why do hearing people think they better than us?

DeafTim said:
your lucky, im talking about profound deafness. :)
Click to expand...

Got a severe bilateral profound deafness of 110 to 120 db in both ears.
 
Well, I'm profoundly deaf, aids don't to a damn thing for me.
So, I rely on lipreading/paper & pen and believe it or not, I like it that way...I've met so many Hearing people who are "embarrassed" by their teeth...hair on their upper lip...or the way they look, or the way they speak....the list goes on and on....

I've also had people say..."ahhh...I can't or I don't know how to "talk" to her!".....just trying to "escape" the situation....I've given them a "very pitiful look" at times, and shake my head.....so again, they get embarrassed and all "flustered"!....Better them than me!

Whenever hearies say..."OH, I feel "so, so sorry for her/him" because they can't hear"...it really gets my gander up!..We deafies need to get our Confidence up! And stop letting hearing people put us down and make us feel sorry for ourselves!
 
As I noted before the word "deaf" does seem to suggest various adjectives to signify a condition which to me is silence which is total. Does it appear to suggest that there should a "negative scale" to silence? How does the adjective "profound" alter the experience of deafness-silence ?

Implanted A B Harmony activated Aug/07
 
I think many will disagree with you, Dr.Phil, in that deafness must mean total silence. Most of us have different degrees of hearing loss. I consider myself VERY deaf, just in how much I cannot hear without my HAs (which is basically everything!), but I do get a good chunk of benefit out of them when I do have them on. Why do we need a negative scale to silence?
 
cool scary guy said:
I was in the "Hearing Society" for most of my life and so for I haven't n
met any one that thinks they are better than me ( at lest not because of hearing)

however I have seen lots of deaf people who think they are better because of less hearing.... "your only HOH" , " your not deaf enough" , "you are a trader if you talk to hearies",


edit: it sucks, when every one wants what ever group they are in to be its own little world.
Click to expand...

See I see both groups doing that in the past to me...
I have hearing people tell me I'm not hearing enough... and I'm ok with that... I don't want to be hearing... at least not anymore. I see there are some advantages with my current job... but I can go back to school and do what ever I wanted to do.

I've also seen it in the deaf world, not really here... but in the past... not being deaf enough... because I still have some hearing... because I haven't learned my ASL completely yet...

its left me feeling trapped... trapped between two worlds... like I'm not good enough for either world... its a hard feeling...

I'm happy I have finally met Deaf People who are ok with who I am, know that I am trying to become more fluent in ASL, who know that I am not less for being HoH, that I still struggle every day, that that I can be part of either world, or just one if I want to... Growing up Oral, growing up HoH is hard...
 
Ash, learn ASL and attend some Deaf socials. It's worth the effort. Every group usually has a few people who are willing to practice with newbies, especially the people who learned ASL later in life. These people understand the position you're in. I'm on Skype and P3 if you want to practice.
 
serena1986 said:
why do they think they better than us?
Click to expand...

why? mmm good question.

Possibly Jealousy or Pride into thinking that they are superior than us. But just you know. They dont know how to deal when losing one sense. Let say if lost hearing our ears. our eyes pick up the slacks therefore we pay attention little more to details around us than hearing does. if it was sense was like lost in eyes, then ears pick up the slack and hear more the sounds and where it coming from. Plus Hearing people really need to know that Deafness or blindness or any senses that we have lost doesnt change who we are. Hearing doesnt know that there is so much more in us than losing one sense.

Plus if they jealous or very pride that they think they can hear more than us. They will fall. Deafness doesnt stop us. There is no barrier here. They also shouldnt force us to speak for that matter. if they want to communicate, they need to learn the language. I know family members may be difficult. I know mine wouldnt learn but i will get through that. But for anybody else who want to talk to deaf people really need to learn the language. it is almost like you going to another country and experience their culture and language. if you dont understand that, dont bother.
 
Why hearing ppl think they are better

Glenn said:
I'm just def. :cool2:
Click to expand...

I disagree, from the comments you have made on this topic, you are also, fair minded, compassionate, intelligent and have an incredable sense of self. I
think there are lessons to be learned from your simple but thoughtful comments. smile...too bad I'm already in Love. I think you're exceptional.
Peace to you my friend..Midnight♥♥♥
 
:wave:MidnightSun, your reply above was very thoughtful:hug:

namaste-
 
MidnightSun said:
I disagree, from the comments you have made on this topic, you are also, fair minded, compassionate, intelligent and have an incredable sense of self. I
think there are lessons to be learned from your simple but thoughtful comments. smile...too bad I'm already in Love. I think you're exceptional.
Peace to you my friend..Midnight♥♥♥
Click to expand...
Def...what did that mean to you?

I took my meaning from how rappers use it. It's supposed to mean cool. It's even defined that way several times in the Urban Dictionary. :)

It is meant in a positive manner.
 
