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Author: The Last Hiccup
When JT became Deaf, he had to suffer a lot of language aversion where IEPs (Individual Education Plan) by audiologists, speech therapists, and teachers told his family that JT would likely never be succeed in college and unable to tie his shoe laces. But they were sorely, extraordinarily mistaken.
DELTA AIR LINES: Deaf Passengers Insulted and Humiliated
The major airlines were supposed to treat people with respect, dignity, and professionalism. When it comes to Deaf passengers, it is the opposite of it. Like, Respect-disrespect. Dignity-dishonor. Professionalism-amateur.
At the center of viral video scandal, it is just a good example of the Surdophobia, a term for the fear of Deaf people. It also shows the hearing privileges where a hearing passenger calling police on Deaf people is a cheap shot: Hate does not win. Is it a new norm for hearing people to call police on Deaf people?
In American airplane industry, hearing privileges are allowed to call police on Deaf people when hearing people don’t have patience. It’s a cheap shot. It is known fact that Deaf people have a lot of patience dealing with this language hegemony in the past and present tense.
By the Powers of Audism dominating Deaf people to offend them, and falsely attack them, is a widely pattern of vulnerability and why were they really afraid of in the first place?
What Delta Air Lines did to Deaf people like Melissa and Socorro is a cruelty act which is a good example of violation on 8th Amendment of the United States Constitution, is a sign of psychological distress even for Deaf passengers out there who experienced this at major airplanes. THEY SHOULD NOT EXPERIENCE OPPRESSION AT ALL COSTS.
I understood the experience and pain. It has happened to me before. Delta Airplanes shouldn’t let this to victimize Deaf people without consequences. That will be a lifelong battle for Deaf people in the future. The fact that the society like major airlines could be easily warns potential Deaf passengers with the stigma of “DEAF”—is so callow and capricious. Why do they have to deal with language humiliation? The most painful thing for Deaf people when they face with worst humiliation was only pleasing hearing privileges at their own expense. It’s so wrong!
It is a hate literature when someone with hearing privileges calls police on Deaf passengers and accused them of assault is low point. How could anyone do that to Deaf passengers, in the past and present tense to teach them the hard ways to live with consequences for the rest of their lives?
-JT
Copyright © 2019 Jason Tozier
This text may be freely copied in its entirely only, including this copyright message.
Or…to Act as Judge?
Word of the Day on January 24, 2019 by Merriam-Webster:
Adjudicate: to settle judicially or to act as judge
Did Deaf community ask Alexander Graham Bell to adjudicate whether American Sign Language (ASL) is the best language for the Deaf? Think about it. Even today in 2019, AGBell still acts as a judge to divide up ASL for the best interests of Cochlear Implants, Cued Speech, Listening and Speaking, and Oralism.
142 years ago on January 24, 1877: AGBell writes a letter to his father, Alexander Melville Bell:
“We are ready to do something with Visible Speech at once if type could be forthcoming. I propose issuing an introduction to Visible Speech the expenses of which will be paid by its publication in the Annals of the Deaf and Dumb—at least I hope so. Dr. Hill has spoken before the last Convention of Teachers—urging the introduction of Visible Speech into the school-system of Massachusetts.”
That’s where it became so successful that built AGBell headquarters in Washington, D.C. ever since; Remember, AGBell’s father was the pioneer of Visible Speech and he was a teacher of the Deaf and showed that his writing system to help Deaf students to learn spoken language which would be ORALISM. AGBell followed his father’s footsteps and successfully destroyed ASL and Deaf community even today in 2019.
So, Cued Speech would improve English greatly…even some Deaf people are supporting the idea of Visible Speech today. And what does all this have to do with AGBell opposing ASL in Deaf community? Plenty! When evil in AGBell’s words is seen as a temporal human phenomenon, it becomes relatively easy to vilify and make Deaf people as scapegoats of that which one does not understand or which one fears. Most importantly, fear creates powerful stereotypes: make ASL unknown, the misunderstood, the old ways, and give AGBell more power to access and make sure ASL would be destroyed, so AGBell and its followers and its Deaf scapegoats could “live happily ever after.”
