I can understand Shel's POV.
Some "Deaf" people here tout their ability to hear to the point where they brag about it. They will go off the deep end to claim they were so happy they did not lose a lot of their hearing to the point to be classified as "Deaf".
This rubs me off the wrong end. The haughty attitude they carry around thinking their life is much more complete than ours; they view our Deaf-World as incomplete because we don't have what? Hearing. I do not view hearing as a gift. I actually view it as a nuisance. I grew up hating my hearing aids. Such nuisances would annoy my ears, give me chronic ear wax, worsen my tinnitus and my headaches would worsen; they all came from the nuisances called hearing aids.
The hearing aids are supposed to aid you to hear.
For me, I am so blessed in my silent world. I don't need to hear gossip although I may partake a bit of that with my eyes and hands! LOL! I don't need to hear immature retorts from young people however I do see those cute kids mimicking a fat person with their overextended arms and their legs taking gigantic steps. This I giggle and their parents shooing at them, I always tell the parents "NO NO NO.. I loved the show!!" 
You see where other people's attitude can affect the community - intentional or unintentional.
This community is accessed with a handlename and a password. We need to implement this guideline to remind them that you are entering our intimate community to be a part of us; not to mock us.
