Rush Is Deaf

Enter Stage Right ^ | 11/5/01 | Lawrence Henry

[HiJinx]

She hated them (cochlear implants) with a passion.

Why? Because then, a hearing impaired (deaf) person regains control of their own life.
And the person who has compassion for the deaf no longer has a cause, no longer wields power.
What a pitiable pathetic shame that is...

[anniegetyourgun]

This is the same type of Episcopal priest who gives shopping carts to the homeless and $10 to the beggar working the corner. Then she walks away about to break her arm for all the reaching over her shoulder to pat herself on the back.

Smug liberals make me want to puke. I think it's safe to say that Rush feels the same way about them.

[Lorenb420]

I remember talking to our substitute priest about cochlear implants. She hated them with a passion. The deaf community, she insisted, was actually superior to the hearing community. It amounted to a kind of "cultural genocide" to encourage deaf people to make use of a technology that would enable them to hear.

That was a plotline on Law & Order. Some deaf girl wanted to get a cochlear implant, but the guy she was with didn't dig that, so he killed her. Well something like that :)

[Pete53]

Rush is best when he responds to News not talking to callers. Most of the callers are trying to push their own points.

[Ross Amann]

This pastor is truly nutty.

If there were deaf, why would they want the hymns to be signed? It won't help them sing...since you need to know the words ahead of time to sing...and churches that take singing seriously provide hymnals with the words - and post the hymn numbers before the ceremony.

Signing the sermons would make more sense....though printing the sermons ahead of time would make more sense.

[Viet Vet in Augusta GA]

Good article. Wonder why he didn't change to a less fashionable but less politicized church (I went from Episcopalian to Southern Babtist for just that reason).

[GreatOne]

Actually, it was a hearing professor at her school (as well as her boyfried) who opposed her getting the implants. However, the woman was having an affair with the professor, and she said she wanted to leave the school after getting the implants, which he couldn't stand, so he(the professor) killed her.

[Ganymede]

Yeah, I saw that one too.

[Jaidyn]

I am considered legally deaf though I can hear almost normally out of one ear. Certain sounds are easier to hear than others. The worst part of not hearing well is speaking. I cannot tell how loud or soft my voice is and have problems with others because of it. Also, when I do hear, most times it is delayed hearing which causes people to think I only hear when I want to. All of our senses are important and it is a handicap to lose any of them regardless what liberals think. We can overcome any handicap, but it will always be there, however we conceal it.

[Chemnitz]

His video tape comparisons were deadly, the best part of his show. He is now in a position to deal for a good TV slot from a position of strength. He's a three-fer PC minority - straight, white, deaf.

[Tony in Hawaii]

"...priest at our church. She..."

Well, there's your problem. Priests should:

1. Be male,

2. Be older than I am, and

3. Speak with an Irish accent.

[AshleyMontagu]

What?

[N. Theknow]

His video tape comparisons were deadly, the best part of his show. He is now in a position to deal for a good TV slot from a position of strength.He's a three-fer PC minority - straight, white, deaf.

Good thing he's not left-handed!

[virtualreb]

I have listenend to Rush since before the Gulf War and have even had the honor of being a caller twice. I'm afraid that Rush has not been the same since the deafness has set in. I disagree with the author that Rush is getting better at responding to callers, rather he has made some very embarassing mistakes in the last weeks and the pitch of his voice is shrill and uncontroled (he used to have the best voice in radio). I hope that if he is not able to get himself back to the top grade performance that we (and he) had learned to expect from him that he will be big enough to move on to TV or written commentary. I'm pulling for Rush and hope that he can adjust but I would hate to see him go the way of old athletes and rock stars who put on "good enough" performances when they should have retired while at the top of their game. Lots of Rush's stand-in commentators have done a good job and maybe it is time to pass on the Golden EIB Microphone.

[1L]

The deaf community, she insisted, was actually superior to the hearing community. It amounted to a kind of "cultural genocide" to encourage deaf people to make use of a technology that would enable them to hear.

This is not universal, but it is an attitude present within the deaf community. There are, however, more serious problems. My wife used to teach deaf kids and one problem is that many parents simply don't want to learn to sign. Perhaps they are in denial. But one thing to think about: with the success of some minority groups in getting preferential treatment (e.g. affirmative action) can you really blame others for trying to get on the bandwagon? Disability rights groups, gays, and anyone with an ax to grind want to get their free piece of the pie.

[merry10]

While I do not agree with the female episcopal priest insistence on signing her sermoms, when there were no deaf in the congregation, I do want to tell you all who are interested in this topic that cochlear implants do NOT help everybody. Many children born deaf should get the implant by age 4 for it to be effective. On rare occasions the implant does not work. You are still deaf even if you wear an implant - the minute you turn off the processor, your hearing is ... well you're deaf again. There are occasions when the tissue around the implant granulates. A parent really needs to take into consideration the child's abilities. DOn't be in denial if your child is deaf - he's still going to be deaf. Language acquisition is what you should be looking for, and if an implant enhances that, then all the better. Rush should have an implant, he has always had hearing. My daughter *could* get an implant but most insurances do not cover implants or hearing aids. Even if she got one, she'd still be deaf. And by the way, signing the sermon is great, but so is signing the hymns....at the superbowl this year watch the deaf people sign the Star Spangled Banner, its great. And you can still be conservative, and be deaf too.

[OBAFGKM]

"I remember talking to our substitute priest about cochlear implants. She hated them with a passion. The deaf community, she insisted, was actually superior to the hearing community. It amounted to a kind of "cultural genocide" to encourage deaf people to make use of a technology that would enable them to hear."

Yeah, this seems like some sort of PC overkill. On the other hand, there really is a "deaf culture" and most deaf people most certainly do feel "in charge of their lives," some certainly to the point they have no desire ever to hear.

My sister (who has normal hearing) worked for several years at Gallaudet University in D.C. (web site Gallaudet). Gallaudet is a fully accredited university with students from kindergarten through graduate degrees. I visited it a few times while my sister was there. Here's some observations:

It's spooky watching a playground full of kids playing boisterously, but without any noise. Then you realize that one kid is having a lively "conversation" with another who's plumb on the other side of the yard. Then you realize that they're all doing that!!! If you can see somebody you can talk to him -- distance and noise don't make any difference.

I once took a trip with my sister and several of her deaf friends. We were in several cars, but that was no impediment to communication. There was a prolonged inter-car argument about where we were going to stop for lunch. (I didn't have much say.)

Opportunities for punning in sign seem to be much more common than in ordinary speech, and seem to be an enjoyable part of everyday experience. Many word signs, for example, consist of minor variations on the manual alphabet. Slip those word signs in while you are finger spelling and you can have an entirely new dimension in communication.

Deaf people generally resent being perceived as dim-witted, and that happens a lot! Hearing people will often speak slowly to them, smile patronizingly, and make these huge, slow, comical gestures. I know it may be well intended, but it gets old fast. I saw it all over the place on that trip.

It seems likely that the priest had worked with a deaf community, had picked up on these sorts of things, and was perhaps overreacting. Maybe she's settled down by now.