Ideally we write about ourselves as Deaf people in order to clarify and to account for our language and culture, American Sign Language (ASL). In putting words in writing we tend to take a second and a third look at what is within us. Robert Frost said, "Writing is a matter of having ideas"; similarily, blogging about our being Deaf is a way of expressing what we are capable of having ideas without hearing a sound.
Having taught for 30 years, I would acknowledge that the last word is never said about complex things, especially ASL and its cultural factors affecting all the Deaf. Still, I always seek to make at least a little progress in the difficult but rewarding job of writing. To know what you want to write, you have to have ideas.
But to criticize sensitively to any idea, we need to have some understanding of the thing. We must have understand that critics have an attempt to help someone to see the ideas as they see them. Most comments I read in DeafRead seem to be written to attack or insult or belittle the author, which is not very helpful. The commentors should write for themselves, of course--if they are trying to clarify their ideas--but also for an audience that they must imagine.
Anonymous critics in several blogs and vlogs published by DeafRead wrote because they found fault or something the bloggers/vloggers have missed. Criticism is most useful when it calls our attention to ideas worth attending to. As a blogger/vlogger I often rejected anonymous critics who wrote to insult, mock, and belittle my ideas without presenting their ideas.
I need to be convinced that I have undervalue ASL, its embedded culture, or any idea because I have not read or written them carefully. My critics need to throw light upon the relation of ASL, for example, to life, to linguistics, ethics, etc. Or they need to make me "see" that my idea is not workable.
I think a blog or a vlog is not thought out and settled beforehand. While it is being developed it changes as my thoughts change in this very blog. And when it's finished, I'm almost certain it still goes on changing. I do welcome comments but I will reject anonymous critics unless I know who they are. To be critical of my blog you have to be censorious of my ideas.
Thank you for reading this far.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
Deaf culture as an authentic culture
Every community has an undercurrent of feeling that is unique. So does the Deaf community.
What I mean by an undercurrent of feeling is not psychological but rather philosophical; it is about "personality" that is reflected in our thoughts, behavior, communication, and even physical bearing (non-manual expressions). Every person shares in it to some degree in how they develop their own individual feeling within the community.
The undercurrent of feeling in the Deaf community can sometimes be decidedly confusing, uncertain, straining. When we are in fear, for example, our sense of pride and our sense of confidence diminishes, unnecessarily so. Although we grow and progress in a world that professes human rights and equal dignity, there is a prevailing hostility toward American Sign Language (ASL), for example, which oppresses us and we forget to "keep our eye on the ball" as regards morals, aims, values, beliefs, and motives.
"The Deaf community" and "ASL" are not identical concepts. Our culture is the symbolic expression of developed habitual ways of feeling, but "feeling" does not mean pleasure and displeasure, which would be psychological. Our imagination, our confidence in ASL, or even boredom must not be reduced by a philosophical paradox that tricks us into believing that another mode of communication is far better or more acceptable than using ASL.
Since culture is the expression of this characteristic pattern of feeling, it is very easy to set Deaf people off from using ASL, especially Deaf children in education. The seeds of the Deaf community are in ASL, but it takes the users of ASL to bring the community to fruition.
Although the linguistic study of ASL is less than half a century old, we, the Deaf, have used it for many, many years. Historically, ASL had its first language clash in 1816 when Laurent Clerc introduced French systems of signing, especially manual alphabet and initialized signs (uncle, aunt, weekdays except Sunday, etc.), to an existing sign language used on Martha's Vineyard Island. Over 60% of MVI Deaf people enrolled in the first American Deaf School in Hartford, Connecticut. This language clash was no joke; it was so painful that ASL remains suppressed today.
ASL and our culture are still vulnerable to the vast ignorance that world society often displays when oppression festers. We need to maintain vigilance in making sure that society does not usurp that which should be naturally accepted as fact. If we allow others to push through the concept of ASL being reduced to a menu of "choices" along with communication modes which are not languages themselves, then this would be a continuation of the oppression and would be an example of us allowing society at large to define us and our language.
What I mean by an undercurrent of feeling is not psychological but rather philosophical; it is about "personality" that is reflected in our thoughts, behavior, communication, and even physical bearing (non-manual expressions). Every person shares in it to some degree in how they develop their own individual feeling within the community.
