Monday, March 31, 2008

How Can We Shake Up The General Conception of Our Deaf Community Thru Spilling Over Our Black Kettle?

Barbara DiGi of the "Deaf Progressivism" wrote the real splendid letter to the CBS-TV in response to the airing of the "Cold Cases" last night on the network television. Her "open letter" to the CBS-TV could be seen on Misha Zena' blog.

My first reason is to get into the DeafRead blogosphere few years ago is to mobilize all of you, deaf readers, viewers, bloggers and vloggers to spill our concerns and expressions over the DeafRead black kettle to the general society to educate and mobilize the millions and millions of hearing people what and who we, deaf people are all about. We must not let the society at large to define and pigeonhole us, deaf people.

The best way is to pressure the CBS-TV and the producers of the "Cold Case" television programming by writing countless open letters to various publications, ex. local and regional and statewide newspapers, national and international magazines to get the formal apology and disclaimer and the follow-up reactions from the deaf community on various CBS newsmagazine tv shows and entertainment shows.

We must get together as the whole deaf community to fight off the "inaccurate/unfair" portrayal of deaf people in the world of entertainment and newsreportings. Or we will dearly pay the price for being socially and culturally passive without making any corrections or challenge their societal perspective of our own dear community.

Some deaf people like Mike McConnell, probably will scoff at the significance of fair and accurate portrayal of deaf people on the tv shows and newsreportings. Many social and cultural historians and researchers will tell you differently what really happened in the past societal occurrences/incidents.

From my past sociological research for the Gally sociology class, the sociology professor did scoff at me for doing the research on this very topic. He became mesmerized later with the reading of several books after I researched on the portrayal of African Americans from Hollywood films and tv shows over 100 years. The images of African Americans came out unfavorably portrayed and often twisted from the "Birth of the Nation" to "Pinky" films to "Andy and Amos" tv shows. The professor told me "I really did not realize about those things occurred", ex. proven racial and ethnic hate crimes against particular and targeted minorities.

The past statistics of racial hate crimes against African Americans by the white America got skyrocketed almost 70 percent after the screening of "The Birth of a Nation" - endless lynchings, widespread discrimination, societal prejudices and other things.

Vito Russo, author of "The Celluloid Closet" nonfiction book and producer of the "very same title" powerful film documentary, done the years of stealth researching on the Hollywood portrayal of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) individuals on the celluloid images. He had to trick the Hollywood film suppliers and studios to send in their films or will never get a chance of getting the hands on endless films which often portrayed the so-called social deviance and psychologically abnormal minority in such questionable and unfavorable manners. The GLBTs ended up portrayed as scheming and twisted and pathetically degenerate creatures, instead of balanced and realistic and fair portrayal of sexual, cultural and linguistic minority (GLBTs). "Cruising" 1980 film with Al Pacino was one of the fine example of unfair depiction of gay males in the world of S&M.

The non-challenged images of African Americans and GLBTs in the world of entertainment from the 1890s to 1980s, left those minorities the hefty price from leading the decent, progressive and successful living in the United States. Their rights to the equal society had been endlessly denied from gainful employment to legal protection(s). Such misconceptions and irrational fears about any minorities led to the systematic discrimination and prejudices on the long-term hauls .

Please write the open letters to your local, regional and national publications to express your concerns about the CBS-TVs "Cold Case". We ought not to engage in the call for any kind of censorship and just engage in constructive dialogues for future "balanced" portrayal of deaf people. We ever have to forward our deaf blogs and vlogs to the movers and shakers of the entertainment world and the hearing bloggers to urge the show business people to take the deep insights how they portray us, deaf people on the silver screen and television shows.

No questions about Hollywood's true love for getting the hands on the social deviance of any groups and make money off the human misery for the purpose of entertainment. We really could make the difference in societal portrayal of deaf people within all of us. How sad!

Hopefully will see Barbara DiGi's open letter to the CBS-TV appears on the next week's "Variety" magazine, a respectable show business.

More information on Vito Russo's "The Celluloid Closet" could be found on http://en.wikipediaorg/wiki/TheCelluloid Closet or type 'The Celluloid Closet". I could not recall the titles of several nonfiction books on the Hollywood portrayal of African Americans.

