ASL, English and Attitude
Ben Vess of Der Sankt wrote a blog entry about people’s attitudes toward our languages, and I left a comment recommending that we ignore it. But after some due consideration I’m going to rescind my position on that.
First, I should state that when it comes to English and ASL, I strongly believe that both languages are equal to each other, and are just as equally important for our personal and professional lives. I’m an excellent writer, and the same is true when it comes to my usage of ASL. I don’t think I’m being egocentric when I say that because I’ve been tested on both English and ASL. I’ve had professionals declare after testing me, that they have never seen a person like me (a mainstreamed deaf person with a totally hearing family) be so fluent in both languages.
What brought about this reversal of my position is relatively simple. I’m feeling particularly snarky today. In particular, the incestuous phrase which was famously misunderstood on DeafDC by many readers, including me, now has been mentioned with derision twice in the deaf blogosphere. Needless to say, that irked me a bit. On the flip side, apparently several comments were left around the blogosphere complaining that some blog entries’ vocabularies were too sophisticated. People are also debating about language accessibility on v/blogs here and there. What’s the deal with that?
We cannot please everyone when we do our blogs or vlogs. There is always going to be someone out there who doesn’t understand what we’re saying or just plain dislikes everything that we say. It should also be noted that not everyone is fluent in both languages. People do have their limitations.
With that said, I don’t like people who whine that the vocabulary in our blogs are too sophisticated either. I’ll write any way I please, thank you very much. Don’t expect the blogger to adjust their writing just for you. I’ve seen so many deaf people tell others to toughen it out when it comes to learning ASL. Not only that, we have to hold up a standard that shows that the deaf are just as good at English and critical thinking as the hearing.
But it is also rare for me to deliberately jam-pack my blog entries with complex vocabulary just to impress. Do I use the dictionary and thesaurus when I’m writing something? Absolutely – but only to find the exact word that has the exact meaning I want.
A mark of a good writer is to have good prose that attracts attention of his/her audience and have the words add to the prose, instead of the words be used to impress the audience. Just because a person is eloquent with English doesn’t mean that person is necessarily more worldly than others who aren’t as eloquent. And that is the attitude I’m getting from several blog posts in the blogosphere; the blogger is more worldly than others because the person has an excellent grasp of English.
I consider it insulting when people toss out words in their blogs and tell their readers to look it up. I think that speaks volumes of the blogger’s attitude towards his/her audience. Through no fault of their own, many of the deaf do not have good English skills. Not all, but far too many do not. But shockingly enough, there are many hearing people out there whose English skills leave much to be desired as well!
What’s ironic to me about this entire situation is that neither factions are fluent in both languages. They’re only fluent in one or the other, yet they are accusing each other of being condescending because they aren’t fluent in either one. Just a bit of hypocrisy there, don’t you think?
The First Deaf Way
I had a very interesting conversation with my mother recently. I came home and told her what happened to me in my psychology class. We watched a video clip (not captioned unfortunately – both the teacher and I were unhappy but oh well) of a woman with a very sick child. As I watched the video clip, one thing struck me as very odd about the woman. Her eyes were dead, for the lack of a better word.
So I immediately knew that woman had an anti-social personality disorder. Sure enough, as the video clip progressed, we discovered that she was making her child sick, subsequently being arrested and convicted of child abuse. Psychologists had also diagonosed her with having Munchausen by Proxy, which is an anti-social personality disorder.
I told the teacher that I knew the woman had an anti-social personality disorder because her eyes didn’t seem right. The interpreter translated her voice as being sincere and everything, but the subtle eye muscles and movement just weren’t there. It’s hard to explain, but that’s what tipped me off. He laughed in surprise then said, ‘We should develop a new diagonistic test with you! You’re always picking up on these body language cues and facial expressions and you’re diagnosing them right every time!’
My mother chuckled and said, ‘Yeah. Deaf people are always really good at picking up those cues. But I am as well, and it backfired on me when I took you to the first Deaf Way in 1989. When I took you there, I had put down on the paper that I was hearing, but I guess the staff there didn’t know. So I would always drop you off and chat with the staff there. One day as I was chatting with them, someone dropped a tray of glasses. So of course, I jumped and looked around. The staff were horrified! They were like, “You’re hearing?!” I said, “Well yea. I put it down on the registration information paper.”
They acted like I lied to them. They even said that I was trying to fool them or something. It turns out that you were the only child there at Deaf Way that had a hearing parent! And it caused us trouble later on, because your bathing suit was stolen, and they refused to investigate. I accused them of discrimination because you had hearing parents. They denied it.. but when I bought you a new, expensive bathing suit, they found your old one the next day… A bit convenient, don’t you think?’
So I found that very interesting. My mother signed and still signs so fluently that many people assume she’s deaf, and when the Deaf Way staff found out my mother was hearing, they were outraged. This does not make sense to me.