The undercurrent of feeling in the Deaf community can sometimes be decidedly confusing, uncertain, straining. When we are in fear, for example, our sense of pride and our sense of confidence diminishes, unnecessarily so. Although we grow and progress in a world that professes human rights and equal dignity, there is a prevailing hostility toward American Sign Language (ASL), for example, which oppresses us and we forget to "keep our eye on the ball" as regards morals, aims, values, beliefs, and motives.
"The Deaf community" and "ASL" are not identical concepts. Our culture is the symbolic expression of developed habitual ways of feeling, but "feeling" does not mean pleasure and displeasure, which would be psychological. Our imagination, our confidence in ASL, or even boredom must not be reduced by a philosophical paradox that tricks us into believing that another mode of communication is far better or more acceptable than using ASL.
Since culture is the expression of this characteristic pattern of feeling, it is very easy to set Deaf people off from using ASL, especially Deaf children in education. The seeds of the Deaf community are in ASL, but it takes the users of ASL to bring the community to fruition.
Although the linguistic study of ASL is less than half a century old, we, the Deaf, have used it for many, many years. Historically, ASL had its first language clash in 1816 when Laurent Clerc introduced French systems of signing, especially manual alphabet and initialized signs (uncle, aunt, weekdays except Sunday, etc.), to an existing sign language used on Martha's Vineyard Island. Over 60% of MVI Deaf people enrolled in the first American Deaf School in Hartford, Connecticut. This language clash was no joke; it was so painful that ASL remains suppressed today.
ASL and our culture are still vulnerable to the vast ignorance that world society often displays when oppression festers. We need to maintain vigilance in making sure that society does not usurp that which should be naturally accepted as fact. If we allow others to push through the concept of ASL being reduced to a menu of "choices" along with communication modes which are not languages themselves, then this would be a continuation of the oppression and would be an example of us allowing society at large to define us and our language.
Is there Transparency on the part of the DeafRead Team?
What is wrong with DeafRead?
More and more people are writing me emails, asking whether I will leave DeafRead. I've thought a lot about removing my blog because ... Well, let me write this blog post to raise the question of whether there's enough transparency with the DeafRead team's actions.
Why haven't we been told which DeafRead editor(s) read, approved and published blogs or vlogs that were inappropriately insulting? DeafRead has created numerous victims of civil, social, and political intolerance. We are in danger of forgetting that freedom entails responsibility.
I propose, therefore, the following three reasons why we have felt uncomfortable with DeafRead.
1. DeafRead editors are amateurs:
I assure you that DeafRead editors do NOT possess highly sophisticated editing skills. They would not be able to effectively edit or recommend better words, sentences, or titles. While the issue of whether or not DeafRead editors should be involved in editing at that level (word choice, titles, etc.) is a debatable point, there is a fact to be considered as part of the backdrop of this discussion, which is that the editors are notorious for hiding behind a veil of secrecy that prevents people from challenging their decisions on which blogs are published on the main page.
2. DeafRead editors have acted highly irresponsibly:
I agree with Joey Baer when he says that the DeafRead team deliberately chooses to facilitate the publishing of posts which severely hurt the Deaf community, rather than doing the responsible thing and screening those posts so that they are not published on DeafRead. If this irresponsible behavior on DeafRead's part continues, the quality of Deaf life will decline, at all levels of society, and the philosophy of Oralism and audism would dominate and become even more prevalent in the Deaf blogsphere. This is not a world I want to be a part of.
3. DeafRead editors are politically naive:
Tayler famously mentioned that DeafRead should follow the wishes of its stakeholders. But we would need to be able to know which editor read, approved and published certain blogs and vlogs, in order to become better political stakeholders. DeafRead seems to deny that it is lacking in transparency.
As Socrates says, "The unexamined life is not worth living," I propose that the unscreened blog/vlog is not worth reading.
More and more people are writing me emails, asking whether I will leave DeafRead. I've thought a lot about removing my blog because ... Well, let me write this blog post to raise the question of whether there's enough transparency with the DeafRead team's actions.
Why haven't we been told which DeafRead editor(s) read, approved and published blogs or vlogs that were inappropriately insulting? DeafRead has created numerous victims of civil, social, and political intolerance. We are in danger of forgetting that freedom entails responsibility.
I propose, therefore, the following three reasons why we have felt uncomfortable with DeafRead.