Glenn said:
Def...what did that mean to you?

I took my meaning from how rappers use it. It's supposed to mean cool. It's even defined that way several times in the Urban Dictionary. :)

It is meant in a positive manner.
Click to expand...

Oh, please excuse me..for disagreeing. You must be "cool" if you reference the Urban Dictionary..laughing. Also, I can't hear a thing including "rappers" and if I could hear, that would not be my choice of "music." So..laughing, you might want to pull out the old Webster's Dictionary and see that I was simply complementing you by saying positive things about your comments..or are you to "Def" to have that book? "SNAP" go look that one up...Midnight♥♥♥ :cool2:
 
I don't think hearing people think they are "better" than deaf people. I think that word is not the right word to use. Being a coda, I have met many hearing people who are VERY enthusiastic about meeting my mother and other deaf folks and treat them with the utmost respect. Certainly there are going to be people who are ignorant but does that mean they think they are "better?" I don't think so.

I have met MANY deaf people through my mother who seem extremely bitter towards hearing people and tend to shut them out. How are hearing people supposed to respond to that attitude? I have met ASL students with such a passion for learning about deaf culture and ASL but get rejected when they try to interact with deaf people. What about that?

Maybe instead of playing the victim card and saying that hearing people think they are better than deaf, people need to realize that some people are just ignorant (hearing AND deaf alike) and just move on. There really doesn't seem much point in dwelling over it when it has no impact on your life. Just be a good person, treat people well and reject those who make you feel bad.
 
traciedantoni said:
I don't think hearing people think they are "better" than deaf people. I think that word is not the right word to use. Being a coda, I have met many hearing people who are VERY enthusiastic about meeting my mother and other deaf folks and treat them with the utmost respect. Certainly there are going to be people who are ignorant but does that mean they think they are "better?" I don't think so.

I have met MANY deaf people through my mother who seem extremely bitter towards hearing people and tend to shut them out. How are hearing people supposed to respond to that attitude? I have met ASL students with such a passion for learning about deaf culture and ASL but get rejected when they try to interact with deaf people. What about that?

Maybe instead of playing the victim card and saying that hearing people think they are better than deaf, people need to realize that some people are just ignorant (hearing AND deaf alike) and just move on. There really doesn't seem much point in dwelling over it when it has no impact on your life. Just be a good person, treat people well and reject those who make you feel bad.
Click to expand...

If the ignorance takes the shape of "The ability to hear is superior to the lack of ability to hear", then that ignorance is the same thing as a hearing person thinking they're better than a deaf person. Obviously, nobody is saying all hearing people are like that, though. But many? Sure. It primarily manifests itself in a form of unrecognized and unacknowledged privilege.
 
StSapphire said:
If the ignorance takes the shape of "The ability to hear is superior to the lack of ability to hear", then that ignorance is the same thing as a hearing person thinking they're better than a deaf person. Obviously, nobody is saying all hearing people are like that, though. But many? Sure. It primarily manifests itself in a form of unrecognized and unacknowledged privilege.
Click to expand...

I absolutely agree with you. I think many hearing people fall under the category of feeling sorry for people who they consider to have any sort of handicap whether it be blindness, deafness or any other issue which makes someone not be able to function with 100% ease in the world.

That being said, I can tell you that it doesn't help when deaf people take advantage of the system for financial gain like those who just don't want to work and get their monthly checks from ssdi. My father fell under that category and it pissed me off. He claimed he couldn't work or get a job due to deafness and loss of eyesight BUT he was fine at the bowling alley several times a week until he passed away. My mother, on the other hand, never once got government support and is a very strong and empowered deaf woman who I respect more than anyone I know. She has never played the victim card or complained about "hearies" and thus she is more respected by the hearing people she interacts with. I think that plays a huge part in it.

If someone is bitter or has a bad attitude, they will not be liked and people will look down on them regardless of whether they are deaf or not. Just sayin'.
 
As a "heary" I'd like to take a stab at this one.

Do hearing people think of themselves as fundamentally better people? I'd say not really.

Do they (stupidly) think they are more "perfected" or "complete"? Probably.

I think this is because hearing people are largely ignorant to the facts that ASL/SL is even a language and that deafness falls on a spectrum. If you ignore these things as a hearing person, anyone who can't or won't communicate to you in English seems deficient and stubborn. The problem then is that kind of ignorance is easy to maintain in a world where you aren't forced to deal with any kind of person you (for any reason) don't want to deal with.

Hearing people also identify so much with their senses that when they meet a deaf/blind person they automatically put them into categories based on what they think this person can't do or enjoy instead of learning about the person as an individual or their culture as a whole. Pity based on ignorance is a terrible way to start a relationship of any type.

Just some thoughts on the subject :)
 
Back
Top