With the emotional level—especially the level of evil, AGBell would go unpunished and make ASL get punished instead. That is the perfect source of the power of evil. We need to understand why AGBell behaved the way it did in the past and present tense with the greatest effort to eradicate ASL, the language and culture of the Deaf from the truth. Think about “OR”—that would give them more power to destroy ASL.
-JT
Copyright © 2019 Jason Tozier
This text may be freely copied in its entirely only, including this copyright message.
Links:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/calendar
https://www.loc.gov/resource/magbell.00500304/?sp=4
https://www.omniglot.com/writing/visiblespeech.htm
MAGA HATS: Hate-Filled Literature at Native Rally
Are MAGA HATS making America great again? In the light of hate-filled literature mocking, and intimidating Native Americans is trying to make America great again is not even close. Whose land belongs to in the first place? Silence equals hate. We need to stop hate targeting Native Americans.
CORRECTION: IT IS NATHAN PHILLIPS. NOT RICHARD PHILLIPS. MY APOLOGIES!
Deaf Wrestling: Toxic Masculinity and Our Own Making
As a wrestler in my younger days and understood the the highest honor of wrestling codes, after seeing a video of a Deaf wrestling coach roughing up a Deaf wrestler after the match is not acceptable tonight (January 18, 2019). That broke the code of the wrestling oldest key: RESPECT. I remember during high school wrestling days, there was a wrestling coach on our opposite team as one of our biggest high school competitors, got fired for hazing couple of wrestlers. The coach was a real dick.
One of those wrestlers explained the story to me because the coach was hazing him so badly that the coach told him that losing to a Deaf wrestler would end up severe consequences and the wrestler actually got whipped with hard water balloons in the face couple of times and also the coach threw a ball at his face once for losing to a Deaf wrestler. I did not know the story until we bumped into each other on a university campus and became good friends and had much respect for each other.
We talked about toxic masculinity through writing on papers and exchanged e-mails and when talked about toxic masculinity because of the coach’s actions, and we understood the wrestling code. It takes a thick skin to be a champion. As the toxic masculinity in the world of sports, wrestling is the oldest sport, the most physically sport with a lot of blood boiling; someone needs to understand what being a wrestler was like.
I’m sorry that the wrestler in that video had to experience the most outlandish of toxic masculinity from a coach, and that is not cool. A wrestler works hard even in practices grueling on wrestling mat sweating, practicing moves to make it perfect, and understand the game of chess in moves.
Wrestling coaches were supposed to be the good role models, because I looked up to my coaches. I was fortunate enough to have a legendary coach on my side. It was also one of my best times. My coach never roughed me up like this like in this video. That is not the wrestling code. This is not the wrestling style. This is not the wrestling method.
I really hope this wrestler gets him together and gain turbulent love of wrestling, and it is the right thing that the coach had been fired. As I learned that it is not the first time, Deaf people of color who had been roughed up by the same coach, is a story that white privilege cannot be ignored.
Today, I still hold membership with USA wrestling, in my heart, because I believe in wrestling as a non-violent changes, wrestling should be a positive figure. Toxic masculinity should not be part of wrestling. Although, my cauliflower ears that were battled through toxic masculinity sometimes the toxic masculinity itself be invisible so easy that it is not recognized enough that you have no idea. This Deaf wrestling coach for MSSD was not a star policy, I stand with this wrestler.
-JT
Copyright © 2019 Jason Tozier
This text may be freely copied in its entirely only, including this copyright message.
The Illusion of a Poll: Fact and Fable in Deaf Community
What would it like not to live without history that reflects all of us who Deaf people are? The history of idea of creating “poll” goes back to George Gallup who defined the American information to give voters the right to democracy, and most importantly, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) gives any person has the right to seek access for information at the request including the right to poll.