1. DeafRead editors are amateurs:
I assure you that DeafRead editors do NOT possess highly sophisticated editing skills. They would not be able to effectively edit or recommend better words, sentences, or titles. While the issue of whether or not DeafRead editors should be involved in editing at that level (word choice, titles, etc.) is a debatable point, there is a fact to be considered as part of the backdrop of this discussion, which is that the editors are notorious for hiding behind a veil of secrecy that prevents people from challenging their decisions on which blogs are published on the main page.
2. DeafRead editors have acted highly irresponsibly:
I agree with Joey Baer when he says that the DeafRead team deliberately chooses to facilitate the publishing of posts which severely hurt the Deaf community, rather than doing the responsible thing and screening those posts so that they are not published on DeafRead. If this irresponsible behavior on DeafRead's part continues, the quality of Deaf life will decline, at all levels of society, and the philosophy of Oralism and audism would dominate and become even more prevalent in the Deaf blogsphere. This is not a world I want to be a part of.
3. DeafRead editors are politically naive:
Tayler famously mentioned that DeafRead should follow the wishes of its stakeholders. But we would need to be able to know which editor read, approved and published certain blogs and vlogs, in order to become better political stakeholders. DeafRead seems to deny that it is lacking in transparency.
As Socrates says, "The unexamined life is not worth living," I propose that the unscreened blog/vlog is not worth reading.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
The DBC, Kula and me...
Whenever Kula barks, I perceive that he needs to understand something. I try very hard to calm him down and to appreciate any attention he brings to me.
Some few people who deem themselves to be critics have criticized the Deaf Bilingual Coalition (DBC) for the "barking" they did in Milwaukee last month when the AGBell people convened to promote their 'listen and speak" agenda. As an intellectual who uses and promotes ASL, I would make the analogy between DBC's challenging AGBell to the difference between organic food vs. food of the artificial variety. After all, there can't be any "artificial nourishment" for Deaf babies without American Sign Language (ASL), period.
It is very difficult to fathom why Deaf babies would be denied the use of ASL, especially since their gross motor development allows its use, so the DBC's efforts were very worthwhile. A little gentle "barking" on the DBC's part proved to be quite necessary and useful. And let's not forget the second meaning of "bark," which is: "to remove the natural covering of..." The DBC succeeded in barking AG Bell bare, leaving its naked ideology exposed for the world to see.
We probably do need a term that expresses a difference between a true critic in the Deaf blogosphere compared to the critic-wannabe (or faux critic, or heckler) especially as it pertains to the recent confrontation instigated by the anti-Deafhood naysayers who waged their faux attack, or incoherent pseudo-attack against the upstanding DBC. As it is, DeafRead has allowed the pseudo-punditocracy to perpetrate their mayhem, assisted by bloggers who allowed themselves to be walked over by allowing their blogs to go unmoderated. One is tempted to say that the pseudo-pundits who launched the pretend attack against the DBC were "all bark and no bite," but actually they were "faux bark, wearing false teeth." Now that we have seen them with the false teeth removed, and the red gums showing, their true nature is clear to be seen. The DBC succeeded, while the pseudo-pundits failed miserably.
What, then, are other uses of the term "barking"? It assists us in defining ourselves through the battle of language oppression and cultural bigotry. "Barking" often helps us to learn something about ourselves. During the DBC gathering a few weeks ago the featured speakers need not have been the ones who, in a well-known phrase, "spoke truth to power" in the direct sense. Our power lies within ASL itself, the language and culture we know the best. We too need to keep in mind that ASL is a means and not an end, lest we fall into the same trap as those who believe in their "listen and speak" utopia. Language is for the living, not for the ghosts of some future as-yet-unrealized linguistic utopia.
Some few people who deem themselves to be critics have criticized the Deaf Bilingual Coalition (DBC) for the "barking" they did in Milwaukee last month when the AGBell people convened to promote their 'listen and speak" agenda. As an intellectual who uses and promotes ASL, I would make the analogy between DBC's challenging AGBell to the difference between organic food vs. food of the artificial variety. After all, there can't be any "artificial nourishment" for Deaf babies without American Sign Language (ASL), period.
