Heather Whitestone or Marlee Matlin?

[Cheri]

It's funny how deaf people always complain that hearing people look down at them, but aren't they doing exactly the same thing to their own culture?

Before many people in the deaf community looked down at Marlee because she used her voice in some television roles, and Heather was not accepted by the deaf community just because she did not sign enough and she relied too much on lip-reading, then she had her cochlear implant in 2002, the deaf community went nuts. It's unbelievable. :roll:

 

[Angel]

:nodding in agreement:

 

[Sunshinelady]

Yes I learn about them and love to watch Marlee Matlin's movies.


I do not like to compare them but respect what they are because they are different people and have their own way.

yeaaah, i am the same way with you. I don't like compare about this or this.

 

[Levonian]

Some of the old-timers here don't think too highly of MM. My wife has met her, and she says Matlin was polite to her, so I dunno. I've never met her, so I can't offer an opinion one way or the other.

 

[ClearSky]

Why do Deaf people look down on Deaf celebrities that don't use exclusively ASL? Why is this such a bad thing?

I don't understand either. Even with Marlee Matlin, they hate when she try to use her voice or read lips too much on movies because they feel it's not reality.

Nothing's perfect enough to the Deaf Culture.

 

[Angel]

I don't understand either. Even with Marlee Matlin, they hate when she try to use her voice or read lips too much on movies because they feel it's not reality.

Nothing's perfect enough to the Deaf Culture.

Exactly

 

[BradB08]

I don't understand either. Even with Marlee Matlin, they hate when she try to use her voice or read lips too much on movies because they feel it's not reality.

Nothing's perfect enough to the Deaf Culture.

These are the same people that hold Gallaudet as an elitist institution and look down on Deaf people from hearing families or Deaf people that learned how to sign later than themselves.

 

[shel90]

These are the same people that hold Gallaudet as an elitist institution and look down on Deaf people from hearing families or Deaf people that learned how to sign later than themselves.

Right...not all Deaf people are like that. In my years I have been involved with the Deaf culture (since '98 ), not one person ever said anything about Heather Whitestone and I was at Gallaudet in 02 and nobody that I know of made a big fuss about her implants. Either the people I hung out with werent hard core Deaf culture elists or they just didnt give a fuck. LOL!

What people said about the Deaf community being against her is new to me. Interesting but I am not surprised that some extremists would probably say stuff like that.

 

[web730]

I recalled attending a speech by MM in person at Gally when I was a student in late '89 or '90. Anyway, she mostly spoke about her experiences being an actress in the "Children of a Lesser God" movie and bits of her life inside the Gally gym building.

There was a friend who stood up in the crowd not far from me asking her question that he was told that you (MM) failed the admission test for Gally. She was quite blushed and glimpsed at her bodyguard, who also acted in her movie, hoping for something what to say to his question to get by, you know.

I didn't know how he got word that she failed the test. Boy, how rude he did that just to make her feel low front of a hundred Gally students. Some were surprised... thought that she was quite smart enough to pass. Poor her!

It was a hot issue right after her speech for a brief of time but then faded.

Yet odd enough probably that she eventually received a honorary degree from Gallaudet University several years later or so. That guy (who asked her the question) eventually died from a car accident later.

 

[BradB08]

I'm a fan of Marlee, especially her work in a little known movie called "What the Bleep: Down the Wormhole".

Actually it's What the Bleep: Down the Rabbit Hole

 

[BradB08]

Right...not all Deaf people are like that. In my years I have been involved with the Deaf culture (since '98 ), not one person ever said anything about Heather Whitestone and I was at Gallaudet in 02 and nobody that I know of made a big fuss about her implants. Either the people I hung out with werent hard core Deaf culture elists or they just didnt give a fuck. LOL!

What people said about the Deaf community being against her is new to me. Interesting but I am not surprised that some extremists would probably say stuff like that.

I know some people who take their role in deaf culture so seriously, that they blame their problems on hearing people and make fun of them. Doesn't really help them does it?

 

[shel90]

I know some people who take their role in deaf culture so seriously, that they blame their problems on hearing people and make fun of them. Doesn't really help them does it?

Luckily many of my friends in the Deaf community arent like that. I guess they are far few in between? Either that or I dont pay attention...LOL!

 

[jomanila]

JoManila...well, i rather to have Marlee over Heather in any day. simple enough.


i hailed of Kalibo, Aklan, Philippines :]

and.. im californian-

Hello guys! Thanks for sharing your opinions and points.

Hello Norcal20! How long have you been to the US? My deaf friend's family also hails from Kalibo, Aklan. My parents are from Samar. So we are both from Visayas.

 

[NorCal20]

Jomanila...