Guaranteed. Deaf people have seen the Gallup Poll sharing national news with anchors talking about it on national television, there is no way to miss this. It has changed the history of American politics including our own Deaf community.
It is a poll that Deaf people have right to gather their opinions for the fact of the matter is voting that creates truth to understand the power-struggling experiences and should not hide the emotional suffering in denial, and somehow suffering and does not know it.
Remember the times where there would be a tent with pollsters asking someone to taste the hidden drink which it would be COKE or PESPI. If you are right with the chosen drink brand, you get a prize. Come on, we cannot forget that. I did that. I like Pepsi. It is a simple and democratic poll. We are created as statisticians because we have the right to vote even for a poll.
We are strong believers in polling, too. When someone Deaf writes: “Deaf Life is abusing its powerful influence in the Deaf community.” That’s far fetched.
That is a one-sided perspective and never read diverse variety of information chewing influence away, and the poll created by DEAF LIFE is simple, harmless and a human right for anyone to vote in a poll when it comes to LEAD-K and Alexander Graham Bell. Would you react differently if it was George Veditz partners up with Alexander Graham Bell? What about truth partners up with toxicity? Would it go quietly deliberate and depend on the information to create their own viewpoints in polling? Do Deaf people have right to get Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), too?
There is the subscription in truth for freedom of information act and Deaf community should not deal with Alexander Graham Bell getting away with the fear of having a different opinion from the rest of Deaf community like us. Within polls like this one in Deaf community, we would want to fit in society without fear and hatred from Alexander Graham Bell. That kind of thinking does not develop social justice that shows many survivors who experienced language deprivation from the biggest oppressor, Alexander Graham Bell.
That is the kind of justice that is rightfully important to all of us and we need more people like us that are courageous enough to vote in a poll to stand up against what is wrong in society we deal with every day, and it starts with us to make a better place for all of us to live safely as much as possible, and that starts with a poll that is historic enough.
It sends a wrong message with final answer: Because Deaf community continues to live in Alexander Graham Bell’s America where its American citizens gets their news from known-sided organization like AGBell filled with propaganda and disinformation which best option for a language to learn other than rejecting American Sign Language off the book to control Deaf people’s use of the powers of emotionalism to allow modes of communication like Cued Speech, Oralism, Cochlear Implants all are Alexander Graham Bell’s favorite tools that will improve English in listening and writing far skyrocket…..the very same fear in and of themselves that ASL is powerful and best choice of all languages.
It should concern all of us that we continue to ignore the facts and follow our emotions when it comes to give Alexander Graham Bell the crown like a king. What should public opinion like this poll be based on? Should it be based on forgotten experiences? What would it mean to us in the eyes of educational polling? It also abuses its powerful influence of journalism that is often not enough discussed in Deaf community.
-JT
Copyright © 2019 Jason Tozier
This text may be freely copied in its entirely only, including this copyright message.
Choosing to Overcome the Greatest Shame in Deaf Community: Suicide
There were couple of older blog posts I wrote about challenges of suicide in Deaf community. It’s really powerful. I’ve experienced a Deaf friend by the name of Greg from the school bus we rode together committed suicide when I was in 8th grade, and one of my hearing professors who committed suicide which hit me hard. She was only 39 years old. My first Sociology class was Sociology of Health and Medicine under Professor Heather Hartley.
I never forget the day when I showed up into classroom with injured right arm from kick-ass bicycle accident where I crashed my right shoulder so hard on the road and I was wearing an arm sling that time. I couldn’t write. Too much pain. That day was final exam. Yet, I still showed up with bicycle again.
She had a better idea and asked me to meet her in her office, and took the final exam by typing down the answers on her computer to take final exam and save it and send it to her. That was a brilliant idea. She was a good professor. Also, I remember the day when the news broke where I showed up for a Sociology course, Criminology and my professor was looking really down, it was not the professor I know. It became quiet in the classroom. It hit the hardest. They were good friends. The same professor in that quiet classroom later discussed about “Suicide: A Study in Sociology” book by Émile Durkheim.
