Deaf Wanna-Be's

Bebonang said:
It was the same for some white people or others who were non-native trying to become Native or American Indian as wanna be. They had no knowledge of our Native Culture and they dressed up the wrong way to dress and also performed differently than we do. There were some in Europe that had white people wanna be as Native. We had some Elders from First Nations came to visit them in Europe. They were very amused at them for mimicked as Indians. I was shocked when I saw the video and could not believe they would do like that.

In wanna be as being deaf, they would not socialize with Deaf people but would like to be in their own group like separate from us. They don't know much about Deaf Culture and ASL that much. Yes, they have a problem of not wanting to be with other hearing people for social functions. Very weird.

Edit: I was trying to find the word for wanna be that are so obsessed with their ears. It is call fetish like ear fetish. :dunno:
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Oh yeah, the Deaf community is not alone with the wanna-bes. Aren't there wanna-bes who are really obessed with Japanimation and want to marry a deaf wife?
 
Bebonang said:
It was the same for some white people or others who were non-native trying to become Native or American Indian as wanna be. They had no knowledge of our Native Culture and they dressed up the wrong way to dress and also performed differently than we do. There were some in Europe that had white people wanna be as Native. We had some Elders from First Nations came to visit them in Europe. They were very amused at them for mimicked as Indians. I was shocked when I saw the video and could not believe they would do like that.

In wanna be as being deaf, they would not socialize with Deaf people but would like to be in their own group like separate from us. They don't know much about Deaf Culture and ASL that much. Yes, they have a problem of not wanting to be with other hearing people for social functions. Very weird.

Edit: I was trying to find the word for wanna be that are so obsessed with their ears. It is call fetish like ear fetish. :dunno:
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It's nothing like that at all. These "wanna bes" have serious mental problems. What you're discribing is more like white kids acting "black", mimicing dress, speech etc.....that is a horse of totally different color than what is going on with these people.
 
ambrosia said:
It's nothing like that at all. These "wanna bes" have serious mental problems. What you're discribing is more like white kids acting "black", mimicing dress, speech etc.....that is a horse of totally different color than what is going on with these people.
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Nope, it's very simlair. Thing is, those deaf wannabes tend to REALLY be into the cultural bit of deafness. It's an extreme version of those teenybopper girls who come here and are all "OMG ASL so much fun and SO cool!"
 
ambrosia said:
It's nothing like that at all. These "wanna bes" have serious mental problems. What you're discribing is more like white kids acting "black", mimicing dress, speech etc.....that is a horse of totally different color than what is going on with these people.
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I agree. There is a huge difference between "cultural appropriation" and a delusion.
One is prevalent in popular culture and benign (maybe even a moment to teach people and maybe not be judgmental jerks) the other is a serious disorder.

"Teeny boppers" who think ASL is "omg so kewl!" aren't pretending to be Deaf, they are kids who have an interest in sign language and Deaf culture.
We can respond by gently guiding them to places where they can learn more if they wish or we can be mean and dismiss them.

Basically, we will never get far if we ostracize people who just happen to be interested. Yeah, maybe they are interested because we are "different" but what is so terrible about that?
I would rather welcome people who are interested in deafness, sign language, and deaf culture than brand them as "teeny boppers" (which carries a connotation of idiot pre-teen girls screaming at a concert) than reject people who show an interest in our language and culture.
 
ecp said:
I agree. There is a huge difference between "cultural appropriation" and a delusion.
One is prevalent in popular culture and benign (maybe even a moment to teach people and maybe not be judgmental jerks) the other is a serious disorder.

"Teeny boppers" who think ASL is "omg so kewl!" aren't pretending to be Deaf, they are kids who have an interest in sign language and Deaf culture.
We can respond by gently guiding them to places where they can learn more if they wish or we can be mean and dismiss them.

