the Audist Network

**ash345** · 09-03-2011, 02:54 PM

came accross this the other day... thought it was a good read. what do you think? do you agree with it?

Quote:

The Audist Network by KEVIN MCLEOD

The concept of dyconscious audism has dominated discussion in the deaf community for several years now. But what, exactly is dyconscious audism?

Audism is a belief, a way of describing what someone thinks. An audist believes that oral communication - the ability to speak, hear and converse easily with hearing people - is superior to ASL and deaf culture.

It will not shock you that most hearing people agree that their way of communicating is best.

By definition, most hearing people are audist - they are oriented toward voice and hearing, and prefer that mode of communication because it's what they know.

Ask a hearing person in any country, anywhere on earth who has no experience with the deaf community if they think it's best to be deaf or hearing, they will overwhelmingly choose hearing. This is their comfort zone, this is where they live.

There's also this - oral communication is used by 99.99% of the people on the planet. We can look at the audist viewpoint and the deaf community viewpoint as two networks, one oral, and one visual. This difference is mirrored by the devices we use - voice phones vs video phones.

People value large networks because they provide access to more resources. Walmart crushes small businesses in every town they open in because people like the convenience of having so much available in one place. Home Depot destroys local hardware stores with the same advantage. For centuries now people have been flowing from small communities and villages to large cities, because they enjoy the networking advantages that cities offer.

Audism has a BIG network - over six billion nodes and growing.

Dyconscious is a word that describes how someone thinks. In this case, it's when someone has a belief that is so deeply part of them, they may not even recognize it exists.

Your heart and lungs work constantly day and night, but you seldom think about it. You know they're there, you know what they do and you know you can't survive without them. But they run automatically, so you focus on other things.

Some of our views are similar. They are thoughts that are part of us. They affect our behavior, they color our attitude toward others, and they sometimes create problems because we are unaware they exist. The term dyconscious was first used to describe racism among people who were not aware their behavior was racist. They had adopted an attitude, an assumption of superiority, and didn't even know it.

When such people are confronted with evidence of racist behavior, they often deny any racist motive or thoughts, and they may well be sincere. They can't see themselves from the outside, at least not without feedback. Dialogue can be like a mirror, showing a person their true image rather than the image they imagine of themselves.

Dyconscious audism describes people with a deeply held assumption that being hearing and communicating orally is superior to being deaf and communicating via ASL. They may not even know this is their working assumption, but it affects how they behave and respond to others.

So who's right? What IS superior?

Like so many other things, it depends. If you live in Spain and don't know Spanish, you're definitely at a disadvantage. So it is with French in France, Russian in Russia, Italian in Italy, and so on. Hearing people have their own linguistic sub-groups, complete with their own cultures and viewpoints. If you want to fully participate in the daily life of that nation, if you want to connect to that country's linguistic network, you need to know the language.

The deaf community is a linguistic group and culture. It has some geographical centers of dominance, mainly at deaf-related schools. People entering the deaf culture network need a working knowledge of ASL to fully participate. Not knowing ASL is a clear disadvantage.

The deaf network is tiny. The audist network is huge. The Hawaiian islands are tiny compared to the huge continent of North America, but if size is the only important measure, why do people still pay big sums to vacation there?

There are advantages and disadvantages to small and large networks, small and large communities, small and large teams.

A small investment in connecting with both oral and visual networks can earn a large return in the benefits of both.

31 August 11

jillio · 09-03-2011, 03:02 PM

These are all points that have been made on AD at one time or another. I agree that the vast majority of hearing people are audist, even though many fail to recognize their audist thought process and the ways in which they demonstrate their audism.

Grummer · 09-03-2011, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jillio

These are all points that have been made on AD at one time or another. I agree that the vast majority of hearing people are audist, even though many fail to recognize their audist thought process and the ways in which they demonstrate their audism.

its like back in the 19th century when racism was unheard of and yet it was vastly widespread

jillio · 09-03-2011, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grummer

its like back in the 19th century when racism was unheard of and yet it was vastly widespread

Exactly.

