The Left and 'Deaf"
This in my e-mail this a.m. from the Leftie news site Truthout news alert service:
Sidney Blumenthal | Bush: A Deaf Man Spouting
"Deaf" is in this story for one reason only, and the reason's not good: it's being used metaphorically. That's something opinion writers seem to simply love doing. It's such a convenient word, "deaf," that can be used to mean.... well, all manner of insulting things. In this case "deaf" is substituting for "out of touch":
A videotape of Bush's briefing before Hurricane Katrina exposes him as out of touch with reality.
Doesn't this bother anybody but me?
If it does bother you, click on the link -- at the story is another link where you can comment to Truthout. Please do so.
Posted by Mary Johnson
Unfortunately, many media news reporters and editors are still using the "deaf and dumb" label while not aware that it is an insult to us all. From my experience, I see news from English speaking Asian countries, that do use the category "deaf and dumb" frequently.
There are media guidelines and standards that each news editorial must follow but perhaps "deaf and dumb" has not been eradicated from the English language.
I suggest that for each time a newspaper publish a story with "deaf and dumb", we write to protest the insult. With the Internet open to the free enterprise there is nothing to stop us from complaining to a newspaper published in a foreign country.
Then maybe they will hear us loud and clear!
“Deaf and dumb” is a deliberate and degrading insult. It certainly provides a ruthless demeanor toward Deaf people.
To think it started with the greatest philosophers of all times, Aristotle. He labeled Deaf people “deaf and dumb”, because, from his own perspective, as long as Deaf people could not hear therefore they were incapable of learning a language. Ha!
Unfortunately, the name stuck!
Philosopher? Ha!
Posted by: Rita Maria LeDrew | March 15, 2006 10:38 PM