Friday, April 19, 2013
CHAPTER 65:
"Can deaf people appreciate music at all?"
I would agree with HBO in this chapter with its beginning response, depending on the person is the only way to know if a deaf person appreciates music. Think about this, do all hearing people appreciate or even listen to music for leisure? Some people will know no one who doesn't enjoy music, however some of us know several people who don't listen or appreciate music at all. This goes for the deaf community as well, "some care nothing about music in any form, others enjoy the booming rhythms of percussion, some are good at carrying rhythm, others aren't" Deaf people communicate some by body language, and it makes sense to me that some enjoy watching music videos and seeing the performers. Also lyrics could have meaning to a person, whether they are deaf of not. I say that from my own personal enjoyment, even without hearing a song I can appreciate the lyrics in the song and be satisfied.Some deaf people create "sign-songs" which have emphasis on rhythm, and others translate popular "hearing songs" into sign which I think is awesome!
After reading this chapter I would enjoy seeing an organization of deaf children of a signsong choir perform.
CHAPTER 64:
"At my daughters wedding, I saw my nephew dance for the first time, and I was surprised to see him dancing so beautifully. How could he so that if he's deaf? My sister tried to explain how that could work. I still don't understand. Can all deaf people dance like him?
This question is an example of what I have talked about on past blogs, what kind of question is that? I understand I use this statement often, but just because a person is deaf does not mean that individual is incapable of dancing or many other things that are assumed they cannot. Individuality also seems to be my answer to many blogs, but it can be said for this chapter as well, a deaf person can learn to dance without hearing any music, some are very great dancers just as some hearing people. If you put the deaf culture into perspective and consider their language,most are very creative with movement.some deaf people have made careers out of dance. On the other side just as in the hearing culture, some deaf people don't feel comfortable or don't enjoy dancing like others. After reading this chapter I realized that there are some factors that could affect a deaf persons ability to dance, such as deafness could effect the sense of balance, but ultimately a deaf person can achieve coordination.
It makes me happy that their are dance classes for deaf students, because I feel as if everyone should have equal opportunity to achieve all goals.
CHAPTER 63:
" I am a hearing person who really enjoys movies, a cinema buff. I have two deaf friends who come with me to theatrical film showings. Ive noticed that they're often bored, but sometimes excited. Can you help me determine which films have guaranteed appeal for deaf viewers?
HBO book has taught me very interesting facts about deaf culture, may historical facts based in how deaf culture used to be versus how it is now. In this chapter, before reading its entirety, the title question lead me to think back to individuality. I was pleased to read the first line that stated, " Of course, everyone's an individual with distinct tastes."(371). Learning about "talkies" that was debuted in 1927 leading up to the "silents" that deaf and hearing people could both enjoy, made me question why movie theaters today have movies accessible for the deaf community. I believe that movie theaters should be accessible to everyone regardless if one can hear or not. Some deaf people may enjoy watching action movies on a big- screen, or perhaps a deaf person has read a book sequel to a movie and wants to watch the movie.The most interesting fact of this chapter to me was learning about foreign films, film industries from France, Germany, and many others that are subtitled in English, which is accessible to deaf audience.
CHAPTER 62:
"Is there a Deaf literature"
According to HBO "Literature", means fiction, nonfiction, essay, journalism, memoirs, stories, poetry, plays, and all manner or hybrids, with the emphasis on creativity (365). There is a distinction between "literature created by people who happen to be deaf" and "expressing a deaf viewpoint". Literature is very diverse, of course there is deaf literature!! There are numerous different classifications (blind, disabled, outcasts) of people who produce movies, etc. This chapter is interesting to me because it puts literature in perspective if you think back on much of the literature today, it is easy to pick out characteristics presented in this chapter. It is important that people know that deaf people are capable of achieving almost every aspect of life as a hearing person does and many deaf people have participated in all genres of literature. Deaf creativity also is very interesting to me in this chapter, which is based on sign language. ASL literature is certainly another genre in itself but nonetheless still literature.CHAPTER 61:
"Are Deaf people still stereotyped? If so, How? What kind of stereotypes are still popular?
I don't like to compare hearing class of people versus a deaf class of people because to me we are all the same. Certainly we all have different characteristics in which make us who we are (individuality) but, ultimately we are all human beings. Thinking back many chapters of this HBO book, when we discussed classifications of people, I believe that their will always some type of stereotypes that will exist in our world. Outsiders of any "class" of people will always have an altered image of people out side of their norm. Some stereotypes that exist for the deaf culture are the silent sufferer, the pathetic waif, emotional basket case, super- sleuth who can read lips through walls, super- deafie with novelty value, and many more. Although I am sure that the deaf culture has stereotypical names for outsiders as well these names given to the deaf community are all rude and belittling. The silent sufferer sounds very cruel to me. According to the HBO book itself, The silent sufferer stereotype is deaf people who are seen as solitary social outcasts, terribly alone, more alienated than hearing characters. Just because a person is deaf does not mean any of these things!!CHAPTER 60:
"Is the Internet going to destroy Deaf culture?"