**Smithtr** · 09-03-2011, 04:24 PM

I understand complication on reading take an time I will more understand reading!

BecLak · 09-03-2011, 10:44 PM

Wirelessly posted

Quote:

Originally Posted by ash345

came accross this the other day... thought it was a good read. what do you think? do you agree with it?

Quote:

The Audist Network by KEVIN MCLEOD

The concept of dyconscious audism has dominated discussion in the deaf community for several years now. But what, exactly is dyconscious audism?

Audism is a belief, a way of describing what someone thinks. An audist believes that oral communication - the ability to speak, hear and converse easily with hearing people - is superior to ASL and deaf culture.

It will not shock you that most hearing people agree that their way of communicating is best.

By definition, most hearing people are audist - they are oriented toward voice and hearing, and prefer that mode of communication because it's what they know.

Ask a hearing person in any country, anywhere on earth who has no experience with the deaf community if they think it's best to be deaf or hearing, they will overwhelmingly choose hearing. This is their comfort zone, this is where they live.

There's also this - oral communication is used by 99.99% of the people on the planet. We can look at the audist viewpoint and the deaf community viewpoint as two networks, one oral, and one visual. This difference is mirrored by the devices we use - voice phones vs video phones.

People value large networks because they provide access to more resources. Walmart crushes small businesses in every town they open in because people like the convenience of having so much available in one place. Home Depot destroys local hardware stores with the same advantage. For centuries now people have been flowing from small communities and villages to large cities, because they enjoy the networking advantages that cities offer.

Audism has a BIG network - over six billion nodes and growing.

Dyconscious is a word that describes how someone thinks. In this case, it's when someone has a belief that is so deeply part of them, they may not even recognize it exists.

Your heart and lungs work constantly day and night, but you seldom think about it. You know they're there, you know what they do and you know you can't survive without them. But they run automatically, so you focus on other things.

Some of our views are similar. They are thoughts that are part of us. They affect our behavior, they color our attitude toward others, and they sometimes create problems because we are unaware they exist. The term dyconscious was first used to describe racism among people who were not aware their behavior was racist. They had adopted an attitude, an assumption of superiority, and didn't even know it.

When such people are confronted with evidence of racist behavior, they often deny any racist motive or thoughts, and they may well be sincere. They can't see themselves from the outside, at least not without feedback. Dialogue can be like a mirror, showing a person their true image rather than the image they imagine of themselves.

Dyconscious audism describes people with a deeply held assumption that being hearing and communicating orally is superior to being deaf and communicating via ASL. They may not even know this is their working assumption, but it affects how they behave and respond to others.

So who's right? What IS superior?

Like so many other things, it depends. If you live in Spain and don't know Spanish, you're definitely at a disadvantage. So it is with French in France, Russian in Russia, Italian in Italy, and so on. Hearing people have their own linguistic sub-groups, complete with their own cultures and viewpoints. If you want to fully participate in the daily life of that nation, if you want to connect to that country's linguistic network, you need to know the language.

The deaf community is a linguistic group and culture. It has some geographical centers of dominance, mainly at deaf-related schools. People entering the deaf culture network need a working knowledge of ASL to fully participate. Not knowing ASL is a clear disadvantage.

The deaf network is tiny. The audist network is huge. The Hawaiian islands are tiny compared to the huge continent of North America, but if size is the only important measure, why do people still pay big sums to vacation there?

There are advantages and disadvantages to small and large networks, small and large communities, small and large teams.

A small investment in connecting with both oral and visual networks can earn a large return in the benefits of both.

31 August 11

I like it!

Sunshine · 09-03-2011, 10:46 PM

I like too.

StevieMont927 · 09-03-2011, 11:32 PM

Great read. I'm trying to disconnect myself from the Hearing way of thinking.....mostly there!!

I will say, though, I used to not be able to understand why people wouldn't speak or hear if they had the opportunity...sometimes I still have trouble......

Anywho, I liked the article. It brought up some intriguing things to think about.

