Hearing Culture

[jillio]

Do I correctly understand that this postulates the presumed hearing culture is based on the act of using language rather than any particular language?

I'm not an anthropology student, just a fan of studying society, but it seems to me that members of a group have to be aware of their membership in a group, don't they? A black person knows they are black every day, a deaf person knows they are deaf every day. But hearing people don't think about their hearing until they meet a deaf person. Most people don't walk around all day aware of the fact that they can hear...it just IS for them. I'm not saying this to disprove the idea of a hearing culture, just throwing it out there to point out hearing people are not usually (proudly) Hearing in the way that people are Black or Deaf. They just don't think about it.

Good thoughts, but not being conscious of your cultural affiliation all the time is not unusual at all, expecially for any majority culture. They are accomustomed to the priviledge, born into it, so to speak (no pun intended), and therefore, it is taken for granted under most circumstances. But that doesn't mean the culture doesn't exist.

Gender is another group that people belong to, but you don't spend much conscious time considering whether you are male or female, unless you have GID, which is a whole 'nother topic.

It is the use of spoken language that is associated with hearing culture. The use of language, in whatever mode (signed or spoken), to communicate the abstract and for social interaction, is what makes deaf and hearing alike a part of the larger cultural group known as humans.

 

[Etoile]

Good thoughts, but not being conscious of your cultural affiliation all the time is not unusual at all, expecially for any majority culture. They are accomustomed to the priviledge, born into it, so to speak (no pun intended), and therefore, it is taken for granted under most circumstances. But that doesn't mean the culture doesn't exist.

This is why you're the anthropology expert and I'm not!

Gender is another group that people belong to, but you don't spend much conscious time considering whether you are male or female, unless you have GID, which is a whole 'nother topic.

But...I do think about it all the time. Or at least a lot of the time. Not just because I am a lesbian, not just because I have transgender friends, but because sexism is still present in our society. Other people don't think about it?

It is the use of spoken language that is associated with hearing culture. The use of language, in whatever mode (signed or spoken), to communicate the abstract and for social interaction, is what makes deaf and hearing alike a part of the larger cultural group known as humans.

Oops, that's what I meant. I left that out! Thanks for catching it.

 

[jillio]

This is why you're the anthropology expert and I'm not!


But...I do think about it all the time. Or at least a lot of the time. Not just because I am a lesbian, not just because I have transgender friends, but because sexism is still present in our society. Other people don't think about it?


Oops, that's what I meant. I left that out! Thanks for catching it.

YW.

Let me rephrase that a bit. You don't question whether you are a male or a female all the time. You accept that you a a member of the group known as "female". That is evidenced by the fact that you just identitified yourself as "lesbian". While you may question gender roles and the way that society views them, as do I quite often, I don't think either one of us questions our membership in the group known as "female." We also are members of sub-groups: You female and homosexual, and I female and herterosexual. See what I mean?

 

[Etoile]

YW.

Let me rephrase that a bit. You don't question whether you are a male or a female all the time. You accept that you a a member of the group known as "female". That is evidenced by the fact that you just identitified yourself as "lesbian". While you may question gender roles and the way that society views them, as do I quite often, I don't think either one of us questions our membership in the group known as "female." We also are members of sub-groups: You female and homosexual, and I female and herterosexual. See what I mean?

I meant that I'm conscious that I'm female, though. I think about the fact that I am female a lot...when people hold open doors for me, when I help people fix their computers, when there is a line at the restroom. It surprises me that other people don't think about this. Yes, I accept that I am a member of the female group, but I also think about it a lot. I don't think most hearing people think about the fact that they are hearing. If you asked them "are you hearing" they might not even understand, unless you said "can you hear" - that is, for most people, I think deafness is outside their daily consciousness, and they don't think about the fact that they are hearing at all. For me, gender is NOT outside my daily consciousness. I guess other people are different though.

I find all this terribly fascinating, thanks for indulging me, jillio!

 

[jillio]

I meant that I'm conscious that I'm female, though. I think about the fact that I am female a lot...when people hold open doors for me, when I help people fix their computers, when there is a line at the restroom. It surprises me that other people don't think about this. Yes, I accept that I am a member of the female group, but I also think about it a lot. I don't think most hearing people think about the fact that they are hearing. If you asked them "are you hearing" they might not even understand, unless you said "can you hear" - that is, for most people, I think deafness is outside their daily consciousness, and they don't think about the fact that they are hearing at all. For me, gender is NOT outside my daily consciousness. I guess other people are different though.

I find all this terribly fascinating, thanks for indulging me, jillio!

Not a problem, at all.

I think you are correct in that the majority don't think about the fact that they are hearing, unless they are placed in a situation where that is brought into their conscious. For instance, in conversing with a deaf individual or two. They would then be conscious of their hearing status as a result of the situation. The deaf are undoubtedly more conscious of their deafness, as a member of a minority group. Minorities are, by definition, more conscious of their status, usually because the majority is unconscious of the priviledged status they hold.

