Are you a Signer?
Was looking through www.deafread.com/ and saw this website about audism. It is done in video and Jody Cripps explains why he thinks we should start using "signer" instead of Deaf to identify our attitude towards audism.
I think it makes sense to start using "signer" than try to identify who is Deaf. This way we do not have to argue about who is a member of the Deaf community. If I did not use the word "signer" I would identify someone who is Deaf, but is an oral wannabe as a deaf person. Now I can say that person is not a signer.
View Jody Cripp's explaination on how he analyzed audism and came to the conculsion of using the vocabulary "signer".
5 comments:
Mike,
That guy does have a point, but he's an idiot at the same time.
He has a point, if ASL was the ONLY accepted sign language in the USA and Canada... Then we wouldn't have to call it ASL. We'd just call it Sign Language- THE ONLY sign language. This concept is fantastic... It would teach everyone the same language- ASL- thus eliminating communication tools (such as PSE, SEE, SSE, Cued Speech, etc)/tools of audism.
But, the problem I have with this is, if hearing people are to be 100% integrated with our culture rather than having the boundaries that exists today with interpreters and hearing learners of ASL (Coda excluded)-- then it will eventually lead us back to audism.
How? Almost all hearing people are inherently audists. It's not always their fault- It's just a byproduct of the thinking of our society.
Now, armed with that fact, we can further analyze that we'll let our guard down, and cool hearing people aka "signers" would be welcomed into positions previously held by Deaf people... Such as president of a Deaf Club, or participating in Deaf sports, Deaf president of Gallaudet and NTID, Deaf teachers of the Deaf, Deaf ASL professors, and etc...
...Then BOOM! One day, we will have let our guard down, and an audist hearing person comes into the group and gets an important position and starts to appoint people like themselves, until it's no longer a Deaf-friendly organization. It can become widespread. Then at that point, they'll decide that ASL ("sign language") needs to be improved. Thus, repeating the vicious cycle of audism.
That's why I think he's an idiot. This would be suicide for the Deaf community at this point in time.
But... This is possible if our society UNDERSTOOD audism FIRST. If it became something that the public and the media would automatically be outraged if audism were to occur, then I'd be cool with the term "signer". This would prevent/greatly reduce any audism coming from hearing people within the "signing" community.
The Deaf community is simply not ready for that step yet. We need to first make the word "Audism" so disgusting, so vile, and so clear that when it happens, it pisses off the general hearing society at large.
It needs to be taken as seriously as the word "racism", "sexism", and "nazism". When they hear the word "audism", it needs to drive that feeling of disgust deep in their souls and have a bad taste in their mouth.
Once that happens, then it should be fairly safe to do this. But honestly, that's a while from now. We've got a lot of work ahead of us.
Take care bud,
Erick :o)
You make a point. I was not thinking about the big picture, I was thinking about the picture of how Deaf people try to segregate each other based on their ability to hear, not their ability to sign.
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oneninefive
Mike,
I agree, that there is a problem with Deaf people discriminating against another Deaf people based on how much they can hear.
I've experienced it myself, since I am 100% Deaf- and hearing aids do crap for me. The same is true for many other Deaf people.
But the truth is... These Deaf people that claim superiority over other Deaf people based on their hearing/speech are actually the sad by-product of audism.
The fact that these by-products of audism (Deaf people that think they are superior to other Deaf people because they can speak or hear well)... Actually think that way does show how well their families and society has brainwashed them... To the point that these deaf audists are unable to see their Deaf-center... Their Deaf-spirit... Their Deaf-pride.
Therefore, they pick on those that DO have it- like you and I.
They care only because they care to impress hearing people. Who's at a loss? Us or the audist? Surely, it's not us. :o)
The whole Deaf community, needs to educate Deaf people about audism and show them that they need not to impress hearing people... And that being Deaf is not the end of the world.
If you think about it, the PRIMARY reason why hearing aids exist... The PRIMARY reason why cochlear implant exists... Is because HEARING people want to FIX Deaf people, and that's audism. Deaf people that want those things want them because they were brainwashed.
Therefore, those that don't care about hearing aids, CI, or keep humble about it are not oppressed. The rest are oppressed...
And since they care so much about hearing people's opinions, they can just join the hearing world and beg & grovel hearing people to accept them like dogs.
We have too much damn pride to do that. We can say "FUCK YOU", hearing world... We are normal regardless what you, hearing people think.
Take care bro,
Erick :o)
Mike,
P.S. Having said all of the above, I would like to add that I DO PITY deaf people that wear hearing aids and cochlear implants... Because they are victims of audism and they were brainwashed.
However, when a victim deaf person actually goes far to think themselves superior to a certain point... Then I have no sympathy for them. Why? They are not members of the Deaf community. They chose to reject their own people and they chose to woo hearing people when they should not care about hearing people's opinions or feel a need for hearing itself.
The first step to improve this is: Whenever a hearing person asks you (the Deaf person) if he/she could help you (The Deaf person)... Then we (the Deaf person) needs to say "No, thank you. We've got it covered."
We need to stop stabbing other Deaf people in the back. If they wear hearing aids for the purpose of being superior to the Deaf, then they need to be turned away so that they can stop playing the game of having the benefits of a Deaf person, yet live in a hearing world.
Deaf people can still be Deaf and participate in the hearing world. No doubt about that. But, how a Deaf person goes about it makes the difference.
If an oralist/hearing aid user/CI user start to make fun of ASL Deaf, then the ASL Deaf has to stand up and say "We pity you."...
... Instead of sitting down sobbing... Saying "Oh, we are Deaf... *sob* *sob* we can't do anything *sob* *sob* they can hear so they are better than me..."
STOP IT! You are Deaf! Say No to Audism! It is not you that is the victim, it is the hearing aid/CI snob!
Honestly, "Uncle Tom" Deaf people piss me off more than anything. "Uncle Tom" Deaf people just sit there and accept audism, when they shouldn't. They just want to keep "peace"... How can there be peace when hearing people have declared a silent & unspoken war against Deaf people?
Anyway, that was a long P.S. LOL
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