the Audist Network

that somebody who mentioned deafism, would be me, and its not 'reverse audism'...
 
DeafCaroline said:
Reverse-audism - as you said in an earlier post - a Deaf person disrespecting a hearing person because they value having hearing.

Is this something you see in life or on here?

It's a fine line because from what I've observed in my life that in instances in which a deaf person is showing "disrespect" to a hearing person (any hearing person) is because the hearing person said or did something that offended them.

Most deaf people have hearing parents and hearing siblings and relatives so I am wondering if reverse-audism is common, if this means the Deaf don't respect their own family because the family appreciates hearing.

I'd be curious to see if any hearing people here feel they've experienced reverse-audism and explain how so.
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Speaking personally I have never experienced any discrimination from Deaf people. And my hunch is that it is quite rare, hence the fact that there isn't a really a word available for it.

But I do know personally a mainstreamed deaf lady who after leaving the education system immersed herself in the Deaf community. She became fluent in BSL, worked in an organisation run by Deaf people and got fully involved in Deaf social events. Yet after 15 years she was told that she wasn't "Deaf enough". That's discrimination, even if there isn't a specific word for it like audism.

And you DeafCaroline, wrote about how you were treated horribly at a Deaf camp.

But I want to end this post by reaffirming the reality of audism; that it is far more common, and causes far more harm on its victims. For example, the decision in 1880 at the Milan Conference comprehensively destroyed the lives of so many d/Deaf people over many generations.
 
AJWSmith said:
Speaking personally I have never experienced any discrimination from Deaf people. And my hunch is that it is quite rare, hence the fact that there isn't a really a word available for it.

But I do know personally a mainstreamed deaf lady who after leaving the education system immersed herself in the Deaf community. She became fluent in BSL, worked in an organisation run by Deaf people and got fully involved in Deaf social events. Yet after 15 years she was told that she wasn't "Deaf enough". That's discrimination, even if there isn't a specific word for it like audism.

And you DeafCaroline, wrote about how you were treated horribly at a Deaf camp. she was a victim of Deafism

But I want to end this post by reaffirming the reality of audism; that it is far more common, and causes far more harm on its victims. For example, the decision in 1880 at the Milan Conference comprehensively destroyed the lives of so many d/Deaf people over many generations.
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.
 
I thought reverse-audism is prejudice against hearing people? What I experienced in that summer camp was a combination of prejudice plus immaturity of youth. the oldest member of the staff was about 22.

This weekend, I went to a get-together of deaf people, half were raised oral (they all learned sign after high school graduation) and other half grew up Deaf. According to them, I'm not deaf, I'm HOH. I asked them what this meant and they said if I grew up oral and can hear with my hearing aids, that makes me HOH.

It was their way of distinguishing backgrounds of people in the deaf community. Even so, this distinction made no difference in relations between those raised oral and those not. Any outsider looking in would not be able to tell the difference, one would think they were all raised together.

In any case, I haven't experienced any prejudice since making a concerted effort to get to know the deaf community. In fact, it's been the opposite, people have been very warm and welcoming.
 
To me, I've been observing from a bunch of resource over the years (ASL courses, deaf events and meets, other's experiences) that most cases of deafism start in the younger ages, as teenagers, young adults where people are trying to find their identities. In a slight comparison, it isn't much different from the hearing world bullies in high school. Only the difference is that they challenge CI or HOH, late deaf, hearing people. They don't want to talk to you because you aren't seen as the same group as them.

Gallaudet is one of those places you can see it happening. It's probably not the same as it used to be in the past, but the point is it can be there. Some of those children bring the Deaf-only (being one sided) fundamentalism with them as they grow older. Others grow out of it. You can find immediate examples on vlogs all the time, it isn't hard to find one after surfing DVTV (deaf video tv) for a short bit.

Thankfully, (and I'm really thankful for that) it's a minority of the deaf population and does not represent the whole. It doesn't hide the fact that it is still there, and has happened to a few of my friends.
 
DeafCaroline said:
I thought reverse-audism is prejudice against hearing people? What I experienced in that summer camp was a combination of prejudice plus immaturity of youth. the oldest member of the staff was about 22.

This weekend, I went to a get-together of deaf people, half were raised oral (they all learned sign after high school graduation) and other half grew up Deaf. According to them, I'm not deaf, I'm HOH. I asked them what this meant and they said if I grew up oral and can hear with my hearing aids, that makes me HOH.

It was their way of distinguishing backgrounds of people in the deaf community. Even so, this distinction made no difference in relations between those raised oral and those not. Any outsider looking in would not be able to tell the difference, one would think they were all raised together.

In any case, I haven't experienced any prejudice since making a concerted effort to get to know the deaf community. In fact, it's been the opposite, people have been very warm and welcoming.
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I've noticed that it is the young who do that, those in their twenties. Their attitudes change as they get older. :giggle:
 
DeafCaroline said:
Reverse-audism - as you said in an earlier post - a Deaf person disrespecting a hearing person because they value having hearing.

Is this something you see in life or on here?

It's a fine line because from what I've observed in my life that in instances in which a deaf person is showing "disrespect" to a hearing person (any hearing person) is because the hearing person said or did something that offended them.

Most deaf people have hearing parents and hearing siblings and relatives so I am wondering if reverse-audism is common, if this means the Deaf don't respect their own family because the family appreciates hearing.