RachelRene · 09-04-2011, 07:51 AM

I think this dysconcious audism is what holds some of us back from accepting our deafness... what keeps us feeling like broken hearing people.

When you grow up in the hearing world, with so much emphasis placed on oral communication, on hearing and speaking and working to fit in to that culture, it's hard not to adopt some of that attitude that something's wrong with you because your ears don't work . I think a lot of us have to work to overcome that dysconcious audism. I see it in the threads, I see it in myself.

Thanks for sharing this, Ash.

jillio · 09-04-2011, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RachelRene

I think this dysconcious audism is what holds some of us back from accepting our deafness... what keeps us feeling like broken hearing people.
When you grow up in the hearing world, with so much emphasis placed on oral communication, on hearing and speaking and working to fit in to that culture, it's hard not to adopt some of that attitude that something's wrong with you because your ears don't work . I think a lot of us have to work to overcome that dysconcious audism. I see it in the threads, I see it in myself.

Thanks for sharing this, Ash.

Re: the bolded: Very insightful, and I believe that you are 100% correct. Audist belief systems are demonstrated to a deaf child from day one. They internalize these beliefs, and they influence behavior and attitudes without even realizing it.

drphil · 09-04-2011, 01:35 PM

A check of the dictionary-Oxford Canadian- there is NO such word as "dysconscious".
From psychology there is a word-"unconscious". Same meaning?

Implanted A B Harmony activated Aug/07

jillio · 09-04-2011, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drphil

A check of the dictionary-Oxford Canadian- there is NO such word as "dysconscious".
From psychology there is a word-"unconscious". Same meaning?

Implanted A B Harmony activated Aug/07

No. And just because it is not in the Oxford Canadian dictionary doesn't mean that it is not an acceptable and widely used term in certain fields. Maybe you need to start consulting professional dictionaries.

Okay....now back to the topic: audism.

DeafCaroline · 09-04-2011, 01:45 PM

Many compound words in Alice in Wonderland didn't exist at the time that book was written, they were made up by the author and yet they've been assimilated into the English language, same for other words like "newspeak" which was coined from the book 1984. The English language is the most flexible and evolving language in the world. It adopts new words all the time.

dysconscious is a relatively new word but it does exist and it's officially recognized in the academia world.

StevieMont927 · 09-04-2011, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeafCaroline

Many compound words in Alice in Wonderland didn't exist at the time that book was written, they were made up by the author and yet they've been assimilated into the English language, same for other words like "newspeak" which was coined from the book 1984. The English language is the most flexible and evolving language in the world. It adopts new words all the time.

dysconscious is a relatively new word but it does exist and it's officially recognized in the academia world.

Similar to the many terms, words, and usages of words found in Shakespeare's works, which are now an accepted part of everyday language. Also, the many words we've gleaned from other languages. English is full of loanwords, that nowadays people don't even realize weren't originally English.

DeafCaroline · 09-04-2011, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StevieMont927

Similar to the many terms, words, and usages of words found in Shakespeare's works, which are now an accepted part of everyday language. Also, the many words we've gleaned from other languages. English is full of loanwords, that nowadays people don't even realize weren't originally English.

If you ever come across a book called "The Miracle of the English Language" - get it! It's a really interesting overview of the English language and its history.

StevieMont927 · 09-04-2011, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeafCaroline

If you ever come across a book called "The Miracle of the English Language" - get it! It's a really interesting overview of the English language and its history.

I will!! I geek out about those kinds of things!!

Thanks for the recommendation!!

DeafCaroline · 09-04-2011, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StevieMont927

I will!! I geek out about those kinds of things!!

Thanks for the recommendation!!

Just looked in my bookcase - it's actually called The Miracle of Language, written by Richard Lederer. I'm moving in one year and need to get rid of a lot of stuff so if you would like me to mail this book to you, PM me

**deafskeptic** · 09-04-2011, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StevieMont927

Similar to the many terms, words, and usages of words found in Shakespeare's works, which are now an accepted part of everyday language. Also, the many words we've gleaned from other languages. English is full of loanwords, that nowadays people don't even realize weren't originally English.