Perhaps that is why you are more conscious of gender, as well. You have the minority status of "HOH/deaf", you have the minority status of "female", and then you have the minority status of "lesbian."

And, while females are in the majority population-wise, socially, they are still treated in a minority status.

But the real point is, you don't go through your day asking yourself, "Am I a female?" You know you are a female, so you are accepting of your membership in that group. Just as a black man knows that he is black, and a man, and accepts his membership in those groups. He doesn't wake up each day and ask, "Am I black? or Am I a man?"

 

[deafskeptic]

This is why you're the anthropology expert and I'm not!


But...I do think about it all the time. Or at least a lot of the time. Not just because I am a lesbian, not just because I have transgender friends, but because sexism is still present in our society. Other people don't think about it?


Oops, that's what I meant. I left that out! Thanks for catching it.

I don't think about it as much as I used to and I'm not a transsexual but I've been aware that many of the things I'm interested in are more likely to appeal to guys than to women ever since I was 7. I've never owned a Barbie doll. A good way to tick me off is to remind me that I should be more femmie.

I remember years ago when my friend commented that my bike is a boy bike. I've always wished I had remembered to retort that it's a pink bike so there!

 

[deafbajagal]

Do I correctly understand that this postulates the presumed hearing culture is based on the act of using language rather than any particular language?

I'm not an anthropology student, just a fan of studying society, but it seems to me that members of a group have to be aware of their membership in a group, don't they? A black person knows they are black every day, a deaf person knows they are deaf every day. But hearing people don't think about their hearing until they meet a deaf person. Most people don't walk around all day aware of the fact that they can hear...it just IS for them. I'm not saying this to disprove the idea of a hearing culture, just throwing it out there to point out hearing people are not usually (proudly) Hearing in the way that people are Black or Deaf. They just don't think about it.

Interesting!!!!!!!!!

 

[deafbajagal]

Did you know that for a long time when I was a child, I really and truly thought I was black (I'm not). The reason is...at the first deaf school I attended, they placed me into a class of students whom all were black. I presumed that black children wore hearing aids, and since I had hearing aids, then I must be black. For a long time (like up until I was in third grade or so), if I saw a black person, I presumed that person was deaf like me.

 

[jillio]

Did you know that for a long time when I was a child, I really and truly thought I was black (I'm not). The reason is...at the first deaf school I attended, they placed me into a class of students whom all were black. I presumed that black children wore hearing aids, and since I had hearing aids, then I must be black. For a long time (like up until I was in third grade or so), if I saw a black person, I presumed that person was deaf like me.

How very interesting. Those are those heuristics at work that Ispoke if earlier.

I've told the story before of my son thinking I was deaf because I signed, and to him, deaf people signed. He was furious with me when he foundout I was hearing.

Likewise, anecdote tells us if deaf children are never exposed to deaf adults, they believe that they will grow up to be hearing because they associate adulthood with hearing. That is all they have seen.

 

[Grummer]

Do I correctly understand that this postulates the presumed hearing culture is based on the act of using language rather than any particular language?

I'm not an anthropology student, just a fan of studying society, but it seems to me that members of a group have to be aware of their membership in a group, don't they? A black person knows they are black every day, a deaf person knows they are deaf every day. But hearing people don't think about their hearing until they meet a deaf person. Most people don't walk around all day aware of the fact that they can hear...it just IS for them. I'm not saying this to disprove the idea of a hearing culture, just throwing it out there to point out hearing people are not usually (proudly) Hearing in the way that people are Black or Deaf. They just don't think about it.

thats right, its just an assumed normalcy, afterall it's a 'norm', something that is taken for granted.

 

[deafbajagal]

How very interesting. Those are those heuristics at work that Ispoke if earlier.

I've told the story before of my son thinking I was deaf because I signed, and to him, deaf people signed. He was furious with me when he foundout I was hearing.

Likewise, anecdote tells us if deaf children are never exposed to deaf adults, they believe that they will grow up to be hearing because they associate adulthood with hearing. That is all they have seen.

That's so true. I've had many deaf children tell me that when they grow up, they will be hearing. I asked one little boy, "But what about me? I'm deaf. I'm a grown up!"

He replied with a straight face, "Because you didn't grow up enough. You're still short like a kid."

HMPH. LOL.

 

[dead money]

Did you know that for a long time when I was a child, I really and truly thought I was black (I'm not). The reason is...at the first deaf school I attended, they placed me into a class of students whom all were black. I presumed that black children wore hearing aids, and since I had hearing aids, then I must be black. For a long time (like up until I was in third grade or so), if I saw a black person, I presumed that person was deaf like me.

i bet that was a shock when you discovered a mirror

 

[jillio]

That's so true. I've had many deaf children tell me that when they grow up, they will be hearing. I asked one little boy, "But what about me? I'm deaf. I'm a grown up!"

He replied with a straight face, "Because you didn't grow up enough. You're still short like a kid."

HMPH. LOL.