It is very difficult to fathom why Deaf babies would be denied the use of ASL, especially since their gross motor development allows its use, so the DBC's efforts were very worthwhile. A little gentle "barking" on the DBC's part proved to be quite necessary and useful. And let's not forget the second meaning of "bark," which is: "to remove the natural covering of..." The DBC succeeded in barking AG Bell bare, leaving its naked ideology exposed for the world to see.
We probably do need a term that expresses a difference between a true critic in the Deaf blogosphere compared to the critic-wannabe (or faux critic, or heckler) especially as it pertains to the recent confrontation instigated by the anti-Deafhood naysayers who waged their faux attack, or incoherent pseudo-attack against the upstanding DBC. As it is, DeafRead has allowed the pseudo-punditocracy to perpetrate their mayhem, assisted by bloggers who allowed themselves to be walked over by allowing their blogs to go unmoderated. One is tempted to say that the pseudo-pundits who launched the pretend attack against the DBC were "all bark and no bite," but actually they were "faux bark, wearing false teeth." Now that we have seen them with the false teeth removed, and the red gums showing, their true nature is clear to be seen. The DBC succeeded, while the pseudo-pundits failed miserably.
What, then, are other uses of the term "barking"? It assists us in defining ourselves through the battle of language oppression and cultural bigotry. "Barking" often helps us to learn something about ourselves. During the DBC gathering a few weeks ago the featured speakers need not have been the ones who, in a well-known phrase, "spoke truth to power" in the direct sense. Our power lies within ASL itself, the language and culture we know the best. We too need to keep in mind that ASL is a means and not an end, lest we fall into the same trap as those who believe in their "listen and speak" utopia. Language is for the living, not for the ghosts of some future as-yet-unrealized linguistic utopia.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Another Vlog by Carl
A vlog discussion by Carl Schroeder: Carl discusses how difficult it would be to use ASL to tell about his essays. The English language has its own composition for coherence, and so does ASL.
Monday, July 07, 2008
An Impossible Task
A vlog discussion by Carl Schroeder: Carl discusses how impossible it would be to translate his essays into ASL verbatim. It would be ungrammatically unacceptable in both ASL and English!
Friday, July 04, 2008
American Sign Language and the Jabberbox
For most Deaf people, American Sign Language (ASL) is a means of communicating with others. But the person whom we might call the Jabberbox uses English words or Signed English to block communication. He hides behind a smoke screen of English words OR Signed English that are not necessary in ASL.
Not only does this Jabberbox get more attention while everyone, Deaf and hearing alike, is trying to figure out what is that he is saying, but he also keeps others from finding out what he is really like. By using only English words that are trivial or commonplace, he keeps from revealing his thoughts, opinions, ot fears in more important matters.
His blogs and vlogs are short and boring. He uses Signed English where ASL would be better. He speaks "This is about ASL" but he signs "THIS" seven times and "ABOUT" three times. It is like to say, "This this this this this this this is about about about ASL."
Apparently, Jabberbox thinks he will make a big impression with Engish words or Signed English. He should learn that Signed English is deadwood, and ASL is better only if it is being translated into spoken English. If he cuts out the deadwood and cuts down the English words, we might discover that he has something worthwhile to say.
This this this this this is is is how I I I I think think think about about J-A-B-B-E-R-B-O-X.
;)
Not only does this Jabberbox get more attention while everyone, Deaf and hearing alike, is trying to figure out what is that he is saying, but he also keeps others from finding out what he is really like. By using only English words that are trivial or commonplace, he keeps from revealing his thoughts, opinions, ot fears in more important matters.
His blogs and vlogs are short and boring. He uses Signed English where ASL would be better. He speaks "This is about ASL" but he signs "THIS" seven times and "ABOUT" three times. It is like to say, "This this this this this this this is about about about ASL."
Apparently, Jabberbox thinks he will make a big impression with Engish words or Signed English. He should learn that Signed English is deadwood, and ASL is better only if it is being translated into spoken English. If he cuts out the deadwood and cuts down the English words, we might discover that he has something worthwhile to say.
This this this this this is is is how I I I I think think think about about J-A-B-B-E-R-B-O-X.
;)
Happy Birthday, America! And ASL, Too!
Culture is many things. Ask ten people to define culture and you will likely get ten different answers; it's also likely they will all include a language.
According to Merriam-Webster, there are six ways to define culture. For my purposes here, I'm going to focus on the following:
"...the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations ..." in other words, thise things that we cherish as defining who we are and where we come from and pass on to children, our heritage.
