With this post, Ocean shares an interesting email from a hearing reader of her blog, who asks some good questions about Deafhood and the Deaf Community, and how we deal with issues that affect our community…
Hello Ocean ~
I want to tell you that I really enjoyed your “Dancing at Our Revolution” post. My minor in college was Women’s Studies, and one of my classes did focus on Emma Goldman. It was nice to be reminded of what Emma believed in and fought for during her life.
It seems that many of the comments to this post talked about the whole concept of dancing. This is a good thing, but I would like to focus on another issue that your post raises.
In the quote from Emma’s autobiography which you posted, she makes a comment which really got me thinking:
“I was tired of having the Cause constantly thrown into my face.”
The reason I bring this up is because as I read the various blogs and watch the various vlogs on DeafRead, it seems that the Deaf Community is constantly throwing their cause in everyone’s face. It seems they are more interested in being angry and complaining about what a cruel world this is and how oppressed they are and how everyone treats them badly and protesting this and challenging that…
Than they are in looking at the beauty in things and finding the joy and celebrating life and engaging in the dance.
I’m not trying to be critical here, Ocean. I’m trying to understand. I know I am just “a stupid hearing person” who is just starting to learn about Deafhood and Deaf Culture and the Deaf Community and all that. I’m currently taking an ASL I class and my teacher (who is Deaf) does discuss some of these issues in class, which is very interesting and thought-provoking.
I do realize that the Deaf Community is often misunderstood, and that they have and continue to be treated pretty shabbily by society.
But I find myself wondering…
Do Deaf people ever get tired of having the Cause thrown in their face? Of throwing the cause in everyone else’s face? What exactly IS the Cause in the Deaf Community anyway?
What is the “Beautiful ideal” of the Deaf Community, and does it in fact demand the denial of life and joy?
Do Deaf people understand the message that Emma was trying to convey with that quote? Do they understand the whole idea of standing up for what you think and feel, even if it means “the condemnation of your own comrades?” It does seem as I read the various comments, that the Deaf Community is rather critical of one another. People do seem to want to tell others how they should think, how they should feel, how they should behave.
Is it even polite in the Deaf Community to tell others to mind their own business?
Does the Deaf Community understand the concept of “dancing at a revolution?” Does the Deaf Community even WANT to dance? For that matter, do they even know how?
Hmmmm… Some very interesting questions being asked here! Certainly I have my own thoughts on what this hearing reader is asking, and my own answers. But I would like to see what others have to say…
So I ask my Deaf readers….
What do YOU think? How would you answer these questions?
This sculpture shows the sign for "connect"...and that is what Deaf Pagan Crossroads is all about - making connections. Connections between Deafhood and Paganism, connections between the Deaf Community and the Hearing Community, connections between myself as the writer and you as the reader. I hope you will take the time to read my various posts, some of which are listed below. Welcome to the Crossroads, and I hope you make some connections here!
Yeah. That was one of my points in my blog that inspired Ocean’s blog. I don’t like Deafhood, to be honest. I think it’s been warped to fit a few people’s personal agendas. They’re constantly focusing on the negativity, and sending out a mandate that we all have to think like them, or we’re not culturally Deaf.. It doesn’t matter if we follow the cultural norms or not. If we do not think like they do, we are not culturally Deaf. That, to me is wrong. It’s just wrong.
And on the other hand, I’m tired of people who are NOT part of our culture, to define what our culture is. They don’t follow the cultural norms at all, but claim they are culturally Deaf. Huh? How can you be part of a culture where you don’t follow the norms?
From what I’m seeing, the Deaf culture is in a tug of war. Everyone wants to tell us what to do, how to think, etc etc. The cause is definitely being thrown in our faces, and that’s why I wrote my blog post, because I was fed up with it.
To some degree, it’s impolite to tell other Deaf to mind their business, but I think that has to change, if the culture wants to survive.
That’s my two loooong cents.
