Hello lovely people!
Today we’re going to be discussing:
am I dumb?
Are you dumb?
Are we both dumb...?
Is anyone dumb?
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On with today’s video: a few weeks ago I was recording for Rick Edwards’ podcast
‘Who Says You Can’t’ and when we reached the end everyone in the room smiled, said
thank you, that went really well and one of the technicians asked whether there were any
lines we wanted to record again or anything we wanted cut.
I was happily about to say ‘no’ when my sign language interpreter lent over and voiced
“you said ‘dumb’.”
[record scratch]
Whoops!
I called myself 'dumb' for forgetting something I think
In the age of the internet, with increasing awareness of diversity and inclusion, we know
we need to address racist, sexist, homophobic and classist language but ableist language
all too often creeps through.
Maybe you don’t realise but words like spaz, lame, crazy and retard are considered problematic
in some circles due to their difficult history.
I say some circles I mean that's just problematic to be honest.
The term ‘dumb’ is included in this and
in this video I’m going to explain why.
It's a complex thing and you were probably not aware.
Were you aware that the word ‘dumb’ is more offensive than just calling someone unintelligent?
Click the card at the top of your screen to answer the question and see whether your answer
is different by the end of the video.
It was important to me to re-recorded the line for the podcast because as someone who
went deaf in my teens
- yes, deaf-deaf. Like, actually deaf. The kind of deaf who can’t hear anything without
hearing aids.
deaf
I know that I’m not as culturally aware of words and phrases that aren’t acceptable
in Deaf society as I likely would be had I grown up deaf.
One in six people has some form of hearing loss- which isn’t that odd when you really
think about it. How many people do you know who struggle to hear or understand everything
that’s going on? There is obviously a spectrum when it comes to hearing loss and it often
affects people as they get older but it’s important to remember that deafness is not
just a loss of sound perception, it can also be socially isolating and interfere with your
ability to interact with the world.
BUT there is also a thriving group of deaf people who consider themselves to be ‘deaf’
with a big ‘D’, that is: part of Deaf society. Picture it: if you’re a deaf person
who knows sign language in a room full of other deaf people who know sign language then
you’re not going to feel socially isolated by your lack of hearing and nor is it going
to affect your ability to interact with the world in that room.
Historically however, deaf people, whether they be deaf with a big D or deaf with a little
d, haven’t been given the agency to make their own choices, including choosing how
they would like to be referred to.
Overwhelmingly, deaf and hard of hearing people prefer to be called… wait for it…
‘Deaf’ and ‘hard of hearing’!
- gasp(!) I know, plot twist (!) no one expected it(!)
Yet antiquated phrases such as ‘deaf and dumb’ and ‘deaf mute’ are still in use
and can be found even in mainstream media- let alone casual conversation!
But why are they offensive?
As we all know, the meanings of words change all the time. “Gay” used to mean merry
and light-hearted and now means… ‘gay’. But some people also use it to mean ‘bad’.
- don’t do that.
But fun fact: ‘meat’ used to refer to refer to any type of food, ‘silly’ used
to mean ‘blessed’ and ‘dumb’ was a word for someone who couldn’t talk (not
neccessarily someone deaf) but now is used negatively, to insult someone’s intelligence
or to suggest a decline in standards: ‘dumbing down’
Many derogatory words for people with disabilities, like moron or idiot, began as medical definitions
used to categorise people with disability as lesser humans. At a time of widespread
eugenics these terms, used in medical textbooks and scientific journals, were used to give
justification for institutionalism and forced sterilisation.
As you can imagine, these terms being used clinically doesn’t mean they are okay to
use in everyday conversation, especially when the clinical usage was so terrible.
The term ‘deaf and dumb’ is an ancient and offensive term. The Greek philosopher
Aristotle labeled deaf people as such because he felt that deaf people were incapable of
being taught, of learning and of reasoned thinking. In his mind, if a person could not
use their voice in the same way as hearing people, then there was no way that person
could develop cognitive abilities.
We know this now to be untrue.
- I say ‘now’. I’m pretty sure deaf people at the time were using their cognitive
abilities to think about what an arse he was.
It was only once ‘dumb’ had been attached to deaf people that it then came to mean ‘silent’
and the definition has continued because this is how many see deaf people. But that’s
clearly offensive because it implies not only that deaf people can’t take part in a conversation
but also that they have nothing of value to add anyway.
Deaf people aren’t silent however. And if you think they are, well it’s not that they
don’t use YOUR language, it’s just that you don’t know theirs.