Basically, we will never get far if we ostracize people who just happen to be interested. Yeah, maybe they are interested because we are "different" but what is so terrible about that?
I would rather welcome people who are interested in deafness, sign language, and deaf culture than brand them as "teeny boppers" (which carries a connotation of idiot pre-teen girls screaming at a concert) than reject people who show an interest in our language and culture.
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Agreed. if someone thinks they were born in the wrong body, that they were meant to be deaf, it has nothing to do with "culture". Deaf wanna be's are not the only wanna bes, there are blind ones, people who think they are supposed to be paralyzed. These are groups of people that don't have a "culture" they think they have to jealously protect. Ever heard of Blind Culture? Wheel Chair Culture? yeah that's a big no. I find the Deaf Culture kind of dubious, something people like to think they have. For the most part it's really the same culture as all the hearing people around, they have the same beliefs, same traditions, they just speak a different language because they don't have access to sound. It's something they tell themselves they have to give them comfort and a sense of pride. JMO of course. Sounds more like a clique to me.
 
ambrosia said:
Agreed. if someone thinks they were born in the wrong body, that they were meant to be deaf, it has nothing to do with "culture". Deaf wanna be's are not the only wanna bes, there are blind ones, people who think they are supposed to be paralyzed. These are groups of people that don't have a "culture" they think they have to jealously protect. Ever heard of Blind Culture? Wheel Chair Culture? yeah that's a big no. I find the Deaf Culture kind of dubious, something people like to think they have. For the most part it's really the same culture as all the hearing people around, they have the same beliefs, same traditions, they just speak a different language because they don't have access to sound. It's something they tell themselves they have to give them comfort and a sense of pride. JMO of course. Sounds more like a clique to me.
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I d like to make sure if i understand you right. Look at the bold. what do you mean you feel that deaf/Deaf are the same thing as hearing people? therefore deaf culture dont exists?? I am not looking forwrd to agrue at all. just want to understand you better.
 
Frisky Feline said:
I d like to make sure if i understand you right. Look at the bold. what do you mean you feel that deaf/Deaf are the same thing as hearing people? therefore deaf culture dont exists?? I am not looking forwrd to agrue at all. just want to understand you better.
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That's exactly what I'm saying. The deaf aren't an island to themselves. For the most part you're brought up with, around, or by "hearies". You have the same the beliefs, morals, values etc etc of the hearing people around you, the only difference is the language you use.
 
ambrosia said:
That's exactly what I'm saying. The deaf aren't an island to themselves. For the most part you're brought up with, around, or by "hearies". You have the same the beliefs, morals, values etc etc of the hearing people around you, the only difference is the language you use.
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However their experience in the hearing world is like a European's in the US, or a GLB person's in the straight world.Many of my GLB friends don't feel like they fit in with straight people, even thou they were overwhelmingly raised by straight people.
 
ambrosia said:
That's exactly what I'm saying. The deaf aren't an island to themselves. For the most part you're brought up with, around, or by "hearies". You have the same the beliefs, morals, values etc etc of the hearing people around you, the only difference is the language you use.
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Thank you.
 
ambrosia said:
*head desk*
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There's just no end to this type of comparison is there? :roll: I think the deaf community has more of a need for cliche so they can justify using the us against them mentality.....

Laura
 
From reading here in Alldeaf.com apparently hearing people can be "cultural deaf" if they use ASL. Subscribe to the theory that hearing people have/do "oppress the Deaf".( Hopefully they don't include themselves as oppressors"!) Become "voice off"- at least in Deaf group interactions.

What exactly are "deaf values" - known only to "select few"? Seems that "morals" can be delineated on whether one is Deaf or hearing. Not sure if religion can so categorized?

aside: from having studied theology-don't recall that one's hearing is a basis for "determining whether an action is good or evil"?

Sociology -culture- can lead to "interesting discussions".
 
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ambrosia said:
Deaf wanna be's are not the only wanna bes, there are blind ones, people who think they are supposed to be paralyzed.
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For every aspect, adjective, situation, condition, medical problem, etc I live with, I have seen wannabes.
I was once stalked by a guy who desperately "admired" 2 conditions I have, and mimicked both of them. I was never so freaked out in my whole life.
Deaf wannabes don't really surprise me.
 
