About to get tattooed any minute. April 2010.

I am being tired of called LIAR and accuse me that I was not the first person to have tattoo of Deafhood in America. I do not want to become egoistical about this but I get e-mails telling me that I’m a pathological liar and all nasty messages in the name of the book and I do not deserve it because I am a piece of shit.

They would tell me that Mark Myers was the first person to have tattoo just because people would GOOGLE for Deafhood tattoo and the first picture on the left would be Mark Myers where none of me in there because people make sure I do not exist just like Laurent Clerc that do not deserve to be recognized in France. Please understand that I thank Mark for his contribution very much. Well, in May 2010, we met in Massachusetts for a lecture at a community college for the first time and took picture together. We were proud to do it! We became friends after that. He is a cool lad.

The reason I have this tattoo because Paddy Ladd’s book has turned me from confused on the issues to compassionate and realize more reasonable vision of better ways to improve our society. There are plenty of conspiracy theories that reject the truth about Deaf citizens today and tomorrow.

Deafhood is my official commission that reports the facts that Deaf people are the worst part of incarceration in form, shape, or space. Again, the tattoo shows an important question: Why do Deaf people want to live in a society that learns towards liberty and democracy for all? It changes my thinking of living in an authoritarian hearing world. It is a stomping ground for once and all.

Deafhood opened my eyes to many things. It is amazing how memory can be stored away silently for so long then have no other trigger than a line from the love of academics around into my brain and I question my validity of Deafhood and preserve my Deaf life. My dedication and self-sacrifice in Deaf community serve as a monument to the exemplary who I am today. I will continue and try my best to contribute for Deaf community and the quest vision of Deafhood as much as I can. I do not care if Deafhood is the most controversial term–or a tattoo.

Eminem once said, “You’ve got enemies? Good. That means you actually stood up for something in your life.”

Bingo.

-JT

Copyright @ 2017 Jason Tozier

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