Mark Lasswell has to be the most ignorant freelance writer. After reading this article, I am amused by what he wrote, but certainly can believe what Mark wrote. Why? Because he is a typical hearie.
Certainly, Mark reserved the right to write whatever he wants to do. Certainly, I reserve the right to derail him as well.
It is evident that Mark himself is hearie. It is evident that Mark did not associate or mingle with Deaf people at all. How can he, as a hearie, pass the decisions for Deaf people how to live their lives? To me, that is patronizing already.
Here is few few comments from Mark's article via Rayni's blog:
The passage is one of many in this book that demand to be read twice so that the full import is clear: A world in which children know the joys of music and birdsong -- and are safer for being able to hear a fire alarm or a car bearing down on them in the street -- is undesirable.
Say again?
The passage is one of many in this book that demand to be read twice so that the full import is clear: A world in which children know the joys of music and birdsong -- and are safer for being able to hear a fire alarm or a car bearing down on them in the street -- is undesirable.
Ahh, no need to repeat this. Very few Deaf persons got hit by cars, trains or died in fires. It is always hearing people. Our hearing loss somewhat resets our other senses to take care of ourselves, much better than the hearing people in general.
You can pick up any local newspapers and find out how many people got killed in these situations and guess what? Deaf people who died in these situation is very sporadic. Hearing people died more often than we do! And it is not matter of 'fair trade' at all.
The protests were only the most visible manifestation of a trend, which began, inevitably, in the 1960s, to establish the deaf as a minority community, with all the good and ill that such a designation entails.
To Mark, it is a trend. Why is it a trend?! When we were sufficiently educated about things in life, we wanted to live our own lives. We wanted to be in control of ourselves. We wanted to be part of our community's progress without anyone's interference. It was inevitable that we had to kick hearies off from the positions that affected our lives. It is more of empowerment and a sense of belonging, not a trend. And Mark, it is only beginning.
But the claims here that it is "equal to" spoken language are likely to be persuasive only to the already persuaded.
Swahili cannot be written but guess what? It is a language. If it can be done like that, why not ASL? ASL breeds a lot of customs and norms to a point where it crafted its own community. Just like Swahili did with its people.
No surprise, then, to find that the 19th-century movement to establish schools for deaf children -- laudable though it might have seemed to the children and their parents -- was actually a segregationist mission to build "an asylum where their bodies are managed and rendered powerless." (The book's preaching-to-the-choir tone includes a breezy mention of "Foucault" -- apparently the postmodern theorist is such a celebrity in this circle that he needs no introduction or first name.)
It is true. Prior to Gallaudet Protests, it was rare to have a Deaf person leading a deaf school, it was ideal for hearing people to control, manipulate, change and decide things for us in terms of education, social et al. When they realized that we learned our stuff, they tried to subjugate our rights. We simply protested to take over what is rightfully ours to decide and live. With Mark's tone, it is as if it is ridiculous theory -- an evidence that he does not live as a Deaf person. He is just a typical hearie, he simply does *not* know.
Certainly many medical advances raise ethical concerns. The case against cochlear implants for children would be a hard sell in almost any quarter, but the implications of mapping the human genome -- and the temptation it raises for meddling with human imperfection -- is one of the vital issues of our day. Ms. Padden and Mr. Humphries unfortunately have missed a chance to make a substantial contribution to a serious debate -- among the Deaf, the deaf and the hearing alike.
*snickers*
Actually, long time in the past, hearing people claimed that if we learn to bark with our voices, we'd stop use ASL and the Deaf Community will dissipate! Then they claimed that with hearing aids, we'll learn to bark with our voices and ASL/Deaf Community will disappear! And guess what? We are still here. Get used to it. Even with cochlear implants, we will be still here. These fad trends comes and go, but ASL and Deaf Community is here to stay for a long time!
R-
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