Friday, January 14, 2011

Helping A Drowning Society


I've been doing some serious thinking for the past several weeks about the society that seem to be making the desperate gasping sound of a drowning community. One thing came to my mind, that of helping a drowning society and the dire consequences behind the noble effort to rescue them.

And why it's happening.

Many of you know I've been v/blogging on various topics for several years covering controversial topics that were important to the signing community. No doubt about it. My unique insights on different topics helped many people. And yet it also produced some enemies who simply hate the notion of being helped. They cry foul when they see a floating life saver tube being thrown their way because it was wrong for us to think or believe that they were incapable of swimming. The noble effort seem to insult them. Some gladly accepted the help and some simply refused, out of pride even if they were drowning.

Or perhaps it's a classic case of a sinking titanic ship whereas there were not enough emergency boats and life jackets for everybody? Where are the leaders when the society needed them? Are they in the hiding because they were ill-prepared when they built a deaf community (a titanic ship) without providing them with adequate safety and security measures (life jackets and boats)?

Surely, numerous deaf leaders back in the 1900's meant well when they envisioned and engineered a plan and called it a world of our own. Back then it sounded good to everybody. In the 1900's they started building this Titanic D Ship and gave it a name, that of ASL! The effort continued well into the 1980's before this renowned ice berg (technology and information age) floated into the course and caught the ship by surprise. The collision course delivered a huge dent and penetrated this Titanic D Ship and delivered large amount of gushing water into the ship until it could no longer stay afloat. Not a pretty sight. You know the rest of the story so I won't go there and paint the rest of the story for you.

The leaders led the society to believe that the Titanic D Ship was unsinkable and unbreakable. The people were led to believe that ASL was the key to their future and that they would receive the best of education and the best possible life if we solicited strictly in ASL and by attending deaf school establishments. Today we know better. Today we're seeing numerous deaf schools going down the tube. Medical technologies are making rapid progress these days and bringing forth great promises, some of which have been delivered. Because of that people started to wonder about this "dreamy" and "ideal" world they were promised by numerous deaf leaders.

This reminds me of a quote I created some time ago, "Disappointment is a result of unrealistic expectation".

Once you develop an unrealistic expectation over something you're in it for a huge disappointment. This is what happened to the deaf signing community when their leaders allowed for unrealistic expectations of what our world was going to be like in the future as if they posed some kind of supernatural power to know what the future would bring. It sure was a humbling experience for many of us who realized that we can not and will never be able to stop progress.

I've been around long enough to remember how highly visible and accessible numerous deaf leaders were. They were highly recognized for their work. It seem to be the opposite today. Many current deaf leaders are hiding in their offices, their homes and even garages, producing "busy" noises with hope to lead us to believe that they are very busy and occupied with something else that were very important.

The recent resignation at Deaf Bilingual Coalition is one of many examples. Occasionally these self proclaimed leaders would take a peek at the "Drowning Society" and each time they did they could not stomach the desperate gasping sounds and sights of a drowning community. They'd close their curtains again and try to keep their minds occupied with something else with hope that the problem would disappear on its own.

One other thing to discuss here. The technique and tactic of helping a drowning victim is not an easy task. It's generally know that when you try and help a drowning victim you're likely going to be drowned as well. The drowning victim has the tendency to panic and grab your body with all of his/her weight and pull you down. You simply would not have the necessary strength to carry the load and swim both parties out of the water.

I say this because each time we tried to help the victims that are drowning into the system we would receive some kind of hammer treatment by these extremists (deafhood)leaders. These are the same corrupted leaders who make a living selling Grand Tour tickets to this Titanic D Ship called ASL. This Titanic D Ship is so majestic that it even contain ASL courses in name of numerous Colleges / Universities / Schools, provides Deafhood Workshops, and recruit sponsor for this Deafhood Foundation, and wears the mask of Deaf Bilingual Coalition, and such.

These are the same group of leaders that control California Association of the Deaf and changed their by-laws to reflect deafhood instead of deaf. They also hold great amount of leverage and influence over deaf professionals who work for the State at these deaf schools. These people are currently trying to infiltrate Gallaudet University and National Association of the Deaf. To a degree they've been fairly successful at it. It would not surprise me if both entities fell victim to this Titanic D Ship in matter of time.

And ultimately, it's all done in the name of Deafhood Foundation. The longer we allow them to sell the tickets to this supposedly unsinkable and unbreakable D ship the more destructive it is going to be.

You can't say you've not been warned.

7 comments:

  1. Good its about time to see the end of "D" for their years of oppression to the "d" community so it is payback time to see them fall!

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  2. Deb, I agree. I remember "d" as one truly happy and peaceful community until these extremists came into town and shoved "D" down our throat and turned the world upside down for all of us.

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  3. yes I remember good old days when everyone (deaf community) was peaceful, happy and we all get together whenever we can, (picnics, holidays and churches) like one big happy family.

    Today, no more.

    I miss those good old days because whenever I go for events like this, I see "D" everywhere and I fit in.

    Some hard core deaf called me "hearie" with sign on forehead due to fact, I do not "act" or look like deaf person.

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  4. You already threw too many floating life saver tubes. They chose NOT use tubes. They just swam away with their pride.
    My prediction "D" will be disappear within 10 years . Remember old time, many Deaf shoe makers from vocational school to employment , Now all was gone.
    Time to change and get face with real life with much improve educations and eagerness to learn new technologies in general population.

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  5. Very good blog, Barry.

    Back in high school in the late 70s, I already sensed a faulty society, if you will.

    Fast forward to 90s: radical, militant, hard core closed society, the big D, ASL!, DBC, Audism, deafhood, anti-AGB, the sign hearie on the forehead, anti-cochlear implants.... made the world a little uglier... Need I say more?

    ~ Renée J.

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  6. I think access was a double-edged sword, and many deaf couldn't cope with it, as it opened up their comfort zones, and others came in. Ultimate equality will mean no deaf culture, there will be no necessity for it as a refuge.... which was why the deaf community originally banded together... Hence the emergence of oppositional campaigns to alleviations, CI's call me MR Deaf ! whatever... The 'D' has gone already here, I am surprised the Americas are still fussing over that old chestnut....

    It's just a term or phrase some people trot out whenever deaf people are mentioned. Whenever you read about 'access' you read "There Big D people, they are cultural deaf with history blah blah blah, and little d people who are deaf but don't really count...."

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  7. Well said, Barry.

    Apparently,they are not satisfy and want more $$ in their organizations by few leaders or workers. It reminded me in Luke 11:52 when Pharisees adjusted their "hindered" from the Scripture, therefore they (Big D) can adjusted and exaggerated numbers of hearing problem (deaf, HH, lated deafness, etc.) when they don't speak the truth.

    Gregory Ross

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