Today I’d like to talk with you about a word: “hearing-minded.” This is basically a sign using “hearing” on the forehead. This article is specifically for lowercase-deaf readers of Deaf Echo, since this word would not normally ever be said to a hearing person. Let’s look at this word a little more closely.
Deaf Echo readers may remember that I’m culturally Deaf, so logically I wouldn’t be called “hearing-minded” since I know the norms of Deaf culture and which ones not to break and so forth. But at one point in my life, I was on the receiving end of that word. I was twelve years old, and had just transferred to Maryland School for the Deaf, Frederick. The first few weeks went by just fine, as I was getting used to my classes, teachers, classmates, roommates, and the campus itself. One day, out of the blue, my Social Studies teacher, who was a CODA (and should have known better), announced to my class that he had never seen anyone like me: a pre-lingually, profoundly Deaf person with English writing skills as good as any hearing person’s. The minute he announced that, I thought to myself: “Oh no.” The entire class gave me THIS LOOK and I knew I was in for it.
Now, I might have gotten away with it if I had been at MSD a lot longer than just a few weeks. But the students didn’t really know me yet, and they couldn’t be sure of my motives (after all, Deaf people have been on the receiving end of constant pressure by hearing society, educational establishments, parents, etc., to have good English writing skills. They’ve also been made to feel stupid for not being able to write well. So needless to say, it’s a sore and sensitive subject). I didn’t like it, but I at least knew why I was being called hearing-minded by my classmates. I understood where they were coming from. It wasn’t “hate speech” or anything like that. It wasn’t bullying, either. They were simply informing me that I had broken one of their cultural rules even though a teacher had broken it, not me, and he should have been on the receiving end of their ire. It was just unfortunate that he, being a teacher, was exempt from the consequences of his own action.
The word “hearing-minded” is unique in that it is not purely a derogatory word. It is a descriptive word that, when used, immediately informs the person of possible violation of cultural norms. Better yet, once someone calls you that, it is not necessarily the kiss of death: if you know exactly what needs to be fixed, your societal status changes for the better. No other word does that, or even permits that.
For example, if a hearing person (or people) calls you “mute,” there’s nothing you can do. Sure, you might take speech classes and get either hearing aids or implants. But it will not change your status in hearing society, no matter how hard you try. Ditto for words like “deaf and dumb” or “dummy.” They’ll always see you as different, period. The same is true for other words used against other people in other groups.
So, my advice for those who get labeled “hearing-minded” is not to get upset or lose hope or feel rejected. Ask the person who said it to give you specifics, and do what you have to do to improve the situation. It takes time, but it is worth it in the long run. After all, this word unquestionably belongs to Deaf culture and it is its yardstick, like it or not.