The word Beef would be one such example. It's from the Latin word bovīnus which in turn was loaned to the French langauge that the Norman nobles who ruled England spoke. They called cow meat Boef. The modern French word for is Boeuf.

**Bottesini** · 09-04-2011, 04:31 PM

"dyconscious" does draw big laughs as one of the new created buzzwords of academia. It was first applied to racism.

This perfectly valid concept would do better if it used more accepted language.

DeafCaroline · 09-04-2011, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bottesini

"dyconscious" does draw big laughs as one of the new created buzzwords of academia. It was first applied to racism.

This perfectly valid concept would do better if it used more accepted language.

Such as?

Grummer · 09-04-2011, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jillio

Re: the bolded: Very insightful, and I believe that you are 100% correct. Audist belief systems are demonstrated to a deaf child from day one. They internalize these beliefs, and they influence behavior and attitudes without even realizing it.

thats should be in sociology, i wonder if they actually teach this at Gally?!

**Bottesini** · 09-04-2011, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeafCaroline

Such as?

Unconscious bias.

DeafCaroline · 09-04-2011, 04:51 PM

That's a good one. The difference between unconscious and dysconscious is that unconscious means one is unaware of their conscious thoughts or attitudes whereas the other is they ARE aware but don't know it's impaired thinking.

For example, in racism - someone who is unconsciously racist is not aware they're racist. Jane Elliot of the "Brown Eyes, Blue Eyes" project demonstrates unconscious racism very very well.

Dysconscious racism would be a person who is fully aware they are racist but not that their reasonings for racism is wrong and impaired.

That's why dysconscious was termed - to make that specific distinction from unconscious.

JabberJay · 09-04-2011, 09:18 PM

I think I'm going to print this off and hang it up at the office at work, with the permission of a few deafies at work of course, because I see a lot of denial at work about the subject and I think it would open a few people's eyes.

jillio · 09-04-2011, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deafskeptic

The word Beef would be one such example. It's from the Latin word bovīnus which in turn was loaned to the French langauge that the Norman nobles who ruled England spoke. They called cow meat Boef. The modern French word for is Boeuf.

Have you ever taken a course in etymology? It is really interesting.

jillio · 09-04-2011, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeafCaroline

That's a good one. The difference between unconscious and dysconscious is that unconscious means one is unaware of their conscious thoughts or attitudes whereas the other is they ARE aware but don't know it's impaired thinking.

For example, in racism - someone who is unconsciously racist is not aware they're racist. Jane Elliot of the "Brown Eyes, Blue Eyes" project demonstrates unconscious racism very very well.

Dysconscious racism would be a person who is fully aware they are racist but not that their reasonings for racism is wrong and impaired.

That's why dysconscious was termed - to make that specific distinction from unconscious.

Right. Dysconscious is different from unconscious. It is a commonly used term in both sociology and psychology. And we all know that all professions have their jargon specific to that field.

Grummer · 09-04-2011, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeafCaroline

That's a good one. The difference between unconscious and dysconscious is that unconscious means one is unaware of their conscious thoughts or attitudes whereas the other is they ARE aware but don't know it's impaired thinking.

For example, in racism - someone who is unconsciously racist is not aware they're racist. Jane Elliot of the "Brown Eyes, Blue Eyes" project demonstrates unconscious racism very very well.

Dysconscious racism would be a person who is fully aware they are racist but not that their reasonings for racism is wrong and impaired.

That's why dysconscious was termed - to make that specific distinction from unconscious.

i like distinction very much, very useful for later on

whatdidyousay! · 09-05-2011, 10:20 AM

I have trouble with words pronunciation and some people see me as being very
S L O W because of this! I had a doctor that thought I was very S L O W because of it. And an intake person at another DR office felt the same about.
When I lived in Cal. my daughter liked a little girl but her mother who when to
'Radcliffe' college was horrific that her child wanted to go my house to play with my child. It is really sad when a parent do not allow their kids to play another child that they really like just because a parent had trouble with pronunciation. It is not contagious being around a deaf or HOH person!

