Let me share with you a couple of things about myself. I was born Deaf, attended schools for the deaf, have spoken ASL since I was a toddler, and I have given birth to two Deaf children. So if I share factual information with you about Deaf culture, you would take it seriously and treat it the same way you would if you had received any other cultural information from a member of their respective culture, right?
Each culture possesses a set of beliefs, values, and norms, and members of a culture are either taught or raised to function and/or behave according to these beliefs, values and norms. Beliefs, values and norms vary from culture to culture. For example, in France, wine isn’t viewed as “bad,” but a perfectly acceptable drink to be consumed by both children and adults at mealtimes. But the American culture sees wine as a drink that children should not consume until they are over 18 years of age. That is just how it is, and cultural differences provide us with additional understanding of how people think and see things differently. This is a normal part of human nature.
With the wine example in mind, would you challenge the Frenchwoman/Frenchman who gave you that information? Would you accuse the Frenchwoman/Frenchman of participating in “groupthink?” Probably not, since you would certainly be seen as rude. Yet when I share any aspect of Deaf culture with other deaf people (meaning those who attended mainstream programs or identify themselves as deaf or HOH or oral), I get challenged. I get accused of participating in “groupthink.” I am told things like “I have to be me.” Or “I am independent.” Or “You’re militant!” Or “Who are you to tell me this stuff about Deaf culture?”
Such reactions have me thinking, “Okay. Apparently my background isn’t authoritative enough or authentic enough for these people.” The next obvious question is, if I am not good enough of an authoritative source, who is? Not only that, I am not sure these people realize how insulting their reactions are. Their outraged cries of “I have to be me!” or “I am independent!” or “I don’t participate in groupthink!” all carry the same backhanded messages: You are sheep. You are not capable of being independent. You are not truly ‘you.’
The irony here is, by rejecting the cultural information I have provided them, they have made their choice clear. They have elected to go with the mainstream cultural group: hearing society. Just so we’re not deluding ourselves here, hearing society is just as much of a “group” as Deaf culture (or Deaf world) is. Why is the mainstream cultural group better than the Deaf cultural group? Both groups have set of rules, behavioral expectations, values and beliefs like any other culture. People get to be ‘themselves’ as long as they follow the rules and expectations of their chosen cultural group. It is nothing to be ashamed of, and being part of a cultural group carries a certain level of security, a sense of belonging, and an identity. It is also an excellent support system and it provides networking opportunities for the members of a group.
Once again: if you don’t want to take the information about Deaf culture/world that I’ve freely provided you, who will you take it from? Isn’t the equation in this case “culture + native = authority/expertise?” If not, what should the equation look like instead?
