Deafhood Revolution – …And the Truth Shall Set You Free.

Survive

January 1, 2020January 1, 2020 The Last Hiccup1 Comment

From 2010-2020, this decade has been the challenging of how the stigma can be. Someone once said: ‘The thing that I did that I am most proud of this decade? Survive.’ the other day.

W.E.B. DuBois on Abraham Lincoln: “I love him not because he was perfect, but because he was not, and yet triumphed.”

Learning how to navigate a history of bullying, slandering, character assassination, and hate dynamics in regards to a modern scarlet letter. Wellness, healing, equity, and the paramount factor is not so easily accepted: Strength.

Everything is the opposite. Cyberculture is the new norm of bullying. Technology has adapted faster even before blink eyes every time is something of concern we should be aware of in the future.

The wisdom that I appreciate most from books can be found in their writings on how we should how to survive. Landauer’s For Socialism, Day’s Gramsci is Dead: Anarchist Currents in the Newest Social Movements, and Holloway’s Change the World Without Taking Power: The Meaning of Revolution Today, Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Baird and Rosenbaum’s Hatred, Bigotry, and Prejudice, Lawrence’s Punishing Hate: Bias Crimes Under American Law, and many others.

Indeed, for many of the great writers, critical thinking is not always abstract, head-in-the-clouds, the kind of thing, but focus on how to survive in a hate-filled life. Professors whom I admire the most, they teach not just as something you do, but find the purpose of living. And I am grateful to know them.

Majoring in Sociology was the best decision rather than advanced math and signed up for those courses that impacted my life forever; Revolution and Radical Social Change, Hate Crimes and Bias, Methodology of the Oppressed, but not something like this, until the book surfaced: Understanding Deaf Culture: in Search of Deafhood by Paddy Ladd in 2010 had changed my life more than anything.

I wonder all the time, if I have not read Ladd’s book, I wouldn’t be here. Honestly, I wouldn’t be here. I am grateful for the book. It is one of many reasons: survive. Every day is filled with mystery and answers to make all the difference in the world.

Encouraging suicide by its Deaf community is something really tough to bear with, and I am thankful for Deaf-centered counseling. Rehabilitation is the key. The obstacles seem insurmountable, and the people I love and care the most had been supportive, though I am about as depressed as I’ve been and kept thinking that it is unbelievable for me to survive through.

Stigma sucks. I walk that road and I keep walking, no matter what how hard it is in the spite of cyberculture, and that makes all the difference, where an 18th-century British legal scholar, Sir William Blackstone: “It is but reasonable that among crimes of different natures those should be most severely punished, which are the most destructive of the public safety and happiness.”

Here comes 2020. I look forward to finishing my greatest project. As of 16th President of the United States of America, Abraham Lincoln: “Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.”

The thing that I did that I am most proud of this decade? Survive.

-JT

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Happy National Beer Day!

April 7, 2017April 7, 2017 The Last HiccupLeave a comment

Ryder wants to taste my beer! Nice try! Today is National Beer Day. Appreciate the innovators of beer in the past and present. In my personal opinion, the genius of beer would be Arthur Guinness, the owner of Guinness in Ireland.

-JT

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My Reflection: Deaf People in Havana

September 4, 2015February 14, 2017 The Last Hiccup4 Comments

Cochlear Implants Coming to Cuba.

All Deaf children deserve a bright future and access to high quality early learning environments that put them on the path to success in education and beyond.

In the coming months or so, with the “better” relations between America and Cuba will face a huge challenge what equates to a cultural backlash with the cochlear implant makers from America to demonstrate how many Deaf children can be targeted, for example. Cochlear implant makers through American relations will target how Deaf children in Cuba carry out tasks such as following “social rules” and such. The rules give America an important snapshot of the Deaf child’s social, emotional, and cognitive skills.

I am very concerned right now. After watching a free documentary Deaf People in Havana produced and presented by Deaf Nation’s No Barriers signed by Joel Barish last Sunday. I have a legitimate reason to be concerned. Very concerned. Domino Effect begins.

Deaf Nation writes, “Cuba has a long political history that caused the country to become stuck in a time capsule, but that can soon change as the U.S. government begins to lift the travel restrictions. Joel takes you on a unique visual journey through Havana, Cuba and the beauty of Deaf people within its culture.”

Cuba is only 90 miles from America’s lands. The beauty of Deaf people with its culture is powerful—DEAF people—the REAL DEAF people. In this 90 minutes documentary, not a single Deaf person have a cochlear implant—and I often wondered why Deaf People in Havana did not film Deaf children—the critical backbone in Deaf community there.

This documentary is also critical in helping Deaf community and the state as a whole identify trends related to Deaf children who did not have adequate access to high quality education nor learning experiences. This assessment of Deaf children will be an ultimate test. There is no passing or failing. There are no blanks or bubbles for Deaf children to fill in. In fact, the majority of cochlear implant companies in America will target Deaf children in Cuba—based on replacing Deaf culture and follow American relations.

Will Deaf children and people in Cuba will struck in a time capsule as soon as the American cochlear implant makers begins to lift the restrictions to take their Deaf culture away? That is where the major concern should be discussed.

Cochlear implant makers and of course, Alexander Graham Bell Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AGBDHH) will use the data to gather information gaps in knowledge and skills and they also will use that information to target resources to ensure more Deaf children, particularly those representing Deaf community and navigating poverty, have a strong start to education.

As the future relations with 90 miles away from America’s social rules to begin its educational journey, we all should have a reason than ever before to be encouraged about the foundations laid in Deaf community to set the stage for educational access for our youngest Deaf children to preserve sign language and Deaf culture as well.

That is precisely why Cubans remember Ernesto “Che” Guevara, a revolutionary leader—and that is where Paddy Ladd achieved by David Call’s linocut [printmaking] art comes in with the picture. Deaf Cubans need to be a revolutionary leader through Deafhood discourses. They all are Deafhood Revolutions. A revolution from the Latin revolutio, “a turn around” that Deaf Cubans needs a strong fundamental change in power that prevents and turn around cochlear implant makers away to take over Cuba and invest a $100 million towards targeted investments to prioritize closing gaps on Deaf children.

From Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search of Deafhood championed by Paddy Ladd, in page 30, “In the days that follow, the marchers find out just how pervasive the mask of benevolence is. In vain, they search the media for film or printed evidence of the historical nature of their achievement. Instead they are confronted with the same media images they have had to tolerate on almost a daily basis for the last 10 years. ‘New Miracle Cure for Deaf Baby’ they read. ‘Wonder Cochlear Implant Operation Abolishes Deafness’.”

The mask of benevolence in this documentary, Deaf People in Havana…will become invisible sooner or later. Domino Effect.

****Special thanks to Joseph Artino, the owner of Zeppe Art for his hard work on artwork! Champ!

-JT

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