Saturday, November 24, 2012
Monday, November 12, 2012
“
If I look up “carrot” in the dictionary, most people will acknowledge I do not know all there is to know about carrots and if I truly want to understand carrots, I should probably pick up a horticultural text book. We know that legal and medical terms are going to be, at best, simplistically represented and know we need to find a lawyer or a doctor if we want to know more. Anyone deciding to base their argument on, say, a philosophical concept or term using the dictionary is going to be laughed at at best, or automatically lose whatever argument they’re trying to make at least.
Yet the minute we move into a social justice framework, the ultimate authority changes. We don’t need lived experience, we don’t need experts who have examined centuries of social disparities and discrimination, we don’t need societal context. We don’t need sociology or history – no, we have THE DICTIONARY! That ultimate tome of oracular insight, the last word on any debate!
It’s patently ridiculous and you can see that by applying it to any other field of knowledge. But the privileged will continually trot out simplistic, twitter-style dictionary definitions as if they are the last word and the ultimate authority. No-one would drag out the dictionary to debate science with a scientist. But they’re more than willing to trot out a dictionary definition of racism over any sociological analysis. A dictionary is not the ultimate authority - they’re a rough guide for you to discover the simple meaning of words you’ve never heard before – not an ultimate definition of what the word means and all its contexts.
”| — | Sparky at Womanist Musings. |
"Having privilege does not inherently make you a bad person. It's important for us to understand how the system gives certain groups more opportunities and less barriers over others. We ought to be conscious of how our privileges or the lack thereof have affected our lives.
For example, I recognize I have right-handed privilege. We shake with our right hands. School desks are set up for right-handed people. Cars are set up for right-handed people. Notebooks are designed for right-handed people. Guns are designed for right-handers. Appliances open to the right. (Great book: “The Right of Right Hand Privilege” by Jones) I cannot avoid the benefits I receive from the institutionalized system for being a right-handed person. You see, it's obvious that having this privilege does not make me a bad person. When left-handed people express their frustrations about the unfairness of the system, it is appropriate for me to wholeheartedly support left-handed people's effort to gain equality. I would not minimize their feelings, deny my right-handed privileges, get defensive, or accuse left-handed people for attacking me.
This applies to white privilege, male privilege, Christian privilege, heterosexual privilege, and so on.
Just understand how oppression of all sorts are a result of the institutionalized system that gives certain groups more access over others. Don’t take it personally, because it’s the system we’re talking about, not you. Just be aware that we are not equals, and be mindful of how you benefit from your privileges. Not so hard, I think."
For example, I recognize I have right-handed privilege. We shake with our right hands. School desks are set up for right-handed people. Cars are set up for right-handed people. Notebooks are designed for right-handed people. Guns are designed for right-handers. Appliances open to the right. (Great book: “The Right of Right Hand Privilege” by Jones) I cannot avoid the benefits I receive from the institutionalized system for being a right-handed person. You see, it's obvious that having this privilege does not make me a bad person. When left-handed people express their frustrations about the unfairness of the system, it is appropriate for me to wholeheartedly support left-handed people's effort to gain equality. I would not minimize their feelings, deny my right-handed privileges, get defensive, or accuse left-handed people for attacking me.
This applies to white privilege, male privilege, Christian privilege, heterosexual privilege, and so on.
Just understand how oppression of all sorts are a result of the institutionalized system that gives certain groups more access over others. Don’t take it personally, because it’s the system we’re talking about, not you. Just be aware that we are not equals, and be mindful of how you benefit from your privileges. Not so hard, I think."
Friday, November 9, 2012
Sunday, November 4, 2012
"i apologize in advance for a long comment - but here are my thoughts:
i also think a big issue is this misguided belief that there are two camps - one pro-asl and one pro-ci.... as if they are incompatible and it denies the reality of many deaf people. when rhi brought up the question of: "are you anti-ci?" it made me think of statements like "deaf schools only teach ASL" or "it's either ASL or speech" and so on. it's always this or that-- never allowing for gray areas, never allowing for individual experiences. i'll say this again- i've never seen a strictly "pro-asl" position. and what's up with this notion that *only* those who use ASL will be depending on the government? yet, those falsehoods are spread over and over again... usually by those who directly profits from oralism.
just the other day i read an article promoting CI's. it had the usual stuff-- deaf people who sign cost the government thousands of dollars a year. it's always a "choice" - deaf children can hear and speak fluently if their parents choose ci's and private oral schools over ASL. they can be normal (not like those dirty signers). it ended with a deaf high school girl saying something like "if i signed, i don't think i could play sports." (where did she get this idea?)