Cute story. I had a friend tell me not long ago that the reason I could get the kids to open up in sessions was because I was the same size as them so they weren't intimidated by me!

Doncha just love the short jokes? LOL

 

[shel90]

Speaking of being aware of my deafness growing up around all hearing people and no deaf people (my best friend who is deaf went to another school and we only saw each other maybe 4 times a year growing up), that happened around 4th or 5th grade. That was when I started being scared of my future as a grown-up since I had never met a deaf adult so I didnt know what will happen to me when I became an adult. I truly believed that I would be put in a hospital, live with my mom forever, or even live on the streets cuz I didnt have the understanding that deaf people can work too. I thought by being able to work, get married, have kids, or live on your own, one must be hearing.

Also, due to that fear, I worked so hard to be as "hearing" as I could hoping someday I would be as hearing as my peers and adults in my life.

 

[jillio]

Speaking of being aware of my deafness growing up around all hearing people and no deaf people (my best friend who is deaf went to another school and we only saw each other maybe 4 times a year growing up), that happened around 4th or 5th grade. That was when I started being scared of my future as a grown-up since I had never met a deaf adult so I didnt know what will happen to me when I became an adult. I truly believed that I would be put in a hospital, live with my mom forever, or even live on the streets cuz I didnt have the understanding that deaf people can work too. I thought by being able to work, get married, have kids, or live on your own, one must be hearing.

Also, due to that fear, I worked so hard to be as "hearing" as I could hoping someday I would be as hearing as my peers and adults in my life.

It really is a shame that we don't take more care with understanding the messages the environment we place kids ingives them. Or to concentrate on the ears and the mouth so much, that we fail to recognize when they are suffering in many other ways.

 

[Oceanbreeze]

You can't separate anthropology from any discussion of culture. And there are modern applied anthropologists that study just the concepts you are adresssing here.

Trying to convince hearing individuals that they are a part of "hearing culture" is as difficult as convincing a white man that he indeed enjoys "white priviledge" that the black man doesn't. The majority never want to admit that norms benefit and are geared to, the majority and that it indeed makes for less than a level playingfield.[/QUOTE]

You're right and you just made me think about this. I was just about to prove your point for you and disagree with you. I was going to argue with you that a "hearing culture" doesn't exist. But, after taking a second to engage my brain and think about this, you're right. It does.

Got me thinking...

 

[jillio]

You can't separate anthropology from any discussion of culture. And there are modern applied anthropologists that study just the concepts you are adresssing here.

Trying to convince hearing individuals that they are a part of "hearing culture" is as difficult as convincing a white man that he indeed enjoys "white priviledge" that the black man doesn't. The majority never want to admit that norms benefit and are geared to, the majority and that it indeed makes for less than a level playingfield.[/QUOTE]

You're right and you just made me think about this. I was just about to prove your point for you and disagree with you. I was going to argue with you that a "hearing culture" doesn't exist. But, after taking a second to engage my brain and think about this, you're right. It does.

Got me thinking...

Thinking is always good! For all of us.

 

[Bebonang]

Oh my God, it sounds like Brainwash into our thinking that what we thought to believe is to make us be like hearing people, no deaf people, no sign language. It is a nightmare that we will wake up in cold sweat. The hearing people did a good job trying to make a role model for us, deafies to be like them with lipreading and speech. I don't like that at all. It just too hard that we really need Deaf role models for us better then hearies. No wonder it has been a battle between the AGBell, mainstream schools (oral only) and our own ASL which is very important to us, not ban it. Every hearing person want us to be like them hearing not deafness. That's suck!!!

 

[Grummer]

Thinking is always good! For all of us.

yeah me too, but notice that once you get to that radical thinking and wishing to enrich it more, paitence quickly wears out fast as you strive to find out more in a very difficult environment which everybody is so tied in that 'popular views' even though it was not popular in little as 15 years ago. it goes to show we hjave indeed a lot more way to go than popular explanation of 'social progress (alot of open mindedness bullshit going around) would have us believe.

 

[jillio]

yeah me too, but notice that once you get to that radical thinking and wishing to enrich it more, paitence quickly wears out fast as you strive to find out more in a very difficult environment which everybody is so tied in that 'popular views' even though it was not popular in little as 15 years ago. it goes to show we hjave indeed a lot more way to go than popular explanation of 'social progress (alot of open mindedness bullshit going around) would have us believe.

I agree that there is a lot farther to go. But I truly believe that we must explain it first so that we know exactly what we are dealing with. You cnnot change a behavior or an attitude unless you know where that behavior and attitude is coming from. Once you understand the motivation and the foundation, you can work toward changing the cause of that behavior. That will make for lasting change. And, we have to be aware of the attitudes within ourselves that prevent productive change. The heuristics that are held by the individual make for collective societal attitudes. First, we have to become aware of where our heuristics are faulty, change them in oursleves, and then work to make others aware so that they may change their way of seeing things, as well. It happens one person at a time, and self awareness is the key.