Eric Gjerdingen aka Vallahian.com really misconstructed or misinterpreted the meaning of "reverse audism".
Many of us, deaf people already know what "audism" meant or understand the concept of "audism".
The general definition of "audism" are about hearing people keeping deaf people in its place like denying opportunity to us, deaf people from reaching out to the full capacity of our cultural and linguistic uses. Or either the meaning of audism for hearing people having such prejudiced or discriminatory viewpoints of deaf people as human beings.
The correct interpretation of "reverse audism" would be about deaf people deny or demote hearing people to the fairness of society like denying them the admission to the deaf club because of their hearing status. Or deaf person in authority position bypass qualified hearing individual over unqualified deaf individual for given employment /volunteer position. It is properly defined as "reverse audism".
Any deaf people apply prejudice or belittlement or scorn or ridicule other deaf people based on their signing abilities would be characterized as "horizontal or vertical oppression", not "reverse audism".
That's what Patricia Raswant of her blog and others used to discuss about the so-called horiztional and vertical oppression toward particular deaf group during the Unity for Gallaudet protest.
Some deaf individuals recalled their school days of being ridiculed and mocked for their non-signing abilities seen as the typical schoolyard bullying tactics. That was nothing to do with "reverse audism".
The educational system of the deaf vigorously ought to root out the schoolyard bullying toward deaf students by other deaf students.
The society at large slowly increasingly realize the existence of "reverse racism" by any ethnic or racial minority group like black people technically deny or dismiss the white people to the employment opportunity or kind of legitimate complaint within workplace situation or law enforcement issue.
Eric Gjerdingen ought to issue the formal apology to the Audism Free America for his misconstruction and misinterpretation of "reverse audism".
The Audism Free America (AFA) grassroot activist group never engaged in any kind of reverse audism against hearing people as part of systematic revenge or payback. The AFA simply confront the Alexander Graham Bell Association of the Deaf (AGBell) for past and present attitude mode and tactics of undermining the existence of cultural and linguistic uses among deaf people in educational area and popular entertainment and other means.
Did you see the AFA holding up signs saying "Down with Hearing People!"? Nope!!!!
More and more deaf people begin to stand up and remind the society at large about the unacceptable norms of systematic prejudices and discrimination against deaf people in general.
That is what the Audism Free America try to do lately. The Alexander Graham Bell Association of the Deaf often use pathetic excuses like pointing out to the parental choices for preferred communication modes for any parents' deaf babies and youngsters. This very same organization usually imposes the unworkable ideology upon emotionally vulnerable parents of deaf babies and youngsters from exploring all kinds of options of best availability of educational needs for deaf kids in general.
The AGBell Association ever done the audistic behavior by writing to the Pespi Cola and NBC-TV network and other associations over endless years by questioning their decision to feature the beauty of American Sign Language (ASL).
Why the AGBell want to intervene the model of free market among American corporations, ex. Pespi Cola and NBC-TV network for its own free-willed decisions of showcasing the true diversity of American society?
Have the National Association of the Deaf send up any written objections to any company or entertainment medium that they should not show any oral communication methods used by deaf? Don't think so!
The Audism Free America made very pragmatic and logical demands to battle the evils of audism to the Alexander Graham Bell Association of the Deaf. Nothing extreme or reverse audism about the AFA's demands and actions.
The eye-popping facts about the AGBell's membership ratio largely consisted of medical professionals by 67% percentage to 9% of deaf people in its membership. The AGBell finally elected the deaf person to the leadership position last two summers ago.
The Audism Free America conducted very dignified and responsible demonstration in front of the AGBell's Volta Bureau building and educated the society at large about saying NO, NO, NO to AUDism!
ASLize yours,
Robert L. Mason (RLM)
RLMDEAF blog
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
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