No Culture can Survive if it Attempts to be Exclusive – Mahatma Gandhi
i dont think Deafhood is about enforcing who is big D Deaf and who is not. if folks read paddy ladd’s book where he introduces the concept of Deafhood – u will see that it is actually the opposite – it is about inclusivity – it is about examining that each of us have different points of entry into our spiritual journey as Deaf people
it is not about denying, rushing, harassing, or shoving anything in anyones face
it is however about evolution, empowerment, discovery and advocacy and often advocacy gets chalked up as being just a bunch of ungrateful and unhappy folks
so im really struggling as to how to respond to the above post – i feel saddened by it because it makes pretty broad swiping assumptions about deaf people as a whole
i think if we examine ANY movement by disenfranchised people we will see that there was a period the people passed through where they said – NO we will not take this anymore and as some of the folks transitioned and transgressed into activism others said no dont make trouble, dont make noise, leave well enough alone, dont look so angry and hostile
African-Americans, Women, Native Americans, Japanese Americans, Gays and Lesbians have all faced disagreement in approaches in their effort for equality. that is why im uncomfortable with the poster suggesting that there is something bizarre about Deaf people that they insist on wallowing in their misery. i dont think that is the case at all and i think it is a natural evolution process – read fannon, friere, lane, ladd for references of how disenfranchise groups pass through various stages in their effort for liberation (post-colonalism theories etc)
What is the cause u ask? this puzzles me that u can not see it yet for urself – the cause is EQUALITY plain and simple – this largely comes in the form of language rights
the cause – not to be treated as second class citizens
the cause – not to be dismissed, minimized, wrongfully institutionalized, etc
but if my review of history and movements is accurate – most disenfranchised people must pass through a period of shaking off the yoke of the dominant culture’s definition of who they are and what they can be before they can adequately come together and advocate effectively. its a messy process
there is a bit of in-fighting in the Deaf blogsphere – it saddens me greatly but it is a very very very small amount considering the diverse backgrounds, educational experiences, belief systems, language use, etc that folks have had access to
so if the cause of equality is not yet clear when we all know, breath and feel it – then we need to more clearly articulate this
re: can Deaf people dance? with great abandon, with great soul, with great enthusiasm
they dance when they come together to protest injustice, they dance when they attend a funeral of a beloved community member, they dance at the wedding of two members, they dance at the birth of another Deaf baby into the world, the dance at almost every social gathering where they chat long into the night
i BELIEVE that we can embrace sadness and recognition of oppression and advocate for positive and peaceful change while at the same time acknowledging all the beauty that surrounds us
Emma’s response to “the cause being thrown in her face” was more in response to someone trying to impede her joy and even perhaps to get her to act more like a lady and more like a revolutionary
she chose instead to act like herself
it is my hope that we will each try to stop popping holes in the ground swell that is Deafhood and our collective consciousness and instead plant flowers and shower it with love and positive intentions.
Emma never interpreted the chastising she got to mean she should not continue to be an advocate or a radical
Deafhood is being tugged in both directions –
camp a abusing it to mean Big D Deaf police
camp b abusing it to mean bunch of angry #$%&@#!
really Deafhood is neither
we need to form an camp X where we all decide – Deaf is BEAUTIFUL and Deaf people are born with the unalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
emma’s quote was not to be applied to folks who tried to stop her from being an advocate but rather towards advocates who tried to stop her from having fun at the same time
there is a big difference
would that people try to stop me from having fun instead of trying to stop me from being an advocate – i really can do both really well but i have gotten much more grief for the latter than the former
sorry for the long response and im sure multitude of typos – in a rush me
peace
pdurr
I second the above commenter about difference between deafhood and Deaf Culture and will not go into that here.
For me, when I read Emma’s quote I assume she mean that people continually tell her that she is rejoicing when she should be focusing seriously on her Cause. So I don’t really think v/blogs and other platforms are throwing the Cause but rather if a person catches me having a fun time (dancing, reading leisure books, etc) and tsk me for having a good job instead of putting my all into fighting for my Deaf Cause. I agree with Emma, “Huh? Come the f— on! The Cause WILL lead to those fun things I am having right now so why can’t I enjoy the fruits of the Cause even though it is not finished?”
Thanks Ocean for allowing us the chance to voice our viewpoints!
Patti (pdurr), I guess I should’ve been more clear. I do not have a problem with Paddy Ladd’s book, Deafhood. In fact, I agree with nearly everything he’s said so far. I am reading it right now.
And it may surprise you, but I agree with the majority of what you said, Patti. I agree 100%. It is about inclusiveness, being able to retain your cultural identity with pride and advocating for your rights.
But I do have a problem with how some people interpret Deafhood. Where are the blogs and vlogs expressing awe at the beauty of our culture without it being at the expense of others?
Hi,
I attended the Deafhood workshop last weekend here in Indianapolis and it was great, having learned a lot about the history. I am waiting for the Paddy book which should arrive anytime soon.
However, I notice that the concept of Deafhood is changed to fit each person’s perception and then try to impress his/her perception of what Deafhood should mean on us. I wince at the debate between the extremes like Noelle (the oralist) and Michele K. (ASL purist) in the DeafDC… it is the middle who gets caught in the crossfire. We don’t need this silly discussion over what defines a Deaf person and why it should be that way… it is like telling us we don’t deserve to be a Deaf person and that we’d be accepted if we met all of the requirements of the Deaf culture. That is pretty snobbish..
We should remember that Deafhood mean we all have our own journeys and that we should respect others’ decisions in the their Deafhood journeys instead of being critical.
So understandably the viewers look in and see the bickering in the deafread and deafdc and they’d wonder… what is going on?
Sigh.
