Audism

shel90 said:
I wouldn't be surprised if every deaf person has a family member or two who are audist. I definitely got a few in my family!
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I totally agree! When I went deaf, the only person who learned ASL with me in my family is my little brother. My parents insisted I lipread, and even now (six years later) when my family is around they tend to either totally ignore me or talk to me really slowly and loudly and point to things to explain themselves and such. I went from being thought of as smart to being the family idiot! Family events have since become extremely awkward....
 
I was a big time audist and my stint as a camp counselor for the Deaf one summer (when I was 18) made me even more of an audist. I was in charge of the 8 to 12 year olds and was supposed to run this group with another counselor who was never there. the kids were really mean to me because I didn't know sign language and they often made fun or me and refused to pay attention to anything I was saying. It was hellish especially because the counselors were encouraging that behaviour. Half the counselors were deaf and they weren't very nice either. I couldn't understand what they were signing or what the hearing counselors were saying so I would ask them to help me and they refused. I was that proverbial "mulatto" I was neither Deaf nor Hearing and everyone at the camp made sure I knew it. It was a horrible experience and it was because of that that it took another 20 years before I wanted to try again to connect with the Deaf.
 
DeafCaroline said:
I was a big time audist and my stint as a camp counselor for the Deaf one summer (when I was 18) made me even more of an audist. I was in charge of the 8 to 12 year olds and was supposed to run this group with another counselor who was never there. the kids were really mean to me because I didn't know sign language and they often made fun or me and refused to pay attention to anything I was saying. It was hellish especially because the counselors were encouraging that behaviour. Half the counselors were deaf and they weren't very nice either. I couldn't understand what they were signing or what the hearing counselors were saying so I would ask them to help me and they refused. I was that proverbial "mulatto" I was neither Deaf nor Hearing and everyone at the camp made sure I knew it. It was a horrible experience and it was because of that that it took another 20 years before I wanted to try again to connect with the Deaf.
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You know, I truly love your ability to be self honest. And your ability to understand that aq discussion of audism is a discussion of a social phenomena that exists and is not a judgement against anyone. You are a remarkable person.
 
DeafCaroline said:
I was a big time audist and my stint as a camp counselor for the Deaf one summer (when I was 18) made me even more of an audist. I was in charge of the 8 to 12 year olds and was supposed to run this group with another counselor who was never there. the kids were really mean to me because I didn't know sign language and they often made fun or me and refused to pay attention to anything I was saying. It was hellish especially because the counselors were encouraging that behaviour. Half the counselors were deaf and they weren't very nice either. I couldn't understand what they were signing or what the hearing counselors were saying so I would ask them to help me and they refused. I was that proverbial "mulatto" I was neither Deaf nor Hearing and everyone at the camp made sure I knew it. It was a horrible experience and it was because of that that it took another 20 years before I wanted to try again to connect with the Deaf.
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It's a shame that you got picked on by the deaf due to you did not know sign language.

I went through that phase as well. One would think to welcome another deaf person and help them insted of picking on them. It is a ashame that the other adult counselors did the same to you.

Are you learning Sign language now??
 
Babyblue said:
Are you learning Sign language now??
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Yes I am! Been studying for hours every day. I get private lessons from a deaf woman every week and the rest of the time, watch asl videos on youtube and keep learning new signs and discovering the grammar and syntax of ASL. My mind is blown by how beautifully and eloquently some people sign. Have picked my jaw off the floor a few times.

The hardest thing to learn is reading fingerspelling! I can't even spell that fast in my head!

And today I am going to go play softball with some women who are also Deaf. My ASL teacher introduced me to the coach via Facebook.

I'm so happy to finally started making forays into the Deaf world. It was what I had always wanted.
 
