Tag: Deaf Hate Crime

75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz: Invisible Hate Crime of the Deaf

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Nancy Rourke’s Deaf Survivors of the Holocaust

Around the world commemorating the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the greatest pain of the camp where six million Jewish prisoners of the German Nazis were murdered, humiliated, suffered. and targeted, today on January 27th, 2020 is the Holocaust Memorial Day, we must continue to challenge hatred. 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was on an educational tour around the Auschwitz-Birkenau complex in Poland, on December 6, 2019, must-have impacted her life by now. I quote, by Angel Merkel’s powerful words: “I feel a sense of shame for the barbaric crimes that were here committed by Germans—crimes that are unfathomable.”

I am struggling to get through this post because there is a problem where people interchangeably use language bigotry with what should be called hate. Hate cannot be compared to any other words. Hate is its own beast with the terrible history that should be recognized by all and the suffering of Deaf people cannot be compared to any other oppression. This is a severe case of non-compliance, and pure oppression.

Often, people use ignorance and compare it to their own oppression. This is problematic for a number of reasons. If you want to write a piece on hate, it has to be about hate. If you want to call this language bigotry, then you can call it language bigotry, you cannot call it to hate. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Jack Levin, professor emeritus at Northeastern University and co-director of the Brudnick Center on Violence and Conflict states: “When people think of hate crimes, they think of neo-Nazis, they think of racism, they think of homophobia, they just don’t seem to think of people with disabilities as being a protected category. I call it the invisible hate crime.”

However, ‘Deaf Jews’ were murdered, Deaf schoolchildren were sterilized, and those who survived, even rendered unable to ever have children, considered themselves lucky, seen as the most notorious minority group, ‘Deaf’ were the first people to be targeted, in the name of the most barbaric thinking; Is it not unfathomable? Imagine all the execution walls. 

Deaf people in the Holocaust is being treated invisible, but to focus on hearing-dominated choices, instead of exploiting Deaf people and trying to present a life that allows them to feel tolerant; However, those very Deaf people who survived the Holocaust, presents the struggles and triumphs of their lives in a human way.

Two books: ‘Crying Hands: Eugenics and Deaf People in Nazi Europe’ by Horst Biesold, and ‘Deaf People in Hitler’s Europe’ by Donna F. Ryan, where I wrote an essay project for Hate Crime and Bias class 13 years ago. That opened my eyes. This assault in our democracy, leading a fight against hate.

“Yet this most stigmatized group is not often viewed through the lens of compassion and understanding, only modern forms of old ignorance. The Deaf community has gone through considerable evolution, but hate crime remains invisible in the face of society.” (Tozier, 2007)

What happened in Holocaust is forever scarred by facing a moment of the growing pain, Deaf people had been profiled by Germans and needs to be held accountable about Deaf people in Holocaust for its culturally labeled in hate and bias, because it is not enough talked about the fabrication of human civilization and their identity.

The best description of the deep feeling of admiration for the language and the culture of the Deaf, and when it comes to the Deaf, we should just respect their language and culture, full stop. When social media choose not to talk enough about Deaf victims and survivors in the Holocaust, losing respect is a tragic loss in the world. 

Much like Deaf Jews being murdered, ending up on the wrong side of the hatred and bullying by expressing views seemingly on the right side of a power-hunger in cultural hegemony. The witch-hunting of the Deaf is not the answer, extensively on the social construction of “Deafness”.

There are many and many historic written articles around social media (NPR, The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, BBC, et al) about German Chancellor Angela Merkel visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau, none of them had mentioned Deaf Jewish prisoners as the first people to be murdered.

Merkel said in the New York Times article written by Melissa Eddy: “We are witnessing and experiencing an attack on the fundamental values of liberal democracy and a very dangerous historical revisionism that serves a hostility that is directed at specific groups”

A powerful piece by BBC where it can be found on YouTube, BBC: ‘The Deaf Holocaust’, Deaf People and Nazi Germany, of Aktion T4 survivors sharing their experiences. The trend of discrimination has been documented from the Holocaust forward. When I visited the United States Holocaust Museum for the first time, I was blown away that it was not enough documented about Deaf people. That is a good example of the invisible hate crime.

Last March 2019, a performance by Deaf actresses and actors held at George Washington University: ‘Crying Hands: Deaf People in Hitler’s Germany’ sends a powerful message: “based on interviews of Deaf Holocaust and civilian survivors, explores the fates of the Deaf and disabled in Nazi Germany, a neglected story of the Holocaust.” 

