"Deaf and Dumb"?

CrazyPaul said:
I believe that a long time ago hearing people thought deaf people were not smart so they called them deaf and dumb. If some people still call us deaf and dumb, that's a prejudice against us.
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prejudice against deaf ppl are called audist and we face audism everyday.

I'd really be ashamed to be labeled as audist.. just like racist. We know how black ppl feel when they deal with racism.
 
Ausrider said:
"Dumb" doesnt actually mean unintelligent it means mute, its just a really old term so dont take offence.
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what if a person takes advantage of you b/c you're "mute"? I deal with that all the time and makes me so fookin angry..angry enough to destroy that person.
 
MintyOreo said:
I take offense to it, but not because of the origins of the word. I understand the origins of the term "dumb". But, I am sensitive towards the word because I am constantly bullied and harassed, being called the "Deaf and Dumb girl" all the time - but those people who harass me mean the word "dumb" to mean unintelligent and stupid.

THAT is why I don't like the term. I am perfectly intelligent, thank you very much.
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WHERE on earth do you even live? Are you a time traveler from the 1800's?
 
Bottesini said:
Not called, "that deaf and dumb girl."

That's a little hearie who watched too much SAB.
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What is your problem? Not everyone is a faker, you know. I really am bullied and called "that deaf and dumb girl". Honestly, I don't have to explain myself, but I guess that I will.

When I was in 7th grade (I'm in 10th grade now), I had unilateral vocal chord paralysis. See this link for more information:

Vocal Cord Paralysis

I was unable to speak for around 7 or 8 months. I went through a lot of speech therapy and other medical therapies, until I finally had surgery to correct the problem. When I tried to speak, I couldn't for more than a second or two. When I could speak, my voice was very hoarse and unclear. After a while, I stopped voicing all together, because I couldn't, and when I could manage to voice for a few seconds, it sounded to other people quite weird and it caused me pain. I have breathing problems, too. I was constantly bullied about it. I was also hoh at the time. This is when people started calling me "that deaf and dumb girl" - because I was hoh, and because I couldn't speak. The name has stuck ever since, even though I can now speak somewhat. (Though I choose not to most of the time, due to lasting problems.)

This is why I am sensitive about the term "deaf and dumb" - because I am always being teased and tormented and called that. And people think that just because I am deaf, that I MUST be stupid, too - which I am NOT.

You can choose not to believe me, but I am telling the honest truth. I am NOT a faker.

Oh, and by the way, I don't even watch TV at all. I have other things to do besides watch TV. I've only seen two episodes of SAB, total. I don't watch anything on TV. :lol:
 
and the term "dumb" was once PC...it just went bad just like the term retarded is doing now. People decide "oh this term/thingy has a bad rep, so let's try to change the name so it sounds nicer." Thus insistutions became developmental centers/mental hospitals.
 
Foreign sign language. not ASL
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0PQAtko8Cc]Deaf Not Dumb - YouTube[/ame]
 
I am really disturbed by some of the replies here....what makes some of you think that MO is faking her deafness? By the kinds of questions she is asking?

Aren't we all supposed to be helping others instead of making accusations?
 
Reflect on how "open the Deaf community really is"- by various comments here?
Would it make an "interesting" discussion in Sociology?
 
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Lmjanes said:
How many of you guys know what the word "micro-aggression" means? I learned it from taking culturally diverse on theory and practice class. The definition of mirco-aggression is "brief, everyday exchanges that send denigrating messages" to a target group such as people of color, women, and gays (Sue et al,,2007).
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I hadn't heard the specific term "micro-aggression" before, but it sounds like what folks talk about when discussing "privilege".

The really bad thing about micro-aggressions is that, because each one is so seemingly trivial, it's hard to call them out and make a stand about them. "Why are you so sensitive?" people will say, "it's not a big deal."

And yeah, it wouldn't be a big deal if it were the only time that type of thing happened. But when you deal with a million little micro-aggressions day in and day out, making up the background noise of your life, you have to call out that pattern as unacceptable. Even when each individual action is "no big deal," the overall pattern most definitely is.
 
Is a discussion in "micro aggression" with "wide open parameters" really relevant to the DEAF?
More discussion in Sociology.
 
The dictionary definition of "dumb" is the inability to speak, so I don't necessarily find it harshly offensive.

["Mute" would be a synonym you might use to sound less rude, but I suppose it all depends on who you're talking to when you say it.]

((EDIT: Didn't realize other people had posted on here saying what I said already... It only showed the one post. Sorry D: ))
 
freshfighter4 said:
The dictionary definition of "dumb" is the inability to speak, so I don't necessarily find it harshly offensive.

["Mute" would be a synonym you might use to sound less rude, but I suppose it all depends on who you're talking to when you say it.]

((EDIT: Didn't realize other people had posted on here saying what I said already... It only showed the one post. Sorry D: ))
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I just looked it up and you are right. So if you can't speak, you are dumb!
 
I remember seeing a Davy and Goliath where Davy pushes another kid out of the path of a fire truck. Davy is furious that the kid just walked out in front of it. The kid points to his ear and Davy shouts "Yeah, you oughtta shoot yourself for being so dumb."