Robert L. Mason
RLMDEAF blog
rlmdeaf@hotmail.com

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Deaf Insights - How and What Past So-Called Militants Pointed Out Human Fallacies

Dr. Don G's vlog presentation had been excellently covered why we ought to be damn proud of calling ourselves "Deaf Militants", instead of cowering and running away from the societial labels.

W.E. DuBois, the former president of the National Colored Association of Advancement People (NCAAP), usually reminded the wary ones about providing the equal rights to colored people. Many white people felt greatly comfortable with George Washington Carver (not George Washington, the first president under the U.S. Constitution) because of his non-threatening presence unlike DuBois's fiery arguments about how the American society treated colored people unequally, etc.

George Washington Carver, the well-known and respectable African-American scientist of their time. He always urged the colored people to go along and work with the white people to please them, instead of agonizing the white society. In the end, white people rather have to keep colored people in their place, not of being treated as an equal member of the society. DuBois refused to accept the arguments that the colored people are the inferior species and let the white society to define, mold and re-arrange who and what the colored people were all about.

Back in the early 20th American century, the white people put the particular African Americans' long-term health under jeopardy by experimenting on them secretly without their own knowledge or consent - "Tuskegee Experiment", a longitude research on sexual diseases jumped from one individual to another individual.

George Washington Carver repeatedly urged the African Americans to be the submissive ones and work together with the White America, not challenge or offend the white majority. W.E DuBois furiously told the African Americans to advance themselves with the college education to make themselves real worthy human beings with full abilities, not to serve the whims of the White America. The racial lynchings of African Americans were very common in the 1920s and beforehand. The Jim Crow laws kept African Americans from being the equal member of the society without pathologizing or paternalize them.

One flaws about W.E. DuBois's membership with the American Communist Party which undermined all his arguments for fighting the full steam for the equal rights of colored people of its time. If not for his communist party membership, we would be more familiar with W.E. DuBois than the moderate Martin Luther King. The African Americans of the pre-Civil Rights Movement would be the equal member of the society from W.E. DuBois.

Vernon John was more bold and militant than his future predecessor, Dr. Martin Luther King. He was also the church pastor like MLK. John usually had the outdoor church bulletin said "How Many Lynchings Done Lately" in the late 40s. MLK took the whole credit for the civil rights movement in moderate stance. MLK perhaps brilliantly done the non-threatening approaches with well-dressed rights participants and had the Muslim brothers at his side during his famous speech, "We Are People, Too".

Thomas Jefferson had seen all the filth of the French royal mess which he eagerly supported the Terror of Regin in the name of societal renewal and rebirth of democratic process away from the heriditary positions and curried favors. George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and other Americans were horrified about the mob rules in the chaotic France. Whose fault? Of course, the French Establishment for not paying attention to the needs of their French subjects!

Thomas Paine wrote the "Common Sense" pamphlets as a paybacks to King George and the British elites for treating him shabbily and disrespectful. Paine almost got beheaded at the Bastille (France).

"Mother" Mary Jones waged the full-frontal wars on the coal mine owners for disfranchising the hard-working coal miners. In the end, the miners got what they wanted - decent work hours, safe work environments, no "company money" (scrap money) and safeguard measures for their loved ones.

If we turn beloved or accompany the goals and visions of the dominant majority. We will never accomplish anything to fight against the true oppressors, who tried to be the Creator - AgBAD people and proponents of CI surgery, ever deaf people kiss up to the expectations of hearingization of the society.

ASLize yours,
Robert L. Mason (RLM)
RLMDEAF blog

P.S. I am in real hurry writing up this blog posting less than six minutes. I have to go now.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

What Do You, Deaf America Think of Barack Obama's "More Perfect Union" Speech, Major Speech on Race in America?

Our country get more racially and culturally diverse everyday, but the remaining questions about whether Barack Obama is telling the truth about his own pastor, Jermiah Wright, Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago, IL or just huff-puff the growing controvesty about Obama's so-called judgement for the place of worship and his spiritual advisor?