When the Nazi Party came to power in Germany in 1933, Hitler was obsessed with racial purity, the notion that nature had created a superior Aryan race. Persons who were of “mixed-race” and those with disabilities, chronic diseases (e.g. epilepsy), mental handicaps, and illnesses, etc, were to be weeded out of society or prevented from reproducing. Between 1933 and 1945, some 17,000 Deaf people were sterilized. The youngest was nine years old.

Hitler masterminded the barbaric attacks. The consequences were grave, nothing powerful than this. “Deaf people in Hitler’s Europe were among those who were killed by the Nazis during the Third Reich because they were Jews, others because as congenitally deaf people, they were considered “defective” and “biologically inferior” (Gilbert, 1998) 

The Nazi campaign against the handicapped begun in 1933 with the passage by the Reichstag of the Law for the Prevention of offspring with hereditary diseases. The conditions were mental illness, retardation, hereditary blindness, and hereditary deafness. 17,000 out of 375,000 people were Deaf people. 28 percent of 17,000 Deaf people were under the age of 18. Nine (9) percent were women who were already pregnant.

Hitler created a secret campaign called Aktion T-4 to mass-murder disabled people because they were “life unworthy of life.” Infants with disabilities were the first victims. (Gilbert, 1998)

Reminder: Not only Deaf Jewish were targeted, but also Deaf Germans and Deaf Polish Jewish, too.

Any kind of participation would go a long way to raising awareness in the community about some of the unique issues that arise in matters involving Deaf survivors in Holocaust and to providing them examples of positive examples of how with community and support, plus the right resources, contributing to the community is possible. 

We cannot ignore hate crimes that must be challenged by us all. No matter what. There were older blog posts to share with the readers. As the only Deaf lecturer focusing on hate crimes in the Deaf community, available for lectures below. 

https://audismnegatsurdi.com/tag/deaf-people-in-hitlers-europe/

https://audismnegatsurdi.com/2019/03/10/crying-hands-deaf-people-in-hitlers-germany-reflection/

https://www.nancyrourke.com/deafsurvivorsholocaust.htm

https://jasontozier.net

-JT 

Copyright © 2020 Jason Tozier 

This text may be freely copied in its entirely only, including this copyright message. 

References: 

Gilbert, Jean (1998). Deaf People in Hitler’s Europe. Gallaudet Today, September 1998.

Tozier, Jason (2007). Negative Perceptions of Deaf Individuals in Relation to Knowledge of American Language. March 2007.

Eddy, Melissa. (2019). Visiting Auschwitz, Merkel Warns Against Danger to Liberal Democracy. New York Times. December 2019. 

Light a Candle Against Hate

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Lit a candle has a good reason. Light a candle against hate. 
 
It’s the day (September 7th) that changed the world of the Deaf in 1880, much dismay and disgusted with Oralism practice in Alexander Graham Bell’s America insulting ASL and Deaf people’s intelligence, too numerous to document each unbearable pain. The question, are we equally hurt in the making of cultural disrespect? If not, then are we at very best, in terms of reality, a hypocrite? Today is 2019. 
While on a subject what hate is, this kind of hate incidents—Deaf people that do not rise to the level of punishable crime, the worst part that they had been dealing with a life-time psychological impact that is the greatest invisible hurt in Deaf community. 
 
Is the stage of grief also invisible? We should focus on hate crimes, the outlook is hardly more difficult to fathom. 
 
Deaf community, it is time to reclaim our pursuit of happiness. 
 
That means rejecting the practice of hate that has been characterized by Deaf people too long. ASL and the Deaf community is rightly proud of its identity of a healthy human, a reputation that has been bullied by Alexander Graham Bell to destroy the stage of Deaf minds. The goal is to weaken the morale of the Deaf, and self-reflective of their own self-hate, such as the state of being Deaf, insulting cultural norms and values. 
 
We start out with the hearing privilege is powerful in this underlying Audism Deaf people suffer from. One of my favorite books to read, George Orwell’s classic 1949 novel, 1984. In my 44 years on Mother Earth, the book is the greatest superpower left on the planet we live, breathe, and appreciate by protecting the principles of ASL and state of being Deaf, it is a superpower. 
 
Hate is a slanderous and vicious personal attack that has damaged Deaf people’s personal reputation as a breach of human growth and negligence. Where are the rights of the Deaf to be protected from the society’s malicious images that are contributed to mental health injuries, and the greatest loss of repetitional damage? 
 
Hate is a real mental health issue. 
 
-JT
Copyright © 2019 Jason Tozier
This text may be freely copied in its entirely only, including this copyright message. 

 

The Face of New £50 Banknote: Think Resist!