I've been grew up in California, US for in my long, long, long, long time. I do visited there before and i do dearly missed Kalibo, Aklan and Borcacy Island too. Kalibo is one of my favorite place to go.

 

[jomanila]

Thanks for commenting here guys. I know that Marlee and Heather have individual distinct strengths and weaknesses. But I'm not here to make them like fighting cocks or wrestling contestants. I just want to hear from you about your opinions on how these two deaf icons fare in promoting the cause of the deaf community.

I tell you, American personalities and popular figures influence the world, including the American deaf even on a tiny island nation of the Philippines. Whatever the Americans do, it affects the entire world. that includes influences in cultures.

 

[Bebonang]

Why do Deaf people look down on Deaf celebrities that don't use exclusively ASL? Why is this such a bad thing?

That is a good question. I looked at Heather Whitestone when I watched her on the Miss America in 1995. She spoke her language instead of signing. I don't know how she cope with her deafness going through without an sign language interpreter in the pageant. She does supports and encourages deaf children to speak and not sign. For me to think that she must be a lonely person not know what everyone is saying to her even if she had a oral interpreter to help her read lips. I think she is just confused where she is to be on the stand for oral or sign. A lot of us, Deafies, think it is really important to use sign better than oral because it is easier to understand better than oral. Very few deaf people like Heather are very rare to be able to understand and lipread what the person say. Lipreading is not easy at all.


I did watched Marlee Matlin on the movie "Children of a Lesser God". It was a very great movie and I love what she did in the movie. We are related how we feel as a Deaf person and had experiences of what hearing people expect us to lipread and talk. No hearing person should not force a deaf person to speak if the Deaf person don't want to. Her character like to sign very much and is very comfortable with it.

Marlee Matlin has change because of fame. She can be nice or rude to the deaf communities, just because she is a Star. She can do whatever she like when meeting people whether hearing or deaf. I really side more on Marlee Matlin than Heather Whitestone because of signing which is a lot better than trying to read lips and to speak. We are not perfect with our voices. :roll:

 

[Pinky]

It's funny how deaf people always complain that hearing people look down at them, but aren't they doing exactly the same thing to their own culture?

Before many people in the deaf community looked down at Marlee because she used her voice in some television roles, and Heather was not accepted by the deaf community just because she did not sign enough and she relied too much on lip-reading, then she had her cochlear implant in 2002, the deaf community went nuts. It's unbelievable. :roll:

Heather Whitestone have second implanted now. She courted controversy among the Deaf community.

Heather Whitestone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I like Marlee over Heather. Because Marlee is using sign languages in movies, tv show, and other. I remember at first movie. I watched when I was 7 years old. My mom showed me on tv with first CC. I understand Marlee talk about.

I was pretty disappoint with Heather for not use sign language at Miss America. When I went to deaf school. The deaf teacher of Deaf Education class. She rejected Heather because of oral without sign languages. I think it's offensive. It's Heather's decide to be in hearing community not Deaf community. She think deaf community are gossiping, stabbing back, reject to oral people.

 

[shel90]

Heather Whitestone have second implanted now. She courted controversy among the Deaf community.

Heather Whitestone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I like Marlee over Heather. Because Marlee is using sign languages in movies, tv show, and other. I remember at first movie. I watched when I was 7 years old. My mom showed me on tv with first CC. I understand Marlee talk about.

I was pretty disappoint with Heather for not use sign language at Miss America. When I went to deaf school. The deaf teacher of Deaf Education class. She rejected Heather because of oral without sign languages. I think it's offensive. It's Heather's decide to be in hearing community not Deaf community. She think deaf community are gossiping, stabbing back, reject to oral people.

That's too bad cuz not everyone in the Deaf community do that. In my experience with the Deaf community, nobody talks about her at all. Like I said before, I dont think they really care cuz they have their own lives to worry.

 

[Pinky]

That's too bad cuz not everyone in the Deaf community do that. In my experience with the Deaf community, nobody talks about her at all. Like I said before, I dont think they really care cuz they have their own lives to worry.

I have no idea who meet Heather in a person. They might start to argue with Heather over oral and not use ASL. If you're in Gallaudet University. You might not hear from anybody talk about her.

 

[GarnetTigerMom]

I actually like both of those women because they both have different success in life on a different path. So, for me I don't think I would want to take sides on both of them. I see them as strong women that had set their own goal in their own way of life. Both women work hard life better for them and those around them to try to help others. I admire them both. Speaking of Marlee, I know some deaf don t like it when she learn to talk and use oral, But she did use signs. What she does with her life is her business if she wanted to learn to talk. I got nothing against her for learning to talk. I think it great that she want to speak to have more than one way to commuicate. Everybody different.