I'd be curious to see if any hearing people here feel they've experienced reverse-audism and explain how so.
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I, personally, have not experienced prejudice or discrimination from the D/deaf community at large. We did used to have one poster who constantly told me I had no business commenting on anything to do with deafness because I was a hearie, but he didn't last long around here.:lol: I am happy to say that I have always received the warmest of welcomes and support in my journey to learn about the culture and the language.

I don't think this concept of "reverse audism" or "deafism" is a cultural phenomena, but something that stems from bitterness in the individual resulting from the experiences they have had in the hearing world.
 
DeafCaroline said:
I thought reverse-audism is prejudice against hearing people? What I experienced in that summer camp was a combination of prejudice plus immaturity of youth. the oldest member of the staff was about 22.

This weekend, I went to a get-together of deaf people, half were raised oral (they all learned sign after high school graduation) and other half grew up Deaf. According to them, I'm not deaf, I'm HOH. I asked them what this meant and they said if I grew up oral and can hear with my hearing aids, that makes me HOH.

It was their way of distinguishing backgrounds of people in the deaf community. Even so, this distinction made no difference in relations between those raised oral and those not. Any outsider looking in would not be able to tell the difference, one would think they were all raised together.

In any case, I haven't experienced any prejudice since making a concerted effort to get to know the deaf community. In fact, it's been the opposite, people have been very warm and welcoming.
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This concept is not "reverse audism" but something very simply known as "in group prejudice". It is a common phenomena in all groups, and you are correct that is it a way to stratify and describe members belonging to that group.
 
AJWSmith said:
Speaking personally I have never experienced any discrimination from Deaf people. And my hunch is that it is quite rare, hence the fact that there isn't a really a word available for it.

But I do know personally a mainstreamed deaf lady who after leaving the education system immersed herself in the Deaf community. She became fluent in BSL, worked in an organisation run by Deaf people and got fully involved in Deaf social events. Yet after 15 years she was told that she wasn't "Deaf enough". That's discrimination, even if there isn't a specific word for it like audism.
generations.
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I saw a great deal of it at NSAD 2 years ago against many LD and CI wearers. I don't think it is rare at all. I see it some here as well. I shrug it off.....
 
DeafCaroline said:
I thought reverse-audism is prejudice against hearing people? What I experienced in that summer camp was a combination of prejudice plus immaturity of youth. the oldest member of the staff was about 22.

This weekend, I went to a get-together of deaf people, half were raised oral (they all learned sign after high school graduation) and other half grew up Deaf. According to them, I'm not deaf, I'm HOH. I asked them what this meant and they said if I grew up oral and can hear with my hearing aids, that makes me HOH.

It was their way of distinguishing backgrounds of people in the deaf community. Even so, this distinction made no difference in relations between those raised oral and those not. Any outsider looking in would not be able to tell the difference, one would think they were all raised together.

In any case, I haven't experienced any prejudice since making a concerted effort to get to know the deaf community. In fact, it's been the opposite, people have been very warm and welcoming.
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meet them again in 20 years time
 
TXgolfer said:
I saw a great deal of it at NSAD 2 years ago against many LD and CI wearers. I don't think it is rare at all. I see it some here as well. I shrug it off.....
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Perhaps it was directed more at the attitudes of the LD and CI wearers than it was the person in an of themselves. There is a great deal of audism evident in both those groups. The Deaf will always reject audism in any form, just as people of color reject racism in any form.
 
When I went to deaf coffee chat for the first or second time, someone asked me if I had a CI. I said yes, and the information spread throughout the group like wildfire. I was chatting with the questioner (moved on to another topic) when some random person got my attention and said "You have the CI? Do you like it?" I said Yes. Then he signed "I am NEVER getting a CI." Then he signed "naked" all throughout his head/body, then signed "beautiful, normal, me". I was just like "Um.. okay. Cool..." and went back to chatting with the original person. I knew the sign for "beautiful" but not "normal" till later.

I know I barely talked about my CI that night unless someone asked me a specific question, because I know I was scared of saying anything about my CI in the deaf community when I first started going to deaf coffee chats.

Anyway, it could be a case of reverse-audism/deafism or whatever you wanna call it, but honestly, I just thought it was just kind of immature and somewhat awkward (due to the way the conversation went). Do we have a need to label everything? ;)
 
DeafCaroline said:
huh?
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people change the comparing over time too, and i mean you should ask them again in 20 years time, see what they say...bet it'd be interesting just saying
...and please dont 'huh' me, i find it to be considered rude and mocking in tone.
 
Grummer said:
people change the comparing over time too, and i mean you should ask them again in 20 years time, see what they say...bet it'd be interesting just saying
...and please dont 'huh' me, i find it to be considered rude and mocking in tone.
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I said "huh?" because that was the first thing that came to mind due to being confused by your answer. Mocking and rudeness didn't even enter into the equation, just confusion.

I said that lately, the deaf community has been warm and welcoming to me and your reply was "ask them in 20 years time". Wasn't sure what to make of a response like that.
 
DeafCaroline said:
I said "huh?" because that was the first thing that came to mind due to being confused by your answer. Mocking and rudeness didn't even enter into the equation, just confusion.

I said that lately, the deaf community has been warm and welcoming to me and your reply was "ask them in 20 years time". Wasn't sure what to make of a response like that.
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ok well, im was saying that maybe in 20 yeas they'd consider you as Deaf, and as a 'Hoh a long time ago..she' wasnt really hoh, school made her like that..." that sort of reckoning...
Deaf culture is like other cultures it isnt static, it will change over time, but slower than we'd realise...
 
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