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The news appeared on November 27, 2018: So, the Bank of England has been considering Alexander Graham Bell’s face on paper money for his contribution to “science”—someone who was two-faced gaslighter as I found interesting the definition of “gaslighter”—When a gaslighter thinks that they are not the problem and everyone else is, this is called having an ego-syntonic personality. (Jan 30, 2017: psychology today.com)

Alexander Graham Bell thinks he is not the problem, but thinks Deaf people are the problem. He is the poster child of gaslighter. “Science”—from the dictionary: the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.

Whether Bank of England considered his name, because of his idea to create telephone that changed the face of humans, but there is another hidden science what Alexander Graham Bell has contributed to use Deaf children as lab experiment. It was a tradition of genocide.

If the Bank of England has chosen Alexander Graham Bell as the top choice, people who would carry paper money with his face around in the pocket, wallet, coat, purse, whatever it is, to remind those people that it is OK to allow Deaf-hating ideologist, with the ultimate goal of eradicating Deaf people in the name of hate crime is the greatest threat to Deaf people’s democracy.

We need to remind ourselves two quotes by the world’s leading eugenicist of the Deaf people:

“The main object of the education of the deaf is to fit them to live in the world of a hearing-speaking people.”

“We should try ourselves to forget that they are deaf. We should try to teach to forget that they are deaf.”

Power hunger or power struggle? As the Deaf community enter the global phrase of being under-privileged, it becomes obvious that the money is the root of evil. The paper money of AGBell’s face oppressing of the most invisible minority are dangerous, requiring a huge commitment of cultural appropriation to accomplish their renewal and rebuilt AGBell’s fame.

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The power of money is complicated by the cycle of oppression constitute consciousness of Deaf people whose lives is limited—denying them the passion. Unfortunately, there is no unique passion that gives the Deaf community break from money-free oppression. Every day, Deaf people are being targeted for big money and character assassination.

Deaf people’s lives are in the danger of cultural appropriation, and that would be undesirable for everyone. It is necessary to fight against hatred practices by Alexander Graham Bell’s ideology that is infectious enough to warrant a protest by members of Deaf community. In this case, hatred will survive because of survival itself and not only because it has been influenced by stories. The goal of creating activism is not to allow Alexander Graham Bell’s face on the paper money, the first kind in the world, and challenge the practices of hate speech.

Truth itself can be revolutionary topic in a society steeped in hearing privileges that makes necessary to take respect away from Deaf people. The society we live in, Alexander Graham Bell is pushing for Surdophobia culture, ‘the fear of Deaf people’ not just because it was deemed cultural hegemony in the eyes of Deaf people but also the ignorance and lack of cultural respect cannot be “un-done”—Deaf people are human beings—they are not human doings.

The awareness of Deaf culture has been grossly neglected in the society, and it is deteriorating. It has nothing to do with right or left really, but the powerful knowledge about Deaf people has skewed for profit and not for facts.

The final question, Is the face of Alexander Graham Bell on paper money, need any more arrogance, the leadership that exploits Deaf children with the lies as they make “deficit-thinking” decisions on those facts and not only on the emotionalized, oppressive of Deaf community and the misinformed public sentiment? Will Bank of England print this image on banknote (paper money bill) like this one below?

 

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-JT

Copyright © 2018 Jason Tozier

This text may be freely copied in its entirely only, including this copyright message.

 

 

Attacking Deaf Pregnant Woman & Service Dog: Hate Crime?

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How come the social media did not discuss hate crime about Deaf pregnant woman and service dog who got attacked brutally by hearing white man with privileges?

The Hidden Hand: Hate in Deaf Community

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Every year, on Saint Patrick’s Day, my grandparents would watch their favorite movie, 1952 “The Quiet Man” because Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne were their favorite actress and actor. Plus, it was filmed in Ireland. As they say, “Erin Go Bragh!” [Ireland forever]

Then I learned later that John’s name was not his birth name. He was born as Duke Morrison. I also learned that he was hungry for supremacy. That does not fit Hollywood’s image. I learned that the other night about a year ago that it has happened in California, a Republican congressman was attempting to make a special honor called “John Wayne Day” held in May and the Democrats came out protesting strongly against the idea. The bill failed because they hold zero tolerance policy against Racism and hate. That is what we all should do the same thing. How do we feel about white supremacy?

When you see an image below, John Wayne actually said that in 1971 Playboy magazine interview below. University of Virginia wrote about John Wayne, “Wayne has grossed more than $400 million for his studios–more than any other star in motion-picture history. But because of his uncompromising squareness–and his archconservative politics–he was still largely a profit without honor in Hollywood.”

