Hearing Culture

What the fuck? What does that mean? Did I just make that shit up?

One of the presenters at orientation (Dirksen Bauman - gorgeous) informed us that when he was born, he could hear. He repeated it. When he was born, he could hear. He said, it wasn't until he was 21 years old, that he became Hearing. [please note: Hearing is capitalized to emphasize the Hearing culture, not the sense of hearing] He asked the audience what that meant. Of course it is because at 21 was when he first became aware of what that was. That there was such a thing as Deaf culture and there was such a thing as to be Hearing. He first met a Deaf person when he was 21 years old.

It makes sense. Often times, you don't notice something until something comes along. (says the Devil in the South Park Movie: Without evil, there would be no good, so it must be good to be evil sometimes!- is the only thing that comes to mind.) Anyway, at 21 he realized that there was this thing/identity/culture called hearing. You are Hearing, and I am Deaf. Get it?

It is interesting to see hearing people when they first learn about this term. They will be explaining something and realize they need a term for someone who is NOT deaf. They look to their peers, who give the sign/term "Hearing" (please note- the sign for "Hearing" is different than the sign for "to hear" -- interesting!). It's funny to see their reactions to their first exposure to that label (I'm assuming it is created by the Deaf community, but who knows).

Another interesting, somewhat related tidbit:
A friend of mine was talking about her experience with a hearing friend. (I am not a stickler for capitalizing Hearing/Deaf.... I think it depends on my mood. And/or if I want to emphasize that label/identity/culture...) She is deaf, and she speaks very well. She will wear a hearing aid or two and is quite a skilled lipreader. She says that sometimes he forgets that she is deaf, that she can't hear, at all. They were discussing enrolling him in an ASL class; that sometimes, it would be easier if he had a basic understanding of sign langauge/culture/identity. In any event, while communication hasn't been an issue, communication itself has been brought to light. That means that there are times when he is just so used to talking with her that he honestly doesn't realize she can't hear. And that assumption can definitely lead to other assumptions and expectations that wouldn't arise if there were a constant reminder that that person can't hear (ie if she did NOT speak). Therefore, he might be missing out on understanding that there is whole other side to who she is as a person. It can go unnoticed when you are in a mainstream hearing culture that some people can be very much integrated into it, but fail to have that one sense that everyone else has, that the culture is defined as having. (in a way). Weird, right?

I am not sure if this is the smartest way to end it. Maybe I'll edit this post more later.