Although there is a concern of the Internet destroying cultures, most of video clips (etc) that are available on the web are not captioned which sets Deaf culture even further. Just as the Internet has the potential to be disruptive to any culture the same applies to the Deaf culture. From the outside of deaf culture looking in many deaf people do not have the opportunity to use many features of the Internet like hearing people take advantage of. People tend to make misconceptions that deaf culture is extremely different and unprivileged, however those misconceptions do not exist to me. Every person deaf or hearing are their own individual, some may enjoy to use the internet and some may choose to stay away from the distractions. Granted there are some positive aspects of the internet that people could potentially benefit from. Regardless of all positive or negative influences the Internet has on the Deaf culture it can not destroy the culture as a whole.Friday, March 15, 2013
CHAPTER 56:
"Should a hearing person write about Deaf Culture?"
Linguistics are based upon this question, it is not common that only people within a culture are the only people who write about their culture. However that doesnt mean that it cant happen, but without people outside of a culture writes about what they have experienced and learned about a culture other than their own the meaning of studying other cultures would be lost. I think that people who are interested in deaf culture and want to learn everything about it and then express the way that it altered them as a person that studying and writting about other cultures is key to learning.CHAPTER 55:
"What is Deaf culture? Has anyone studied it from a sociological perspective?"
Sociological perspective about any subject varies widely but it is all the same in a sense that people act the way they do with a list of reasons. Put a hearing persons life into a sociological perspective within our own "classification" of species, their are clics/groups of people that have formed based on what that group have come up with. For example, in high school there was the jocks, preps, and geeks. These groups formed by characteristics or personalities that have been established.Although deaf community is a different group of people in hearing peoples world, people who are deaf have groups within their culture as well.
CHAPTER 54:
"What are some of the biggest problems faced by late-deafened people?"
A rule to deafness is the later the age of deafness the more difficult it is to adjust, which holds true to just about any other disability that a person may have. The later in life that a person experences something they have never before is going to be a challenge to over come. Being a late-deafened person whether it was progressively, suddenly, or genetically if you are over the age of 18 it is going to be challenging.I have heard people say that one should learn a second language at a young age because they will have more of a chance becoming fluent at that language. I think this could have something to do with the classifications but I cant be positive because the deaf community is so complex!
Another problem that I could strongly relate to for a late-deafened person would be not being able to function as "normal" hearing people anymore. The thought of how often we (hearing) people take for granted our voice and the ability to communicate, for late-deafened a person who has already experienced that but can no longer would be a very big challenge for me!
CHAPTER 53:
"Are hard-of-hearing people part of the Deaf community?"
Before reading this chapter I reflected on the previous chapter that said non deaf people were apart of the deaf community so I assumed that the question starting off chapter 53 would be easily answered. However, after reading this chapter I realize that the deaf community never really ends, there is always something that sets another individual apart from all. Although this chapter states that hard of hearing people can be apart of the deaf community if they choose to be but many dont want that classification of and consider themselves individuals. To me when I read these chapters I think that the reason there is a constant battle between the differences of people is based upon the past and what has already been determined.CHAPTER 52:
"Whats the difference between 'hard-of-hearing' and 'deaf'?"
Although, I am not part of the group of people who try and complicate the deaf community I will agree that the deaf community is complex. The classifications that the deaf community has given to themselves is numerous. There is so much now to deafness and the classification of the level of deafness a person has, perhaps because over time people have asked questions that could be answered without going into great detail. Unfortunately that does not happen very often. When I think about the words "hard-of-hearing" I think of a person who has trouble hearing certain things but deaf never crosses my mind. When I think about the word deaf I think of a person who was either born without the ability to hear anything or over time hearing loss has completely disappeared.CHAPTER 51:
"I know that the Deaf community includes both "deaf" and "hard-of-hearing." What other categories are there?"
This chapter has the same reaction from me in chapter 49, there are so many categories depending on other factors within the deaf community. Upon reading this chapter I didnt put the deaf community into perspective but I realize now that beyond the categories of different types of deafness other people are within this community. The deaf community includes a number of hearing people such as: families, friends, parents, and professionals.CHAPTER 50:
"Is deafness 'bad karma'?"
When I think about deafness, a curse never enters the thought process. While I was reading Chapter 50 I understand why deaf people have their guard up to people/things outside of their norm. I couldnt believe what I was reading, Im not sure if its only me who feels this way but deafness is not a curse or punishment from a previous life. This chapter is not to enjoyable to read but it is interesting to see what people say about deafness.CHAPTER 49:
"How do people become deaf?"
