From: Hugues.Blanchet@f136.n167.z1.fidonet.org (Hugues Blanchet)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: Attagirl!!!!
Date: 1 Sep 92 15:20:14 GMT
Reply-To: Hugues.Blanchet@f136.n167.z1.fidonet.org
Organization: FidoNet node 1:167/136 - Ab.'s Place, Montreal PQ
X-Fidonet: Silent Talk Conference

Index Number: 24134

[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]

 Howdy Ma'am...

 -=> Quoting Ann Stalnaker to Hugues Blanchet <=-

 HB> You know something Ann? I've known a few people (hearing people) that
 HB> took signing classes for one reason... because they REAlLY were
 HB> attracted by ONE thing only; the MYSTERY of it.  Nothing more than that!

 AS> I'm going to have to agree with you on this because I see it happen
 AS> all of the time.  I have taken sign language (found it a bit difficult
 AS> using ASL because I think in English since it is my first language
 AS> and thus want to use SEE - instructor didn't much like that!  :-))
 AS> and have had any folks tell me they are taking sign language
 AS> because it fascinates them, not because they want to communicate
 AS> with those who use it.

Absolutely!  I would say that on a total of 10 persons who take
signing lessons here in Montreal, at least 6 or 7 of them will quit
sooner or later.  They will not go much farther than the first session
(there are a total of 5).  But all those people are simply attracted
to mystery....until it isn't a mystery a little later...;-)

There are those who do it becauase there profession demands it
(psycologists, social workers, etc... who need to communicate with
deaf who only sign) and there are also those who learn it because it's
*their only mean* (for THEM it's their only mean, but not for ALL
Deaf people) of communication.  Their are those who learn
it because they have someone close in the family (or their friends)
who don't know nothing except signing or who are affected by a desease
that doean't give them any choice but to learn signing.

And finally, their are those (and they are quite a bunch!) that are
attracted by *mystery*... and those are the ones that never go very
far.  They realize that is isn't a mystery at all. It's simply a mean
of communication but much less *powerfull* than their own language
which is the english language.

If there was a language that would show me new words that don;t exist
in the english vocabulary (or french in my case), I would surely
accept to learn it, whatever language it would be.  But why should I
wan't to learn something I already have (a language) that would permir
me to talk to a minority?  Should'nt it be up to them to adapt to a
majority?

Ann, if we both lived on an island where their was 10,000 people and
that everybody except you and me spoke turkish,  wouldn't it be better
for us to learn to speak turkish also to be able to communicate with the
majority on the island?

 AS> I can't comment on missing hearing because I've never had enough
 AS> to be able to distingush between the sounds.  Even though I was
 AS> born deaf, I was not exposed to the Deaf Culture until 10 years
 AS> ago and was very much appalled by what I felt could have been
 AS> different.
 AS> Culture who could not comprehend simple English language and
 AS> even wrote in ASL.

I understand completely Ann... Everything is simply a question of
education... Am I wrong?  Should we accept being part of a minority
if we FEEL that we are HUMAN BEINGS in the first place?  No! If we
feel that we are like everybody else (with one sense less but nothing
else!), then we do not feel that we should be APART from them.  We are
normal people in the first place, but it won't be the case if we set
ourselves aside with a minority and reject ALL those that aren't like
ourselves!

 AS> The world definitely would be a much better place if all
 AS> of us worked together.  There have been times when those
 AS> who are a part of the Deaf Culture have made life a bit
 AS> difficult for the rest of us who want to help ourselves.

...So true... so true Ann..... But when we feel strong and right in
our own phylosophy of all this, we don't bend
that easily, huh?!?....<gggggggggg>

 AS> I've never felt I didn't belong anywhere - I never felt
 AS> I needed to belong to one group or the other.  While I
 AS> do enjoy meeting others with hearing impairments and sharing
 AS> my experiences of life being deaf, I don't dwell on the fact
 AS> that I am deaf.  I make the best of what I do have and seem
 AS> to fit in anywhere.  I call this accepting the fact I have
 AS> a hearing impairment and go on my merry way enjoying what
 AS> is out in the BIG world.

ATTAGIRL once again!!!  "High noon in Tejas!" <ggggggg>

Somebody thinks like youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu... and I looooooooove her
soooooooo muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch.... We all know who she
iiiiiiiiiiiisssss....<ggggggggggg> ...

Ok. I'll be honest... Yes it was *that* pictuire of... uhhh... er,
well you know... ...  Someone that has such a beautiful smile... can
inly be loveable...

 AS> one didn't do in the past when they had hearing.  We may
 AS> not be able to hear music (perhaps some of it) and other
 AS> sounds, there is still a lot around for us to enjoy.

BUT... we can surely *hear* it again with our minds.... and it's
always as wonderful...

 AS>
 AS> Whether one is deaf/Deaf/HoH, the best thing to do is not
 AS> let yourself dwell on the fact you have a hearing impairment,
 AS> don't be a deaf person first, be an individual who just
 AS> happens to be deaf/Deaf/HoH.

Righto!!! We're A-L-L NORMAL HUMAN BEINGS who only *happen to miss a
meal once in a while* <ggggggggggg>

En toute amitie,

Hugues

... Ahh! Come on George, just this one last little feature!
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