Obama gave the major speech on race in America this Tuesday morning, 3/18 - "More Perfect Union" to quell the concerns about his own pastor, who officated his marriage, gave him spiritual advices and political insights. He addressed the issue of "truism" how the American society treat the African Americans and immigrants, et cetera, but not any words about the lesser-fornuate white Americans. Why???

Obama had brilliantly selected his own campaign and Senate staffers which he probably lead the successful national and global leadership facing the increasingly uncertain and chaotic world and national stage. Who knows?

Will the White America be in the real surprise by the Obama presidency or what? What about our own economic and societeal security as the multi-racially diverse people of the United States of America?

Questions remained why Obama tolerated such political ramblings at his own church for more than 20 years. Will the real Obama show himself what and who he is all about? Anyone in the leadership postiton, often have been greatly influenced by the associates on the mindset of given issues and crisis.

Some deaf African Americans expressed their skepticism about Barack Obama whether he is the AntiChrist frequently mentioned in the Holy Bible. How interesting!

The CNN people noticed how the cult-like atomsphere within the Obama rallies. Why Obama avoid the small focus group in various political rallies? Obama chose to electrificy the large crowds without exposing himself who and what he was all about.

Why Obama managed to keep his Columbia University years much under wraps??

One of the deaf-blind blogger, Bryne, expressed his digusts at Obama for his treatment of ASL interpreters at various political rallies like keeping terps away from Obama. Is the order by the U.S. Secret Services for Obama's own personal safety?

How much will Obama be good for the Deaf America? How much Obama really understand the importance of cultural and linguistic needs of the Deaf America? Will Obama be the budget buster or fiscally-responsible chief executive to deny the Medicaid fundings of the cochlear implant surgery on deaf children?

We, Deaf America have to be more politically active to elect the right individuals to all the local, state and national public offices to protect our own deaf interests as part of cultural and linguistic survival as Deaf American.

Obama sound too good to be true for his racially and socially inclusive vision of America. The author neither endorse any presidential contenders for the 2008 presidential election.

The Nader-Gonzales campaign team recently sent me their email message about how come the Democrats like Hillary and Obama not puruse for the impeachment of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney for the abuses of the U.S. Constitution to mislead the American people and the U.S. Congress on the issue of the Iraq War and the War on Terror and war profiteerings, ex. Haliburton and Titan. They made a good point about Spitzer v. Bush which made a real sense so far. Spitzer, Democrat, resigned in the best interests of his own constitutents, not Bush and Cheney.

It's time for us, Deaf Americans to demand the protection of American Sign Language to be part of the cultural and linguistic recognization by the United States government and embrace the unique and everlasting hertiage of the Deaf America's lasting contributions to the existence of country itself. We must get together to demand all the levels of government from funding the cochlear implant surgery on deaf youngsters and adults which do not address any health concerns at all. We ever have to pressure the private health industry to deny any insurance coverage for the CI surgery at all.

Having a cochlear implant surgery is a luxury item which have nothing to do with the necessity of daily human functions. People would not want to pay more health insurance preminum because some deaf people doing functionally fine without ability to hear. All human beings are adjustable to any physical flaws that make our humankind more diverse and interesting.

ASLize yours,
Robert L. Mason (RLM)
RLMDEAF blog

1st Annual DCAD ASL Film Festival, April 11th-12nd

DC Association of the Deaf (DCAD) will host the 1st Annual ASL Film Festival at Gallaudet University on Friday and Saturday evenings, April 11th and 12nd.

This ASL Film Festival will feature local talented Deaf DC filmakers' work along with some films from other Deaf filmakers across the nation.

More information regarding advance ticket sales, film programming schedule and other related information will be announced in timely manner.

Mark your calendar for attending the 1st Annual DCAD ASL Festival on April 11th and 12nd. Look forward to see most of you, deaf filmgoers and film buffs there!

Bravo to the DC Association of the Deaf for bringing the much-needed deaf cultural event to the DC region like the ASL Film Festival! Wave hands to the DCAD leadership and members for making this film festival much possible!

ASLize yours,
Robert L. Mason (RLM)
RLMDEAF blog

Credits to the DCAD e-announcement listserver