This chapter is filled with information that explains the different levels of deafness. I feel that this is a great chapter for people who are seeking information on deafness because it explains each category of deafness. For example, congentially deaf and adventitiously deaf. These "categories" go even more in depth, Adventitious deafness is someone who becomes deaf after birth. Adventitious deafeness can be either prelingual which occurs the first three years of a childs life and postlingual which occurs after the age of three. It doesnt stop here though, postlingual deafness gets divided into more detail. Postlingual deafness is now subdivided into childhood deafness, pre-vocational deafness, or post-vocational deafness which all vary with different ages.The more I read this chapter I couldnt put it down, I still am researching more information on each category. Prior reading this chapter I didnt realize that there was so many different classification within deafness. Also, I thought that deafness was hereditary for the most part but now I know there are more underlying factors that I did not even take into account.
Interesting Fact: More males than females are born-deaf and early-deafened, but since women tend to outlive men, there are more late-deafened elderly women than men.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
CHAPTER 39:
"When I use the word "handicapped," my deaf friends get angry. Why is that?"
Before reading this chapter I am going to reflect on the previous chapter that I did read. This question goes back to the idea of being classified into these defined groups that only focus on one aspect of a person. Maybe this is what causes much of your friends anger.According to American Heritage Dictionary, the word "handicap" has several meanings, but the definition that I will talk about is "a deficiency, especially an anatomical, physiological, or mental deficiency, that prevents or restricts normal achievement" (Moore, Lev. p. 249).
This definition alone could also be another reason as to why your friends get angry when the word is used. Although, medically the definition classifies a deaf person as handicapped because it is a disability, and it is a disorder but because a deaf person can not hear does not enable them from normal achievements (besides hearing).
I feel that because society is known for classifying groups of people with these names, deaf community may get more offended by which they are placed because they do not see themselves as handicapped.
"Every person, deaf, hearing, or whatever, is an individual. Let this not be forgotten. We need to get beyond the limitations imposed by labels" (p.251).
CHAPTER 38:
"Can 'Deaf' be used as a noun (as in 'the Deaf') or should it be used only as an adjective?"
I believe that classifying groups of people takes away from a persons individuality. For example, myself, a hearing female ( a girl who can speak and hear without difficuilities) puts me into a group of thousands of other females who are not deaf. This classification leaves every other aspect of characteristics that make up who I am individually somewhere off into the distance.
This exact feeling happens when deaf people are placed into a group (the deaf).
"Some deaf people object to the phrase 'the deaf'. They feel that it devalues the humanity of deaf people" (Moore, Levitan p. 246). There is no doubt that a person who is deaf is apart of the deaf community that live amongst us, but to refer that group as "the deaf" can belittle many individuals that are in this classification.
A deaf person is an individual, just as a hearing person is. And, every person is entitled to their own sense of self, and I think it is important for society to recognize these characteristics in people and not classify them into these defined groups of people who all cant hear, (the deaf, the handicapped, etc).
CHAPTER 37:
"Is it OK to use the term "deaf-mute" in reference to a deaf person who can't talk?"
When I think about the word "mute" and read this question to myself the answer is obvious. Reading this question reminded me much of how I answered the question to Chapter 3, "Is there similiarities between Braille and ASL?"
Although to me the answer is obviously no, I dont understand how a person can relate the word "mute" to someone who is deaf or even think that a deaf person automatically knows braille. These words are different within themselves and both have different meanings that do not involve deaf people. "Mutism" is a medical or psychological condition- the inability or refusal to produce sounds (Moore, Levitan p. 213). Deaf people have vocal cords and voices just as the majority of hearing people do, but because they are deaf they can not hear their own voices. Speaking is not easy for a deaf person due to the inability to hear to produce words.
Before I was enrolled in ASL class I did not spend alot of time imagining what life would be like if you were not able to hear anything from the time you were born. Now that I have made it through ASL 1 and currently taking ASL 2 I have put myself in this situation very often to relate life as it would be to a person that is born deaf. As a child a hearing person learns how to speak by other people speaking to them. From birth a hearing person has more of an advantage of learning how to speak because they hear noises and eventually try to mock the person speaking to them. But, when a person is deaf I could only imagine how extremely difficult it would be to try and speak if you can not hear.
If more people would put themselves in the shoes of a deaf person, these questions would become more obvious to many.
"Why isn't "deaf and dumb" an acceptable term?"
Well, read that slowly... "Deaf and dumb"Just as a hearing person would get offended by the word "dumb" a deaf person has every right to get offended as well. If not more. Just because a person can not hear does not make them dumb by any means. In fact, ASL is a challenging language to become familiar with and many deaf people sign beautifully. Beyond that, deaf people have many disadvantages when it comes to adapting to todays world and it takes alot of practice and understanding for these individuals to learn how to communicate with others outside of the deaf community. To me, this is what makes ASL so beautiful. The deaf community deserve more than hearing people classifing them into groups. A deaf person is just deaf, still fully capable to do many of the things a hearing person can do without hearing!
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