AJWSmith · 09-05-2011, 11:22 AM

Sorry. Got posted twice!

AJWSmith · 09-05-2011, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeafCaroline

That's a good one. The difference between unconscious and dysconscious is that unconscious means one is unaware of their conscious thoughts or attitudes whereas the other is they ARE aware but don't know it's impaired thinking.

For example, in racism - someone who is unconsciously racist is not aware they're racist. Jane Elliot of the "Brown Eyes, Blue Eyes" project demonstrates unconscious racism very very well.

Dysconscious racism would be a person who is fully aware they are racist but not that their reasonings for racism is wrong and impaired.

That's why dysconscious was termed - to make that specific distinction from unconscious.

I think you've made a crucial point of a racist (or audist) being either unconscious or conscious of their prejudice.

Yet when I tried to research the term 'dysconscious', I found a slightly different uses of the word. This Deaf blogger used the term more in the sense of the oppressed person internalizing the values of the oppressors and being unaware of doing so. (Note: not the oppressor being conscious of their prejudice.)
Guilty of Dysconscious Linguicism Part II : Shel: A Deaf Canadian's Thoughts

The next link defines it as "an uncritical habit of mind (including perceptions, attitudes, assumptions, and beliefs) that justifies inequity and exploitation by accepting the existing order of things as given" which again puts it more in the unconscious
Is Racism Over?: How Racial Inequity Remains, Despite the Absence of Outright Bigotry | Suite101.com

Given that the word 'dysconscious' isn't widely accepted, maybe these differences of meaning are inevitable. But I think the idea that there are a range of ways in which we hold prejudices is both true and helpful. The reality of discrimination experienced by HOH/deaf/Deaf people is all too real even if the words used aren't widely accepted or agreed upon. I'm going to try and list them below using non-technical language:

CONSCIOUS AUDISM: A person who explicitly and consistently believes that having hearing and oral language makes a person superior

UNCONSCIOUS AUDISM: A person who consciously believes that both deaf and hearing people are equal. But underneath their awareness, their behaviour reveals their unconscious belief that oral language and hearing are superior (e.g. a hearing parent who refuses to use sign language for a deaf child who cannot hear speech)

INCONSISTENT AUDISM: A person who has a mixture of beliefs. Their overall belief may be that deaf and hearing people are equal, but will have smaller "sub-beliefs" or unexamined opinions that are audist (e.g. believes that deaf are equal as humans, but believes that oral language is superior to sign language. Or they find themselves treating a fluent ASL user who doesn't write very good English is not being as intelligent as a person who writes good English)

INTERNALIZED AUDISM: A deaf person who is unaware that they have absorbed the values and beliefs of audism (e.g. a deaf people who thinks he/she is inferior because he/she doesn't speak as well as a hearing person).

I hope this list is helpful. I'm more interested in highlighting the actual experience of discrimination in its various forms than having a solely technical debate about this or that word which distracts from the reality of discrimination.

09-03-2011, 03:02 PM	#2 (permalink)
jillio Banned Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 60,296	These are all points that have been made on AD at one time or another. I agree that the vast majority of hearing people are audist, even though many fail to recognize their audist thought process and the ways in which they demonstrate their audism. Grummer, Berry and StevieMont927 like this.

09-03-2011, 04:24 PM	#5 (permalink)
Smithtr Siberian Husky Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 14,803	I understand complication on reading take an time I will more understand reading! __________________

09-03-2011, 11:32 PM	#8 (permalink)
StevieMont927 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: I live near Los Angeles, California Posts: 336	Great read. I'm trying to disconnect myself from the Hearing way of thinking.....mostly there!! I will say, though, I used to not be able to understand why people wouldn't speak or hear if they had the opportunity...sometimes I still have trouble...... Anywho, I liked the article. It brought up some intriguing things to think about. __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "This above all: To thine own self be true."

