Deaf, Not Dumb

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I need some opinions!

At the RNID we have a campaign running called 'I'm Deaf, not dumb'. We are trying to stop the use of the word dumb to describe people who have speech impairments whether these are because of deafness or some other cause.

Now, I'm not one for being PC but I do see the point in this. Deaf people are treated as stupid because they can sound odd and using the word dumb does mean people automatically think we're stupid (yes, I have personal experiance!).

Anyway, I want to know what you think about this campaign. Does anyone have any ideas on promoting it? What are your feelings on the word dumb to describe people with speech problems?

I truely believe that the outsider sees more of the game so any thoughts that any one has would be greatly appreciated!

 

The slogan is great, really: short and to the point, no sugar - coating. It would work great on T - shirts, i believe, among other things.

As for the feature attribution: one does not even 'need' speech/hearing problems to get looked down upon. Limited vocabulary will suffice. Once upon a party, I had found myself among German tourists. I know the language enough to communicate, but am no Goethe. One of the ladies, to make things easier for me, started adressing me in slooooooooooow 'Cro Magnon English'. Quite easy to assume that one cannot *think* properly if they cannot speak properly, as well.

I am so lucky to have met quite a few people with hearing/speech problems - really helps one to stop being an automatically - attributing prick.

 

I hadn't thought about the T-shirt thing. I know a guy who prints them. Might have to get in touch with him. Mind you, I'm fine with my hearing loss but a lot of people can be touchy. Might get one done to start with and wear it to my next event and see what my boss thinks

 

though I agree with your desire to inform people about deafness (I have a deaf cousin with speech problems) its not actually incorrect, it is a modern society which attributed the word "dumb" with stupidity, and removes its association with simple speech problems. The word "dumb" actually is defined as speech related:

> lacking the power of speech
> temporarily unable to speak
> refraining from any or much speech; silent.
> made, done, etc., without speech
> performed in pantomime; mimed.

This is where the re-education needs to happen, either people need to be taught the real meaning of the word, or this word needs to be redefined/renamed or removed from the dictionary, if people are finding it offensive, then this sounds more like the correct path, as regardless of your attempts to change attitude... I dont think an advertising campaign is going to cut it with todays attitudes.

 

That's the whole point. It is about re-education but the word dumb meaning stupid is too far embedded in our language to change that. That's why we're trying to stop it being used to describe people with speech problems.
Plus it's a rather snappy way of getting people to realise that deaf doesn't equal stupid!

 

I side with Shoshino, but I understand you're reasoning as well. I'm not sure I agree that 'dumb' is too far gone for rescue, but it would certainly be a much harder job.

 

Silvery, I agree, however I think the people you are trying to educate - the people who think that dumb = stupid, are the kind of people who dont care, possibly because they themselves are as thick as 2 short planks, as unfortunate as it is that society has gone this way, they simply wont care.

 

My old English teacher refused to accept any other meaning for dumb than not being able to speak. According to her it could in no way shape or form be used to mean the same thing as stupid. This leads me to believe that using dumb as a synonym for stupid is fairly recent. On the other hand, the Swedish word for stupid is "dum" as is the German and seeing as English is a Germanic language too maybe "dumb" meaning speech impediment is the more modern usage.

 

joacqin using dumb for stupid has been around for a very long time -- that your "old English teacher" refused to accept any other meaning simply shows personal preference and is not based in fact.

The use of 'dumb' to describe a speech impediment is not accurate as it really means 'lacking the ability to speak'; because of the double meaning of dumb, most of the "educated" US has adopted 'mute'. Rather than confuse the issue with the term 'dumb' it may be more straightforward to simply use "I'm deaf, not stupid."

 

I use the word dumb to mean stupid. I don't think I've ever used it in connection to someone who is deaf (except if I'm singing Pinball Wizard)

Are you trying to change dumb equaling stupid or dumb equaling deaf?

 

Mute refers to someone who cannot speak at all.
Selective Mutism refers to a condition where one cannot speak under certain criteria.
Dumb refers to someone who can not or will not speak.

Being struck dumb is when the shock of a situation leaves you unable to speak or refusing to speak
Playing dumb is when you continually respond nonverbally to a speaker or purposefully ignore specifics in a conversation to evade pursuing a topic further.

Dumb as a modern construct of idiocy is a result of decades of misinformation and misunderstanding.

Essentially, your campaign is in effort to disassociate yourselves with a condition where on is unable to verbally communicate and keep up the misinformation and misunderstanding.

Perhaps you should be assisting a charity that actually has an interest helping those with speech difficulties to educate what the meaning and causes of dumbness and related conditions instead of starting a campaign to etch dumb = stupid even further into english vocabulary.

 

The conceptual basis behind the campaign is what they are going for, I assume. It's catchy and draws attention as it should. "Deaf, not stupid," doesn't flow nearly as well, nor is it catchy.

On the topic of changing how we use words, there is no word too far gone to be redefined. Gay has been redefined many times over history; from happy, to homosexual, to stupid. Pissboy originated from a long-forgotten French playwright; now people use it to mean waiter or servant. I bet if you told someone you were going to sleep with the captain's daughter most of the population would ask; "Why are you telling me that you're getting laid?" Without realizing that in the late 17th century the Royal Navy, among other sailors, referred to the cat o' nine tails (a disciplinary whip) as the captain's daughter. And sleeping with the captain's daughter was not something as pleasurable as 'getting some.'

The etymology of a word is set in stone; but if you follow the linguistics of a word through the decades, you will see many many changes. Centuries from now, words we use today will still be evolving and changing with the times. In the end, I think the slogan is purely that, a slogan to draw attention, not an affront at being called dumb, and only dumb.

 

I should have known better than to ask you lot for campaign ideas! I've never known a bunch of people to go off on one so easily

 

At the risk of aggravating some people, (and going to boot) I'll mention that while I don't think that deaf people are stupid, I do think that there's a number of deaf people who are extremely touchy. They take offense at ridiculous things, and see an insult in technologies that help people to hear. I'm pretty sure that Dr. Jones working in his lab trying to find new methods for restoring hearing ability is not doing it because he "hates the deaf community". Gimme a break.

 

What did you say?

There seems to be a split between deaf pride and deaf shame. The ones with pride tend to shun any attempts to 'change' them and the ones with shame don't want to have anything visible that gives away their horrible secret

Both sides behave equally ridiculously imo. If a procedure or piece of equipment grants you the ability to do something the average person can do then there is nothing shameful in accessing it. Just as willfully denying or removing something the average person has out of some desire to fit in with a tight knit group defining their lifestyle with a label - one that originated from NECESSITY, not choice - is no reason to put down or turn away from those who DO elect to hear (again).

 

There's a tiny community that have taken pride to stupid length. They will refuse to communicate by any means other than sign language and won't use any equipment to help. THAT's dumb however, the problem is the people who assume that because people can't hear, they can't understand

 

The cause Silvery is advocating for is not helped when some deaf people refuse to communicate in anything other than sign or flat out ignore hearing folk who are just trying to do their jobs. Such behaviour leads to negative feelings and perpetuates the stereotypes that we all should be endeavoring to quash.

 

I have to admit that I've always thought that "dumb" was interchangeable to mean "unable to speak" and "mentally slow". I have to say that this thread alone clarified some things for me. Thanks for the info.

 

In German 'deaf' is related to the word we use to call people who are dumb - 'doof' (spoken like a 'long o', not like 'u'). The reason is obvious, that people who don't hear, must be dumb. The point is that the prejudice that who is deaf must be dumb is following deaf people for at least half a millennium.