Later, an adult explains to Davy that the kid was deaf, and 'dumb' meaning mute, not stupid, and to be more understanding.

(just googled it, the episode is called "Louder, please" and I forgot the bit where Davy puts in earplugs and goes to the deaf school to see what it's like :shock: )
 
drphil said:
Is a discussion in "micro aggression" with "wide open parameters" really relevant to the DEAF?
More discussion in Sociology.
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Yes, it is. This focuses on all kinds of people, not just Asian Americans.

The author works with Asian Americans and other populations. This is relevant to the "Deaf" and hard of hearing populations too. Why do we always worry about "Political Correctness"? I work with a Hispanic student whose nickname is Gordo. I have heard his teachers calling him Gordo because it is how his peers called him. His name is not Gordo. I do wonder if any of them knew what it actually means. He even admitted to me that he wish to be called by his real name sometimes.

I am not interested in policing what everyone does, but I believe that it is our responsibilities to tell others how we want to be treated and pointed out those obvious mircoaggrsesions. I don't want anyone to describe me as a "Deaf and Dumb."

What do you think mircoaggressions look like? How can people who commit mircoaggggrsions be so unaware of their actions? Even if they represent unintentional slights and insults? What types of psychological implact do you think they hav eon marginalized groups? Mircoaggressions can be used as racism, sexism, hetero-sexism, etc.

Like the Hispanic student I work with, people called him Gordo as they thought it was his name, but they didn't realize they encourages mircaggressions. They called him "Fat and ugly" in Spanish intentionally or unintentionally.

If you want all reliable sources, I can list them all for you. That class I took, Culturally Diverse Theory adn Practice really opened my eyes. They don't focus on the population of asians, but as well others. Immigrants, refugees, sexual minorities, Jewish Americans, Arab Americans, (ethnic populations), older adults clients, people with disabilities, and gender, racial, and sexual orientation. All of that in one textbook that talk about mircoaggressions, mircoinsults, marcoaggresions, and others.


*Gordo means fat/ugly in Spanish
 
Lmjanes said:
Yes, it is. This focuses on all kinds of people, not just Asian Americans.

The author works with Asian Americans and other populations. This is relevant to the "Deaf" and hard of hearing populations too. Why do we always worry about "Political Correctness"? I work with a Hispanic student whose nickname is Gordo. I have heard his teachers calling him Gordo because it is how his peers called him. His name is not Gordo. I do wonder if any of them knew what it actually means. He even admitted to me that he wish to be called by his real name sometimes.

I am not interested in policing what everyone does, but I believe that it is our responsibilities to tell others how we want to be treated and pointed out those obvious mircoaggrsesions. I don't want anyone to describe me as a "Deaf and Dumb."

What do you think mircoaggressions look like? How can people who commit mircoaggggrsions be so unaware of their actions? Even if they represent unintentional slights and insults? What types of psychological implact do you think they hav eon marginalized groups? Mircoaggressions can be used as racism, sexism, hetero-sexism, etc.

Like the Hispanic student I work with, people called him Gordo as they thought it was his name, but they didn't realize they encourages mircaggressions. They called him "Fat and ugly" in Spanish intentionally or unintentionally.

If you want all reliable sources, I can list them all for you. That class I took, Culturally Diverse Theory adn Practice really opened my eyes. They don't focus on the population of asians, but as well others. Immigrants, refugees, sexual minorities, Jewish Americans, Arab Americans, (ethnic populations), older adults clients, people with disabilities, and gender, racial, and sexual orientation. All of that in one textbook that talk about mircoaggressions, mircoinsults, marcoaggresions, and others.


*Gordo means fat/ugly in Spanish
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I've learns that the gay movement turned words like gay and queer into positive words. I assume they was used more negative before. Is that a way to handle microagression? Can this be done with deafness?
 
flip said:
I've learns that the gay movement turned words like gay and queer into positive words. I assume they was used more negative before.
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That's debatable... the future generation uses both words - 'gay' especially - constantly in a negative way. You hear it all the time on the internet and in games, and it's also become a problem in schoolyards (according to an article my missus told me about).

It's also not a good example, 'gay' and 'queer' had long-established meanings that had nothing to do with homosexuality.

Like many things, context is key.
 
flip said:
I've learns that the gay movement turned words like gay and queer into positive words. I assume they was used more negative before. Is that a way to handle microagression? Can this be done with deafness?
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Absolutely. Excellent questions. I wish I could answer those question or had the opportunity to ask my professor when I took the class. I think it is possibility that a deaf community could make a negative word like deaf and dumb into something positive. But how do we make it positive? The problem with "dumb" is not that all deaf and hard of hearing people are mute.

What I have learned I need to be careful with what I tell my clients when it comes to counseling. Sometimes professional mental therapists and counselors don't realize that what they do or say may cause harm to their minority clients.
 
freshfighter4 said:
The dictionary definition of "dumb" is the inability to speak, so I don't necessarily find it harshly offensive.
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Is it true that all deaf and hard of hearing people incapable of speaking? What about those who have learned how to speak well? Are they "inability to speak" just because they are "deaf?" Is "Dumb" considered the right word for them?
 
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