When I had a fatal heart attack last November 2016, I continue to question my death experience and how I defied death. Living in real world at this current hour has been much harder than I ever face with, and it finds a lot of strength and growing pain to deal with, and one of the most challenging part, was the haters who went after me after I woke up from death. It is much worse than death. Living with labels. Especially most damaging labels. It leads a major culprit.
On the face of it, gaining access to find help, support, and strength how to overcome adversity, it was also cynical, is the most difficult thing. The last 32 years of my life has been rough enough that is way too much to deal with everyday, and when I got a gift certificate for my birthday from my mother last December 2018, I stopped by Barnes and Noble bookstore to buy a book to read: Shame: Free Yourself, Find Joy, and Build True Self-Esteem by Joseph Burgo, Ph.D.
Joseph Burgo writes: “Self-esteem can’t thrive in the soil of nonstop praise and encouragement. Instead it depends upon setting and meeting goals, living up to the expectations we hold for ourselves, and sharing our joy in achievement with the people who matter most to us. Listening to and learning from encounters with shame will go further than affirmations and positive self-talk in helping to build authentic self-esteem.”
One of my many and beloved Sociology classes, I learned a great deal about Erving Goffman, a high-thinking sociologist who coined “stigma” where he described, “Society establishes the mean of categorizing persons and the complement of attributes felt to be ordinary and natural for members of each of these categories.”
How do you cope with the society when it establishes the mean-spirited of battling with tendencies to go toward suicides?
I am not writing this for myself only, but it applies to Deaf returnees living in Deaf community lacks for accessibility and big help, over the past couple of decades have shaken Deaf America and made them the most invisible minority group and their own identity and forgotten stories. When it comes to Deaf returnees who comes back into the society to change their life around, and blowing the whistle to test the strength, and the story is very much related to my experience.
When Calvin Young, a Deaf vlogger made a vlog: “Life is like a Jenga” is a great example of how to overcome adversity. Dealing with Jenga through shadows, and try to think positive as much as possible, and try to be in my shoes if you can handle Jenga. Beyond the shadows of Jenga, there are real consequences for living with the label. I learned of the news that there are four times more likely to commit suicide for young children as much as ten years old, with hard life lessons.
There are plenty of people who got away with miserable actions, but did not own up to their actions. Again, I am far from perfect and I make human mistakes, too. Will you be willing to learn the culture of Deaf returnees?
As the author of Shame: Free Yourself, Find Joy, and Build True Self-Esteem wrote from the book: “You’re a fucking loser. You’re pathetic. You’re ugly. Nobody likes you. You might as well die. You’re stupid. Why bother doing anything? You know you’ll fail. It goes on and on like that for hours, repeating the same things. Relentless, like I’m always being watched and judged. You’re pathetic. You’re ugly. Over and over.”
I know the feeling. I won’t let it control me to set up for self-hatred so profound it sometimes left me dealing with the label. Will you accept me to be part of Deaf community? I’ve told many times that I should not doing anything and set me up for failure, and judged without knowing my life stories.
Bullying: Deaf vs. Deaf is the hardest thing to deal with. I am no better either. In this time of crisis, it is Deaf leaders and Deaf community itself who hold out, by our very nature, the deepest vision of healing and peace that is possible for Deaf people including Deaf returnees. It begins in our hearts, in that place that is never separate from the living heart of ours. Am I allowed to earn empowerment that is something that begins within ourselves that finds a big mirror to reflect who we are between healing and growing pain?
-JT
Copyright © 2019 Jason Tozier
This text may be freely copied in its entirely only, including this copyright message
Additional blog posts to read about suicide:
https://audismnegatsurdi.com/2017/04/03/suicide-is-a-big-problem-in-deaf-community/
https://audismnegatsurdi.com/2018/06/09/treatment-of-suicidal-deaf-people/