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Now, can we do something about Audism and hate? What about those hearing actresses and actors who are pretending to be Deaf in the big picture front of Deaf eyes? Why are Deaf people rejected as an aspiration to a world in which all forms of inequality and dehumanization among ourselves that allows a society to oppress Deaf people who have plenty of talent out there?

Some people would say that a degree of “diversity” is a wonderful thing, but within certain demographics it has continue to practice the old, dirty politics, and there are plenty of people in this or that minority culture for whom the old-fashioned non-cultural politics is more relevant. For most people of any group, including the minority groups, the specifically diversity issues are actually a small proportion of the actually important yet invisible issues affecting Deaf people anywhere.

Should Audism be “extinct” in Deaf community, in the sense that the public eye of Alexander Graham Bell is quite welcoming to anyone Deaf. This is not always true. Struggle with sign languages everywhere, communication and personal appearance exists in the term subtle diversity in the society. In Canada, more specifically, Nova Scotia “NS” in ASL— 12 years ago in the legislative Act of 2005, the honor created “Alexander Graham Bell Day” where they celebrate his achievements on March 7th every year ever since and it has became a personal insult for the Deaf community.

While the only Alexander Graham Bell Day in the world, Canada is the front runner and they should get rid of it. One day they will. Do not wait too long. Celebrating Alexander Graham Bell Day is like creating a massacre filled with laughter! What do you think when you see “education” first thing? It may be most complex noun of all. It means, “to train someone for what?”—And it is a teacher-centered, not student-centered. If a teacher thinks a Deaf pupil is better off speaking, then the pupil is really stuck.

I strongly believe in student-centered learning and teaching (peer-teaching) is best of the best for the Deaf as they often teach each other. That is what a Deaf culture is supposed to be. Paulo Freire once said, “The teacher acts and the students have the illusion of acting through the action of the teacher.”

Deaf people are not part of inventory or investment! Is ASL suffering language bigotry? What do we mean Audism when we say that an oppressor usually a hearing person believes a given proposition about the Deaf? We all need to be outspoken promoters of social justice and  defender of the oppressed! We need to follow a good example what California did and support Deaf Canadians to get rid of AGBell’s Day! So, do you think we should remove all the ranks of Audism in public eye? Alexander Graham Bell’s 1884 hate speech:

We should try ourselves to forget that they are deaf. We should try to teach them to forget that they are deaf.”-Alexander Graham Bell, 1884.

Cite: Ladd, Paddy. Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search of Deafhood. Page 129.

Isn’t Bell doing exactly the same thing what John Wayne said about, “I don’t believe giving authority and positions of leadership and judgement to irresponsible people“…—AGBell’s speech was instructed to teach Deaf people to hate their own “identity” and forget their existence as the state of being Deaf and lose all the ranks of leadership just because Deaf people are viewed as socially inferior and ‘irresponsible’ people. AGBell was really afraid. The dark side of AGBell has been revealed. His leadership is now weak. The evolution of FEAR begins.

After all, that is the worst massacre created by Alexander Graham Bell and its followers. There may be more reasons behind that. On the left bottom corner, the postage of Alexander Graham Bell–look at his fists. He was so charged to attack Deaf community. That’s the hidden hand, folks!

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Lastly, Wayne’s words, “Our so-called stealing of this country from them [Native Americans] was just a matter of survival.” What an asshole! Generally speaking for “matter of survival” would be any incident where Deaf people would be oppressed by another and the perpetrating group has the control of power.

The stories told by Deaf people becomes the collective journey and how their struggles and circumstances meet with the full use of force. In other words, if people agree that AGBell created a massacre for power, politics, hate, and the oppression ranks, then it meets our criteria.

It makes him less human. His primary goal was to destroy the survivorship of ASL and Deaf people. That makes Bell a bigger asshole. What is so funny right now? Well, I have this book, A**holeolgy The Cheat Sheet: Put the Science into Practice in Everyday by Chris Illuminati sitting on the bookshelf; I saw a perfect introduction from the book: The Ten Demandments of Being an Asshole.

  1. The asshole cares about the asshole the most.
  2. The asshole is always right.
  3. The assholes rarely apologizes.
  4. The asshole never accepts the word “no.”
  5. The asshole is always in control.
  6. The asshole always has a plan.
  7. The asshole takes what he wants.
  8. The asshole always look good.
  9. The asshole learns from his (few mistakes)
  10. The asshole is always evolving.

I rest my case. 

-JT

Copyright © 2017 Jason Tozier

This text may be freely copied in its entirely only, including this copyright message.