La Rhonda – thanks for ur comments
other writings at:
http://www.aslcommunityjournal.com/blog/index.php?s=durr
Scroll down past the first post as this one was not by me – just mentions my name so gets lumped with the others i have written
i dont have a blog/vlog – but have posted up videos (short docs also) – the latests r of rochester’s international day of sign languages rally and march
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=pdurr
peace
p
I will be awfully honest here. I am not at all comfortable with the term Deafhood, but I am willing to warm to the idea of it. I’ve always associated the suffix -hood with individualistic words such as baby (babyhood), child (childhood), boy (boyhood), girl … to implicate the state of being an individual. The word Deaf (uppercase or not) is a collective term…characteristic of a group of Deaf people. I don’t think there are two or more Deaf people who think or behave alike. All bloggers and vloggers made individualistic contributions, and their stories are important to figure out where we are heading as in the journey of Deafhood (?) … or am I still awakening from my dreamland.
Pardon the interruption from a hearing person….
I think that there might be a different impression of the community from reading blogs, because blogs are primarily about self-expression. The blogs give a voice to the world about what you feel, need, desire.
Diverse opinions are to be expected, and don’t need to mean that someone is being excluded from the collective, just a segregation/separation into smaller groups inside the circle (a fairly natural characteristic of the human experience).
(Carl, I agree about the term)
I now return you to the posts from the Deaf readers…..
Bravo, Patti! Another wonderful comment! You should publish a book of your comments.
Deaf Pundit, I’m glad to know you are reading Paddy Ladd’s book now. I hope you will process the concepts in the book with me and others.
Karen Mayes, the Deafhood process is not at all a smooth ride. That’s what I’ve learned in my journey the past couple of years. It’s been the “best dance of my Deaf life”, but that kind of dance needs to draw as many people into the ballroom to share in the dance. And I’ve learned that some people prefer to stay outside of the ballroom and throw insults. It’s been sad to realize that. However, for every insult, I have been fortunate to experience at least 25 (maybe 250!) delightful comments, hugs, smiles, “light going on!”, etc. I remind myself to dance to those, and try to be continually brave enough to open the door to those hecklers outside the room and welcome them whenever they are ready. It’s easier to just keep the door locked and ignore them or even mock them, but my renewed consciousness inside me tugs at me, challenging me to break out of my comfort zone. I realize when that happens that I am still on my journey and have not completed it. As Paddy said, nobody will fully understand Deafhood, but with our collective learning experiences and wisdom shared with the younger generations, our hope continues for increasingly deeper Deafhood consciousness that brings us towards better Deaf humanity that benefits the world at large as well.
Hearing Reader, just reading the blogs or even watching the vlogs on DeafRead isn’t enough to gain a full understanding of what goes on in the Deaf world. It’s just the same for me when I attempt to “analyze or comment” on Others’ strifes or lives based on what I see in newspapers, on TV news, in movies or TV shows, I realize from those, I do get a glimpse, but of a very very small part of the whole culture. I can easily have misconceptions or wrong assumptions. I will never fully understand Others, but I can “suspend judgement” as long as I can and absorb as much as I can, especially about “cross cultural behaviors and thinking”…..Also, if I don’t know and fluently use the language of the Other group, I am at a huge disadvantage at ideal cross cultural opportunites.
As for Emma, that’s someone remotely familiar to me…need to know her more…another opportunity to understand the experience of being part of a Revolution. And there are many more folks out there to learn from! And hopefully other folks learn from us as well.
I want to thank the people who posted their comments… I have found them very interesting to read. To learn more about how Deaf people think and feel about “the Cause” was a real eye-opener for me.
I really enjoyed what pdurr had to say, and I also liked Ella’s comment about the ballroom.
I think it is really true that in any disenfranchised group, you will find the people who will stride into the room and begin to dance beautifully, while others stand outside and make a mockery of the ball.
Thanks again for enlightening me and many others. I hope you will continue to dance at your revolution for as long as it takes!
I am no longer able to dance, since I’ve now lost almost all my balance and mobility, but, when I was a Sophomore in high school (I’d been totally Deaf for 5 1/2 years), many of the girls would comment about how well I danced.
This was in 1977 and it may have been the last time I danced.
re: carl’s post on “hood”
i think the suffix -hood generally refers to:
A group sharing a specified state or quality
think sisterhood, brotherhood, womanhood, parenthood, neighborhood
so actually the term connotes a collective group with shared characteristics
this is why paddy chose this term Deafhood because he is encouraging us to examine our oneness – the common denominator that all Deaf folks share – being people of the eye – to varying degrees of course but it is formed out of the physical cause – being deaf
this is why veditz said of Deaf people – “They are facing not a theory but a condition, for they are first, last, and all the time the people of the eye.” – 1910
here he did not mean “condition” to mean like handicapping condition but rather akin to the “human condition” a shared way of being
peace
pdurr
[...] 8th, 2007 by ocean1025 The below was originally written as a comment in response to my post about whether Deaf people know “how to dance”… not dancing literally; but rather, [...]
[...] ocean1025 The below was originally written as a comment in response to my post about whether Deaf people know “how to dance”… not dancing literally; but rather, [...]
[...] u might need to read the original blog posting that i was responding to for the full context http://deafpagancrossroads.com/2007/10/05/can-deaf-people-dance/ [...]