DeafCaroline said:
I was a big time audist and my stint as a camp counselor for the Deaf one summer (when I was 18) made me even more of an audist. I was in charge of the 8 to 12 year olds and was supposed to run this group with another counselor who was never there. the kids were really mean to me because I didn't know sign language and they often made fun or me and refused to pay attention to anything I was saying. It was hellish especially because the counselors were encouraging that behaviour. Half the counselors were deaf and they weren't very nice either. I couldn't understand what they were signing or what the hearing counselors were saying so I would ask them to help me and they refused. I was that proverbial "mulatto" I was neither Deaf nor Hearing and everyone at the camp made sure I knew it. It was a horrible experience and it was because of that that it took another 20 years before I wanted to try again to connect with the Deaf.
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I can really feel for you, i am in there, been there and still havent got out of the woods, some deafies in NZ are plain horrible, even some are now teachers...puke...they are small minded because all they rhink about it themselves and 'education' education isnt the ONLY barrier d/Deaf people are facing...and audism is one big hassle, there's also deafism whish is exactly what you described, that isnt pretty nor justifiable to 'reverse a backlash on the brainwashed (you were back then oK - so was i)deaf who hasnt yet initiated the self-enpowerment to be Deaf....
so much for distorted hype on Deaf culture, come to think of it, these 'purists' arent real Deafies just zealous, even jealous immature power freaks...
you made it and you rock, keep on coming, i dont get lessions (cant afford it nor find any), so im reliant on mixing and socialising, long hard road too but im happier than before and getting there, you keep going Caroline!!

again i really feel your pain, and at same your strength, its truly lovely to see proof of triumph
 
Grummer said:
you keep going Caroline!!

again i really feel your pain, and at same your strength, its truly lovely to see proof of triumph
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Thank you! It took a long time to gain the wisdom that comes with age to understand that back then, we were all young and insecure and as such, things played out the way they did. Once I was able to let that grudge go, then the desire to re-connect came back in full force.
 
DeafCaroline said:
Thank you! It took a long time to gain the wisdom that comes with age to understand that back then, we were all young and insecure and as such, things played out the way they did. Once I was able to let that grudge go, then the desire to re-connect came back in full force.
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Holding a grudge only holds the person with the grudge back. You have more wisdom than simple age can account for. Some live to their 9th decade without ever figuring that one out.
 
DeafCaroline said:
I was a big time audist and my stint as a camp counselor for the Deaf one summer (when I was 18) made me even more of an audist. I was in charge of the 8 to 12 year olds and was supposed to run this group with another counselor who was never there. the kids were really mean to me because I didn't know sign language and they often made fun or me and refused to pay attention to anything I was saying. It was hellish especially because the counselors were encouraging that behaviour. Half the counselors were deaf and they weren't very nice either. I couldn't understand what they were signing or what the hearing counselors were saying so I would ask them to help me and they refused. I was that proverbial "mulatto" I was neither Deaf nor Hearing and everyone at the camp made sure I knew it. It was a horrible experience and it was because of that that it took another 20 years before I wanted to try again to connect with the Deaf.
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DeafCaroline said:
Yes I am! Been studying for hours every day. I get private lessons from a deaf woman every week and the rest of the time, watch asl videos on youtube and keep learning new signs and discovering the grammar and syntax of ASL. My mind is blown by how beautifully and eloquently some people sign. Have picked my jaw off the floor a few times.

The hardest thing to learn is reading fingerspelling! I can't even spell that fast in my head!

And today I am going to go play softball with some women who are also Deaf. My ASL teacher introduced me to the coach via Facebook.

I'm so happy to finally started making forays into the Deaf world. It was what I had always wanted.
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and your deafhood began.... :)
 
jillio said:
It is not an assumption, it is supported fact. Find me a system that can control for bias in research as well as the peer review system. This is a direct challange to you.
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My ten bucks say you can't step up to her challenge, kokonut. :whistle:
 
Jillio - that reminds me - I have a quick question about "Visitor messages" on my profile page - am I supposed to leave messages for my visitors or they leave messages for me? I got a bit confused when I was checking out Kokonut's page and saw that all his visitor messages were written by him.

so, I'm wondering if we were supposed to leave messages for our visitors? I'm confooooosed.
 