 

References: https://www.pinterest.com/janeenweddle/the-quiet-man/

https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/fun/alexander-graham-bell-day

http://www.ibtimes.com/was-john-wayne-racist-california-democrats-refuse-honor-film-star-because-white-2361754

https://anydayguide.com/calendar/2860

https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/Alexander_Graham_Bell

Click to access John_Wayne_Playboy_Int2.pdf

 

 

 

Remember 2016 April 1st?

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So, it begins..with on the eve of April 1st, where we were sleeping peacefully that gives ourselves comforting, secure feeling as the state of being Deaf then woke up to a rude awakening where no character to escape in every corner of America’s roads. The Washington Post publishes an article that changed everything.

By tomorrow’s day, it becomes one-year anniversary. It was the day outgoing president of Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf, Meredith Sugar made an effort-consuming for deficit thinking by encouraging hate speech about ASL and scolded Nyle DiMarco that should not accepted in the society or even his subjective identity. That was a major or even grave mistake of Meredith to do that.

There were been a lot of letters written by State Associations of the Deaf on the behalf of Deaf people, social media, bloggers, vloggers challenging AGB association and Meredith Sugar, it was incredible—more like awesome for the next couple of days! Maybe even couple of weeks. We need to see it more like this.

When AGB associations practice any behavior, for example, hate speech, that behavior becomes stronger and harder to get rid of. In our human minds, we see a person of different culture walking past the street, and people sneer at them. They then become invariably disappears.

Today, AGB still refuse to apologize for its action showing more interest to encourage hate speech, what is being done to attack Deaf people and what can the average citizen do to help in those efforts?

Deaf community is an incredibly special place, and Deaf people are a unique breed of people anywhere. Three-time Pultizer Prize winner Thomas Freidman writes,

Freedom is the ability, desire, and aspiration to live in a context where I can realize my full potential as a human being.”

However, someone once said that, “We shall challenge AGB, no matter what until they give up.” We need to realize our full potential as a human being. The LEAD-K summit asked the audience not to talk about AGB or challenge AGB at all and stay in silence. Then the silence grows bigger. We need more people to continue and challenge against hate speech more often. It continues to target Deaf people today because they are nobody. Well, we are someone else! ASL is highly designed in terms of knowledge, collections, and efficiency. April 1st will be always in history forever.

My older post in 2016 the day after Meredith’s hateful letter then second one later in two weeks:

https://audismnegatsurdi.com/2016/04/02/alexander-graham-bells-name-hate-speech-with-spin-wheel/

https://audismnegatsurdi.com/2016/04/13/agbell-time-for-peace-with-justice/

-JT

Copyright @ 2017 Jason Tozier

This text may be freely copied in its entirely only, including this copyright message.

 

 

The Invisible Hate: A Forgotten Fear of Deaf People

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Imagine this…

It baffles me the most when American people pay taxes and allow shootings to kill Deaf people either they are ignorant or refuse to learn about Deaf culture, the brain wired with hatred is still there.

When a person is stopped on a corner and see two pedestrians whom both are Deaf signing to each other while walking in the crosswalk. The person would walk up to them out of the corner and tell them, “TO GET LOST”[It could happen anytime, folks—you never know]

The country is now unpredictable. We are living in a country filled with hatred. There are a lot of people who are fearful of Deaf people even in our backyards.

It is travesty and poses a very serious burden on Deaf people in America. They face high risk anytime. Does anybody think it would fly a moral or legal defense when our own American people do not understand how to work with Deaf people? Is it not fair?

Hate crime is not even recognized in Deaf community—literally, not today or tomorrow. Why is that? They get away with it because the society let them. Haters dump their toxic waste on American Sign Language (ASL) because people would say it is not normal to see Deaf people signing with their hands—and processing their xenophobic attitude would not cost taxpayers and profit a lot of money from allowing hate crime and Audism.

The question, why do Deaf people have to pay the price in the first place when they are all innocent? The cost of a Deaf person would cause serious health concerns—not a joke—where are the fair justice for Deaf people?

So, the society refuses to recognize hate crime is the parallel claim that as an America—they encourage so much that their efforts would get praise from other people cheering to practice hate crime targeting Deaf people. It is a great loss for words, and we are the most invisible minority in America—maybe in the world. That’s the beauty of American democracy which is bit messed up.

Yet, the United States Constitution lacks of respect to protect Deaf people. We know that the importance of Deaf people depends on our society to reduce hate crime globally. If we seek for help from our hearing allies and save our Deaf community, they need to fight against hate crime, too. It would make a lot safer, hmm?

-JT

Copyright @ 2017 Jason Tozier

This text may be freely copied in its entirely only, including this copyright message.