It makes sense to me that those who know ASL, not SEE or whatever, but ASL are able to pick up very subtle facial and body cues, since facial expressions are part of the syntax of ASL and a component of ASL grammar… but to be outraged that you didn’t know a person was hearing?
o_O
I Wonder…
It’s been a long time since I’ve been pretty much rendered speechless by a comment, but today one comment on DeafDC just did that. It left me thinking, and I’m still thinking it over. Who made the comment and what was it? It was by PunkyBrewster and it was a long comment, but this is the part that left me flat-footed:
people are going to remember me as being a loud mouth on dcdeaf. That in mind, I’m sure you are the beautiful rose of the garden and evidently an intelligent one, but I’m not so sure i’m going to remember that as the years go by, i’m going to remember an ignorant deaf-nazi named RLM
It was very sweet of Punky to call me the rose of the garden, but it was also an insult to say that basically I would be forgotten. Being forgotten is one of the worst insults possible. But I’m not really insulted by Punky’s comment. He makes abrasive comments like that, and it’s not about me being offended by his comment really.
But what he said did make me think. The mind’s a funny thing. It tends to remember the evocative moments the most. I’m still pretty young – I’m only in my late twenties after all. But I look back on people in my past that I remember, and you know what? The people that made a strong impression on me were at either extreme – both positive and negative. But it’s usually on the positive side. Only very few are at the negative end.
It also makes me wonder what kind of impression we all are leaving behind on our blogs and vlogs. I am sure that eventually the memorable blog/vlog entries in the deaf v/blogosphere will be archived at Gallaudet University or elsewhere. In those future archives, researchers studying our culture and community will be dissecting our entries and it will be pointed to as a vivid snapshot of the deaf culture and community at that time period.
Will they say this v/blogger represents the deaf community as a whole, like they did with several deaf leaders in the past? Will they say this v/blogger is an aberration, and should not be paid any mind?
What are people going to say about us decades from now? Will we be remembered, or forgotten?
I don’t know about you, but there are some people in the v/blogosphere that I will never forget and they will be looked back upon with fondness, at the very least.
MI Division on Deafness and Hard of Hearing
Chris Hunter, the director of MI’s DODHH (Division on Deafness and Hard of Hearing) left a comment on my entry regarding the interpreter bill being passed by MI’s House of Representatives. People who left comments on that entry were also speculating about what would happen to Chris Hunter’s position when he retires at the end of this month. He was kind enough to clarify matters on this issue after addressing the interpreter bill issue. He wrote:
On my retirement, because of lack of funds in DODHH and MCDC budget, they will not be able to fill my position. DODHH WILL NOT BE CLOSED. DODHH HAS THREE FULL TIME STAFF PERSONS WHO WILL CONTINUE DODHH’S BUSINESS THE BEST THEY CAN. This blog suggests letter writing to the Governor, Dept of Labor and Economic Growth director and MCDC director urging them to find funds and fill the position immediately is good idea.
So I am asking all Michiganders to contact their legislators, the governor Jennifer Granholm, DLEG’s director and MCDC’s director to ask for more funding for DODHH and to reconsider their decision for not replacing Chris Hunter. See below for the contact information.
Michigan Commission on Disability Concerns
Duncan Wyeth, Executive Director
201 N. Washington Square
Suite 150
Lansing, MI 48913
Ph: (517) 335-6004
Tollfree: (877) 499-6232
Fax: (517) 335-7773
mcdc@michigan.gov OR
wyethd2@michigan.gov
DLEG’s Contact Info:
Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth
Keith W. Cooley, Director
611 W. Ottawa
P.O. Box 30004
Lansing, MI 48909
Ph: (517) 373-1820
Fax: (517) 373-2129
Governor Jennifer M. Granholm
P.O. Box 30013
Lansing, Michigan 48909
PHONE: (517) 373-3400
PHONE: (517) 335-7858 – Constituent Services
FAX: (517) 335-6863
List of MCDC Commissioners
Website to find your legislator’s contact info
EDITED TO ADD:
Someone requested that I write a draft letter for people to use. So this is what I drafted.
April 4, 2007
Dear (insert appropriate title and name),
I am writing to you as a concerned constituent of Michigan, about the state cutting funds to the Division on Deafness and Hard of Hearing, (DODHH). It is my understanding that Chris Hunter, the director of DODHH is retiring at the end of this month, April, and due to budget cuts, his position will not be filled.
In 2005, DODHH estimated that there are 90,720 deaf individuals in Michigan and that number is expected to grow. It is crucial that we have enough funds for DODHH to be able to serve the deaf and hard of hearing population of Michigan. DODHH has been a tremendous asset for our community by doing excellent work, such as their sponsorship of the House Bill No. 4208, which passed unanimously last March. DODHH also does outreach and education for both the deaf and hearing communities, which helps bridge the gap between the two communities. This is truly an essential service.
Without sufficient funding for DODHH, this good work cannot continue, and as a deaf constituent, it is my sincere belief that we need a deaf director for DODHH, to continue speaking on our behalf, like Chris Hunter has been for our community over the past few decades.
Therefore I am asking you to reconsider the decision of the budget cuts to DODHH and not filling the director of DODHH’s position when Chris Hunter retires.
Thank you and I look forward to your response to this matter.
Sincerely Yours,
(Name)
(Address)