Learning about our customs and tradition, as well as those of others, is often done through sign language, storytelling and the arts. In my situation, I grew up with American Sign Language (ASL), stories told by Deaf people, and the Gallaudet University community (I lived about 10 miles from Gally) where I went to see plays and some campus activities and lectures. Another way to learn about language and culture of the Deaf is to travel to other Deaf schools or communities.
On personal level, my ancestory is predominantely Dutch, my father half Dutch and half Indonesian. While a senior at Gallaudet University (then Gallaudet College), I was selected as a Thomas J. Watson Fellow to travel throughout Europe for one year. I had a wonderful opportunity to sample different food, so I have a fairly good understanding of the international food.
These travels in Europe were wonderful opportunities to meet and observe Deaf people and have shaped my appreciation for sign languages. I have learned about their struggles, art and traditions without ever having to be sound-oriented. I saw exactly what was there. They are as highly sophisticated as we Americans or Canadians are.
We all have different stories and traditions to share with our world near and far. I would encourage any one who even remotely thinks s/he might like to analyze language and culture of the Deaf to visit a university or community college. There are also a number of "advisory" councils for Deaf people who want to share their stories and talents in ASL.
As we are celebrating America's birthday, we should consider ourselves and our language and culture as birthday presents to universities and community colleges.
Happy birthday! Happy ASL Day!
According to Merriam-Webster, there are six ways to define culture. For my purposes here, I'm going to focus on the following:
"...the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations ..." in other words, thise things that we cherish as defining who we are and where we come from and pass on to children, our heritage.
Learning about our customs and tradition, as well as those of others, is often done through sign language, storytelling and the arts. In my situation, I grew up with American Sign Language (ASL), stories told by Deaf people, and the Gallaudet University community (I lived about 10 miles from Gally) where I went to see plays and some campus activities and lectures. Another way to learn about language and culture of the Deaf is to travel to other Deaf schools or communities.
On personal level, my ancestory is predominantely Dutch, my father half Dutch and half Indonesian. While a senior at Gallaudet University (then Gallaudet College), I was selected as a Thomas J. Watson Fellow to travel throughout Europe for one year. I had a wonderful opportunity to sample different food, so I have a fairly good understanding of the international food.
These travels in Europe were wonderful opportunities to meet and observe Deaf people and have shaped my appreciation for sign languages. I have learned about their struggles, art and traditions without ever having to be sound-oriented. I saw exactly what was there. They are as highly sophisticated as we Americans or Canadians are.
We all have different stories and traditions to share with our world near and far. I would encourage any one who even remotely thinks s/he might like to analyze language and culture of the Deaf to visit a university or community college. There are also a number of "advisory" councils for Deaf people who want to share their stories and talents in ASL.
As we are celebrating America's birthday, we should consider ourselves and our language and culture as birthday presents to universities and community colleges.
Happy birthday! Happy ASL Day!
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Apology about Our Past Play
I Am Sorry.
For All The Things
We Had Did Once Done,
Banked In The Past,
Banked In The Past,
Signed And Sealed.
Never Forgiven, Always Forgotten.
We Are Here Again To Confess,
Of All Things Human And Non.
American Sign Language
Never Forgiven, Always Forgotten.
We Are Here Again To Confess,
Of All Things Human And Non.
American Sign Language
Reflects Our Secrets,
Unwritten
Unwritten
Between
Us.
You Lingered.
I Dove.
Into This World As Alien As It Feels.
The Nightmares We've Experienced,
And Nothing Is Solid.
The Vices And Virtues
You Lingered.
I Dove.
Into This World As Alien As It Feels.
The Nightmares We've Experienced,
And Nothing Is Solid.
The Vices And Virtues
We Made By Our Dispositions.
Did We Love This Pain
Did We Love This Pain
We Gave So Sweetly?
I Did.
You Did.
As We Wrought Again
I Did.
You Did.
As We Wrought Again
In This Sculpture Of Flesh,
We Competed And Gave Way
We Competed And Gave Way
To Our Desires And Needs
As We Apologized And Made Chaste,
This Play We Performed,
And Call It Forever Friendship.
Again I Apologize.
As We Apologized And Made Chaste,
This Play We Performed,
And Call It Forever Friendship.
Again I Apologize.
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