DeafCaroline said:
Jillio - that reminds me - I have a quick question about "Visitor messages" on my profile page - am I supposed to leave messages for my visitors or they leave messages for me? I got a bit confused when I was checking out Kokonut's page and saw that all his visitor messages were written by him.

so, I'm wondering if we were supposed to leave messages for our visitors? I'm confooooosed.
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No, people leave messages for you in most cases. Sad that koko has only himself to talk to, isn't it? Oh, well, consequences must be faced for one's actions.
 
"Audism: The notion that one is superior based on one’s ability to hear or behave in the manner of one who hears." Tom Humphries (1975)

I've had my eyes opened and mind expanded by this debate on audism, a term I've not heard of until I joined AD. I've also read a number of older threads on this topic (found one from 2005) to increase my understanding. I've found it to be a very empowering concept.

But I see an area of misunderstanding. I shall illustrate it with an example: "I wish I had 100% hearing" - is this an audist statement? My answer is: "It depends".

If my wishing to be fully hearing is because I believe that hearing people are superior, always have better lives & are more valuable than d/Deaf people then this is a 100% audist statement. I confess that this is how I used to say it.

BUT.
What if my wishing is solely from a functional perspective? What if all I'm wishing for is an ability that I currently don't have (or lost), in the same way I may wish for the ability to drive? I know it doesn't make me a superior or better person. And I'm just wishing it for me, not for all d/Deaf people. This is how I say it now.

It is possible to value both hearing and deafness. Coming onto AD and reading peoples' stories has made me realize that I can live a full life without hearing. I no longer curse my hearing loss. I know that sign language is as rich as a spoken language, and have started to learn it. On AD there are strong advocates for ASL who are hearing people. Their ability to hear doesn't make them audists. And my wish to have the same ability to hear doesn't make me audist either.

According to Tom Humpries's definition, audism (like racism) is driven by a superior-inferior belief. It demeans deafness. It's cure is to value deafness without falling into the opposite trap of demeaning hearing.
 
AJWSmith said:
"Audism: The notion that one is superior based on one’s ability to hear or behave in the manner of one who hears." Tom Humphries (1975)

I've had my eyes opened and mind expanded by this debate on audism, a term I've not heard of until I joined AD. I've also read a number of older threads on this topic (found one from 2005) to increase my understanding. I've found it to be a very empowering concept.

But I see an area of misunderstanding. I shall illustrate it with an example: "I wish I had 100% hearing" - is this an audist statement? My answer is: "It depends".

If my wishing to be fully hearing is because I believe that hearing people are superior, always have better lives & are more valuable than d/Deaf people then this is a 100% audist statement. I confess that this is how I used to say it.

BUT.
What if my wishing is solely from a functional perspective? What if all I'm wishing for is an ability that I currently don't have (or lost), in the same way I may wish for the ability to drive? I know it doesn't make me a superior or better person. And I'm just wishing it for me, not for all d/Deaf people. This is how I say it now.

It is possible to value both hearing and deafness. Coming onto AD and reading peoples' stories has made me realize that I can live a full life without hearing. I no longer curse my hearing loss. I know that sign language is as rich as a spoken language, and have started to learn it. On AD there are strong advocates for ASL who are hearing people. Their ability to hear doesn't make them audists. And my wish to have the same ability to hear doesn't make me audist either.

According to Tom Humpries's definition, audism (like racism) is driven by a superior-inferior belief. It demeans deafness. It's cure is to value deafness without falling into the opposite trap of demeaning hearing.
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We must also keep in mind that the vast majority of hearing society is socialized to be audist in their belief system from the time they are chiildren. Since 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents, who have been socialized to be audist by their hearing parents and hearing society to the degree that most don't even recognize their own audism...is it any wonder that so many deaf adults seek out the Deaf community as soon as they are able to break away from the audist practices that have been, sometimes unintentionally, thrust upon them?
 
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