where does this mindset come from? those type of statements are incredibly offensive and oppressive. again, it denies the reality of so many deaf people... including those in this group. how can one be neutral and support so-called parental choices then go around making dehumanizing statements? this is not supporting choice. this is promoting hate and ignorance.
personally, i think we need to better understand intersectionality and it's implications for social justice. what does it mean for deaf people? what does it mean for deaf children? are opinions from the two "camps" equal? are resources equal? is there a power imbalance. hell, are there even TWO camps? who has the power, money, and influence here? who is controlling information about deaf people, especially when it comes to ASL and the deaf community? why hasn't things changed in 100 years despite generation after generation of deaf people attempting to reclaim our truths? my answer is: audism and ableism. the american dream of "normalcy" at all costs.
i hope we all here can agree that it's not acceptable to discriminate, oppress, demean, and insult a group of people, especially when they are already marginalized in society. if we can agree on this, then it doesn't matter what kind of background you have or whether you consider yourself a member of the deaf community.
research is bullshit when you are talking about the reality of many deaf people. let's not deny ourselves the right to tell our truths. if you were successful with an oral education, i will not deny you the right to talk about that. i also ask that we don't deny the fact that the ideology of oralism has also hurt many many many deaf people. i ask that we listen to those who work with deaf children and their truths. on the same note, if you don't use ASL, let's not deny the fact that it is a cherished part of a culture - one that has "saved" the lives of many. a community that includes most who were raised orally.
i ask everyone here to please not support the spread of falsehoods about my language and my culture. i ask us all to attempt to better understand intersectionality and avoid using absolutes when discussing things like language (ASL) and hearing tools (CI's, hearing aids, etc). it is not about one or the other-- it is about social justice and honoring the human right to language. let's honor all deaf people past, present, and future that have been denied that right because of audism, linguicism, and ableism of varying degrees.
i will continue to stand up and speak out against those who insist on continuing this attack on ASL/deaf culture."
i also think a big issue is this misguided belief that there are two camps - one pro-asl and one pro-ci.... as if they are incompatible and it denies the reality of many deaf people. when rhi brought up the question of: "are you anti-ci?" it made me think of statements like "deaf schools only teach ASL" or "it's either ASL or speech" and so on. it's always this or that-- never allowing for gray areas, never allowing for individual experiences. i'll say this again- i've never seen a strictly "pro-asl" position. and what's up with this notion that *only* those who use ASL will be depending on the government? yet, those falsehoods are spread over and over again... usually by those who directly profits from oralism.
just the other day i read an article promoting CI's. it had the usual stuff-- deaf people who sign cost the government thousands of dollars a year. it's always a "choice" - deaf children can hear and speak fluently if their parents choose ci's and private oral schools over ASL. they can be normal (not like those dirty signers). it ended with a deaf high school girl saying something like "if i signed, i don't think i could play sports." (where did she get this idea?)
where does this mindset come from? those type of statements are incredibly offensive and oppressive. again, it denies the reality of so many deaf people... including those in this group. how can one be neutral and support so-called parental choices then go around making dehumanizing statements? this is not supporting choice. this is promoting hate and ignorance.
personally, i think we need to better understand intersectionality and it's implications for social justice. what does it mean for deaf people? what does it mean for deaf children? are opinions from the two "camps" equal? are resources equal? is there a power imbalance. hell, are there even TWO camps? who has the power, money, and influence here? who is controlling information about deaf people, especially when it comes to ASL and the deaf community? why hasn't things changed in 100 years despite generation after generation of deaf people attempting to reclaim our truths? my answer is: audism and ableism. the american dream of "normalcy" at all costs.
i hope we all here can agree that it's not acceptable to discriminate, oppress, demean, and insult a group of people, especially when they are already marginalized in society. if we can agree on this, then it doesn't matter what kind of background you have or whether you consider yourself a member of the deaf community.
research is bullshit when you are talking about the reality of many deaf people. let's not deny ourselves the right to tell our truths. if you were successful with an oral education, i will not deny you the right to talk about that. i also ask that we don't deny the fact that the ideology of oralism has also hurt many many many deaf people. i ask that we listen to those who work with deaf children and their truths. on the same note, if you don't use ASL, let's not deny the fact that it is a cherished part of a culture - one that has "saved" the lives of many. a community that includes most who were raised orally.
i ask everyone here to please not support the spread of falsehoods about my language and my culture. i ask us all to attempt to better understand intersectionality and avoid using absolutes when discussing things like language (ASL) and hearing tools (CI's, hearing aids, etc). it is not about one or the other-- it is about social justice and honoring the human right to language. let's honor all deaf people past, present, and future that have been denied that right because of audism, linguicism, and ableism of varying degrees.
i will continue to stand up and speak out against those who insist on continuing this attack on ASL/deaf culture."
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