|
I don't know about the stereotype that deaf people are jerks. Of course, "jerk" may have different connotations for different people.
However, I am familiar with the idea that the deaf are somehow "slow," possibly even "retarded" (perhaps because it takes us longer to understand the rapid babble of a group of hearing people talking over each other).
I think the old joke of honking to wake hearies and get them to turn on their lights not only shows humor in its reversal of roles, but also will show intelligence that may make some hearing people stop and think.
It'll be interesting to see the results.
Joe, you are so right that many people tend to lump deafness and blindness. Almost every blind person I know tells me how people shout so the blind person can "see" better, ha ha ha.
Once my deaf sister and I were signing as we waited to cross a street in San Francisco. Some lady smiled and remarked she was so glad the lights now made sounds so we could tell when to cross. Sis and I just stared at each other, then broke into giggles. Okay, we were deaf, but how much worse would it be if we were as stupid as she was?
|