Sign language is
a completely valid form of communication. It’s a language in itself. Using your voice
is not the only way to communicate.
We then come to the second meaning of the word ‘dumb’ and the one I’m really struggling
to shake from my vocabulary: stupid.
- boy do I wish I could stop saying that.
There are plenty of people who believe that someone’s inability to use their voice well
means there is nothing going on in their brain. From people who stutter to those with a heavy
foreign accent,
even extreme classicism
or my exhausted brain fog moments where… everything… slows… down…
we’ve all come across those people who think that a difficulty in outputting means there
is nothing going on inside.
And anyway, some deaf people have really excellent speech.
- hello. Yes. That’s me. [bell sfx]
FYI, being able to speak does not make you any less deaf. That’s… not how ears work.
Just because I can communicate TO you does not mean I can communicate WITH you. I’m
very guilty of letting people put the burden for communication on me. I bend over backwards
to lipread, asking for subtitles or assistive technology that can translate… but I don’t
then hold people accountable for how little they are doing in return to make it easier
for me to understand them.
And that’s on me.
“You speak so well, I forget you have hearing problems.” isn’t a compliment and doesn’t
mean that you get to treat me like I don’t.
- just saying.
We can relate a belief that difficulty outputting means there is nothing to be shared back to
dyslexia and similar conditions. After all: just because you can’t write it down doesn’t
mean you can’t produce beautiful poetry.
It’s an ill-informed and false conclusion. Everyone has the ability to contribute to
society.
The alternative term ‘deaf-mute’ isn’t seen as much better either. It’s an offensive
term from the 18th century meaning to be silent and without a voice. Again it implies that
deaf people have nothing to bestow. It’s a technically inaccurate label anyway since
deaf and hard of hearing people generally have functioning vocal cords. Yes, for many
people who were born deaf or lost their hearing at a young age, there may be a difficulty
in modulating their voice but in no way does that imply they have nothing to say!
Communication is merely being understood by others who can then respond and that is by
no means an impossibility for deaf people.
If you’re kind enough to be watching this video, to have clicked on the link, to be
interested in expanding your knowledge, you probably already knew that ‘deaf and dumb’
and ‘deaf-mute’ weren’t the most ‘PC’ of phrases. But did you know the same applies
to ‘hearing-impaired’?
- I know, you might have even thought that WAS the PC term!
Society is confusing sometimes.
‘Hearing impaired’ was once considered the go-to term because using the word ‘deaf’
was seen as rude or too bold. It’s a well meaning term but it is innately negative...
it focuses too much on what can’t be done. It establishes the standard as ‘hearing’
and anything different as substandard or damaged: not good enough. I don’t know anyone who
wants to wear the label ‘not good enough’.
You might argue that the terms ‘deaf’ or ‘disabled’ are innately negative but
to my mind that’s merely an issue of perception. I’ll put a video in the card above that
explains more but to me the word ‘disabled’ really isn’t awful. It’s just a part of
me- a bit of who I am. It’s neutral. I can choose to be proud of it just as I can choose
to be annoyed by it, but it isn’t someone else coming into my life and telling me I’m
‘genetically impaired’.
Which…
- is harsh but true.
Still don’t say it though.
- I can say it. Because it’s me.
But you can’t.
- unless you’re genetically impaired too, in which case we can high five through the
screen!
I’m going to work really hard from here on to completely eradicate the word ‘dumb’
as a prejorative from my vocabulary.
Our culture systematically devalues people who have disabilities: we’re disproportionately
subject to discrimination, violence and underrepresentation.
Those are big, significant problems- so what
difference do a few little words make? Well, the common language of ableism, labels and
slurs, contribute to the cultural acceptability of the dehumanisation of disabled people.
So please, now you’ve been told, raise awareness that the term “deaf and dumb” is no longer
acceptable and that calling someone ‘dumb’- even if it’s yourself, as I did in my podcast-
isn’t on. No one is devoid of interesting thoughts or things to say: not you, not anyone
else.
‘Dumb’ implies we don’t need to listen to that person or that idea, that it isn’t
worth the time, but no one deserves to be ignored.
You have an opinion, you have a voice. You are unique and you deserve to be treated with
respect.
Show your respect for people by refusing to use outdated or offensive terms and when in
doubt… just ask the individual in question how they identify.
And remember: however you identify, you’re very welcome on this channel.
Thank you so much for watching and I’ll see you in my next video!