'Hearie' and 'Deafie'...offensive??

katz4life

katz4life

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First of all, to be honest I haven't heard or known anyone who is hearing that felt insulted and hurt at the term 'hearie' being used by d/Deaf peers until the first time I learned that my sis in law confessed she doesn't like the term I used where she read my comments on Facebook. Im kind of confused because since I have hearing friends and family as well, they seem never felt offended by that label 'hearie' even that there is also a label 'Deafies' being used by some hearing friends and relatives. I have used a label myself and other deaf people as 'deafies' I have known my people they never felt insulted by these term. I don't understand...I mean, I have my hearing friend and have met new faces of hearing people who wanted to learn sign language, in a conversation about each other's life and basic interests. I had a hearing person asking me about my marital status, that I have a boyfriend and asked me "is he a hearie or deafie ?" in fingerspelling. I have never felt offended by a word deafie.

For hearing, do you ever feel offended by a word hearie from deaf people?

For deaf, do you feel offended by a word deafie from hearing people?

Discuss.
 
Hearie doesn't bother me. :)
 
Wirelessly posted (Blackberry Bold )

I dislike both terms - never use them, don't like to see them.

Here's the thing - while we (those involved in the hoh/d/Deaf world) understand it's just a 'nickname' for being hearing or deaf the problem is that outside in the general public people do not know that's what it means.

Outside - in the general world where people don't know a lot about us, ot the words,phrases, abbreviations and 'nick names' we use there are hearing people who use the term "deafie" as an insult - often used as "stupid deafie" or "dumb deafie". Not endearing or playful at all ... It's meant to not only be derogatory, but also as a way of subtly implying that we hoh & deaf people lack the ability to be as intelligent as hearing. Using "deafie" has a "child-like" implication - a "cutesy name" which says you may look like an adult, but we still think of you as a child unable to take care of themselves, take responsibility for yourself - or a family, etc.


Because that understanding of the word "deafie" is the one that more hearing people are likely to know - it's easy to see how they'd also interpret "hearie" to be a deaf person's variation of the insult that some hearing use toward deaf.


As I said, I don't like either and won't use them, or allow people to use the word "deafie" when referring to me at all. Period.

On the Inside - in online and physical Hoh/Deaf communities, it's understood as a benign label and people know it's meant in kindness not malice.

Outside - how people understand "hearie" and "deafie" will depend on the context they're used to hearing it ... And more often than not that context is one of mockery, and malice. For that reason even if I did use those terms here, I'd never ever use them in the general public such as on FB, a message board /forum that wasn't specifically Hoh/d/Deaf centric.
 
People can tell everyone that Deaf Derek or Deafie Derek likes cars with turbo engine. It doesn't matter as long as people knows that I like turbos.
 
I don't think it is so much as the word "hearie" itself, but how you use it.

Facebook is a breeding ground for all kinds of disagreements and misunderstandings, just like these forums. You may be thinking that the word "hearie" is an innocent word, but some hearing people may take it as a derogatory word. I know some much older people that grew up using the word "ni**er" to describe every black person, they don't realize that in the black community, it is an offensive term.

On a public forum, we all have to be mindful that every person's interpretation of what you say is going to be different, so choose your words carefully.

If my deaf friends call me "deafo" "deafie" "deafdumbfuck" or anything like that, I don't get offended at all, but if a hearing person says it, I might take offense. It all depends on who/where/why, etc.
 
When I was a little girl I was called 'deafie' by older sister and brother and younger sister, and it hurt my feeling a lot. And it still offensive to me today.
 
I don't think either are offensive. I guess it's just a matter of who hears/sees it used and their understanding of the words.

I have said a few words in the past where it offended a few, but not most.
 
It is just weird to me, i have, say about 150 or so hearing people on my Facebook friends list, they have seen me using both of slang terms since I first joined fb and YouTube on the comments...not one of them made a rebuttal or bring up an argument or criticize my statement except my sis and bro in law. I wonder why?
 
katz4life said:
It is just weird to me, i have, say about 150 or so hearing people on my Facebook friends list, they have seen me using both of slang terms since I first joined fb and YouTube on the comments...not one of them made a rebuttal or bring up an argument or criticize my statement except my sis and bro in law. I wonder why?
Click to expand...

Judging from the other thread you wrote about them, I would have to say they are taking offense at anything you say or do.
 
2 out of at least 150 still makes no sense to me. It should be more numbers of them to say something to take it back what i said. Hmm.
 
My partner's recent post on facebook criticized against the discrimination of audist NBC's productions for not showing Miss Deaf America performing in ASL on Superbowl tv. I found it surprising his brother and sis in law didn't say anything about it when they saw his post....
 
I feel both "hearie & deafie" are actually slang words.....it wouldn't bother me really. I would say a hearie or a deafie on this board, or to my personal friends, .becuz I know the members undy. But other people might take it as an insult, perhaps not even understanding what you meant.
 
I never heard the terms before coming here to AD. I understand that most don't find them offensive, so I wouldn't make an issue of it, but personally, I don't care for the terms.
 
I guess I never really thought of it. I can see some people being offended by it and I can see other's not being offended by it. As for me, I have been called worse.
 
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