only online ones, who cares what those who are 'challenging' sign and culture say ? nothing they say or do makes any difference," Personally I think you dismiss America lightly at risk, it is avoiding what is actually going on, what IS going on, is at least an attempt to address very long-standing issues.

"It won't make any difference," is the second response I got. Maybe yes, maybe no, but at least some ARE trying.... Deaf.read may help it on its way, or may well be ripped apart by the many areas coming together with conflicting views, each, with some reluctance to change, and some with no intention whatever to do so. Good luck deaf.read, you are going to need it....