Deaf Culture mean that we sign ASL in our Deaf community. It is not the same as hearing community. We have our own activities that related to d/Deaf plus making jokes about hearing people that happened to us. There are also d/Deaf important people that are successful with their invention or ideas. Yes, we take comfort just being communicating in ASL. We discussed our rights to use ASL and as a Deaf person in the National Association of the Deaf. We can have parties and enjoy signing a lot. We are very separate with the hearing world. Of course, we had to put up with the hearing world if we must face them every day but when we want to go into Deaf Culture. That is where we are more use to signing than speaking or lipreading.
 
ambrosia said:
That's exactly what I'm saying. The deaf aren't an island to themselves. For the most part you're brought up with, around, or by "hearies". You have the same the beliefs, morals, values etc etc of the hearing people around you, the only difference is the language you use.
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hmm... ambro: I get your point, about sharing the same values. What you think of (click this) this definition and an unofficial list?
Most or all of us probably agree that for a culture to exist, one of the main prereqs is a different language. c.f., Italians have a culture (and country and so on) in Italy. But would you classify an Italian raised in America an Italian, an American, or an Italian-American?

I think if the "second" part is ignored, a major point in describing a particular person is lost...
 
Oh no doubt a Deaf Community certainly exists, calling it a culture just seems a little grandoise. The only thing that qualifies it as a culture is language, do the Deaf have their own foods? Fashion? Music? And using ASL isn't just a matter of being passed down generation to generation....it's usually a matter of necessity.

Just look at what Bebonang says about being separate from hearing people, and one of the things they have is "making jokes about hearing people that happen to us". On this forum there are threads.....what do you hate most about hearing people......ignorant hearing people stories. This is why I think the Deaf community sounds more like a clique than it's own little subculture.

Imagine for a minute if hearing people made a point and took the time to swap stories about "ignorant deafies"?
 
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ambrosia said:
Oh no doubt a Deaf Community certainly exists, calling it a culture just seems a little grandoise. The only thing that qualifies it as a culture is language, do the Deaf have their own foods? Fashion? Music? And using ASL isn't good just a matter of being passed down generation to generation....it's usually a matter of neccessity.
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You make a good point, but it does qualify as a culture through expression and that expression doesn't have to be ASL. Drug and Youth culture don't have written languages.

Actually, it goes beyond culture because all deaf share a single characteristic, we cannot fully hear. This in itself makes US(not just Deaf) a distinct group.

Not all of us agree with a subset of the culture, but that doesn't mean we are not a part of it.
 
VacationGuy234 said:
You make a good point, but it does qualify as a culture through expression and that expression doesn't have to be ASL. Drug and Youth culture don't have written languages.

Actually, it goes beyond culture because all deaf share a single characteristic, we cannot fully hear. This in itself makes US(not just Deaf) a distinct group.

Not all of us agree with a subset of the culture, but that doesn't mean we are not a part of it.
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Yes we are all deaf, and we all that share our inability to hear, it's what gives us common ground.

I'm not really trying to get anyone to see it my way or anything, or really wanting to get in any debates about about there being a deaf culture. The whole reason I brought this up was the idea that these "wanna be's" want to be a part of our "culture".
That is not the case. Any culture has nothing to do with it, like I said are the blind wannabes trying to get in on Blind Culture? Are the paraplegic wannabes trying to get in on Paraplegic culture? No......because there's no such thing as blind or paraplegic cultures.

And why is it we are the only group that has some part of our bodies that don't function that has it's own "culture"? Just because we have to use a different language? I don't know, seems kind of odd. Okay maybe I do want to philosophize about it. It's a bit interesting.
 
ambrosia said:
And why is it we are the only group that has some part of our bodies that don't function that has it's own "culture"? Just because we have to use a different language? I don't know, seems kind of odd. Okay maybe I do want to philosophize about it. It's a bit interesting.
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I believe the confusion is within the name. If you don't understand the emphasis of the capital D in the name Deaf Culture, you would unwittingly think that subset of people includes all deaf people, it does not.
 
VacationGuy234 said:
I believe the confusion is within the name. If you don't understand the emphasis of the capital D in the name Deaf Culture, you would unwittingly think that subset of people includes all deaf people, it does not.
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Oh absolutely. I'm not a part of Deaf Culture, or the Deaf Community, although if you ask me Community is a far more accurate term, but whatever, it doesn't really mean matter. I certainly don't want to quibble about it with anyone I just find it interesting. Anyway I'm actually deafer than deafdyke up there, and I'm aware that Codas and Sodas can be included in the group. BUT since I don't know ASL and don't know anybody else that's deaf/Deaf/HOH I don't socialize with them, and not part of the Community, other than my interactions here. Thus I am deaf but not of Deaf Culture.

That's it, I need to finish my coffee, this is giving me headache :giggle:
 
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