09-04-2011, 07:51 AM	#9 (permalink)
RachelRene Registered User Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Ottawa, ON Posts: 118	I think this dysconcious audism is what holds some of us back from accepting our deafness... what keeps us feeling like broken hearing people. When you grow up in the hearing world, with so much emphasis placed on oral communication, on hearing and speaking and working to fit in to that culture, it's hard not to adopt some of that attitude that something's wrong with you because your ears don't work . I think a lot of us have to work to overcome that dysconcious audism. I see it in the threads, I see it in myself. Thanks for sharing this, Ash. Berry, deafbajagal and AJWSmith like this.

09-04-2011, 01:35 PM	#11 (permalink)
drphil Registered User Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Toronto Ontario Posts: 4,169	A check of the dictionary-Oxford Canadian- there is NO such word as "dysconscious". From psychology there is a word-"unconscious". Same meaning? Implanted A B Harmony activated Aug/07 __________________ Get Real:Implanted Sunnybrook/Toronto -Advanced Bionics-Harmony activated Aug/07

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09-03-2011, 10:46 PM	#7 (permalink)
Sunshine Banned Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Home of Canucks! Posts: 3,269 Blog Entries: 2	I like too.

09-04-2011, 01:45 PM	#13 (permalink)
DeafCaroline Registered User Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 4,889	Many compound words in Alice in Wonderland didn't exist at the time that book was written, they were made up by the author and yet they've been assimilated into the English language, same for other words like "newspeak" which was coined from the book 1984. The English language is the most flexible and evolving language in the world. It adopts new words all the time. dysconscious is a relatively new word but it does exist and it's officially recognized in the academia world. jillio, deafskeptic, Berry and 2 others like this.

09-04-2011, 04:31 PM	#19 (permalink)
Bottesini Joe's Friend Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: With Owl Sock Posts: 37,640 Blog Entries: 1	"dyconscious" does draw big laughs as one of the new created buzzwords of academia. It was first applied to racism. This perfectly valid concept would do better if it used more accepted language. __________________

09-04-2011, 04:51 PM	#23 (permalink)
DeafCaroline Registered User Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 4,889	That's a good one. The difference between unconscious and dysconscious is that unconscious means one is unaware of their conscious thoughts or attitudes whereas the other is they ARE aware but don't know it's impaired thinking. For example, in racism - someone who is unconsciously racist is not aware they're racist. Jane Elliot of the "Brown Eyes, Blue Eyes" project demonstrates unconscious racism very very well. Dysconscious racism would be a person who is fully aware they are racist but not that their reasonings for racism is wrong and impaired. That's why dysconscious was termed - to make that specific distinction from unconscious. Grummer, deafskeptic, AJWSmith and 1 others like this.

09-04-2011, 09:18 PM	#24 (permalink)
JabberJay Registered User Join Date: May 2011 Location: Alberta,Canada Posts: 386	I think I'm going to print this off and hang it up at the office at work, with the permission of a few deafies at work of course, because I see a lot of denial at work about the subject and I think it would open a few people's eyes. jillio and DeafCaroline like this.

09-05-2011, 10:20 AM	#28 (permalink)
whatdidyousay! Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 8,856	I have trouble with words pronunciation and some people see me as being very S L O W because of this! I had a doctor that thought I was very S L O W because of it. And an intake person at another DR office felt the same about. When I lived in Cal. my daughter liked a little girl but her mother who when to 'Radcliffe' college was horrific that her child wanted to go my house to play with my child. It is really sad when a parent do not allow their kids to play another child that they really like just because a parent had trouble with pronunciation. It is not contagious being around a deaf or HOH person!

09-05-2011, 11:22 AM	#29 (permalink)
AJWSmith Registered User Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: live? I'm the walking dead! Posts: 685	Sorry. Got posted twice! __________________ Born deaf. Profound hearing loss in both ears (90-105dB). Wears Oticon Spirit Zest C SP (Chili) You can also find me on twitter as @AJWSmith and on Google+ as AJW Smith Last edited by AJWSmith; 09-05-2011 at 11:25 AM. Reason: duplicate entry

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