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From: StEpHeN.wHiTe@p1.f853.n681.z3.fidonet.org (StEpHeN wHiTe)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Genetic Engineering?
Message-ID: <18490@bunker.isc-br.com>
Date: 4 Apr 91 04:02:58 GMT
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Index Number: 14617

[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]

 BM> It will come to a point where only the deaf parents will continue
 BM> to produce deaf children. And not all deaf parents produce deaf
 BM> children- some have hearing children. Then, deafness will reach
 BM> its last gasp in a couple of centuries. In essence, we are truly
 BM> the last of the mohicans and will witness the dying of the deaf
 BM> community when we are in our 70's and 80's. But- there's a way of
 BM> preventing that:

This isn't going to make me popular, but I think this stuff about "deaf culture" is rather much an attempt to glorify the unique adaptions deaf people have made to cope with life.

Talking about the "threat to deaf culture" is basically saying that deaf cultist wish to have children born deaf to serve their own selfish desires. They do not want their culture to disappear as they grow older, since this will leave them in the cold.

What about the CP culture, the blind culture, the leprosy culture? All of these cultists will want their children born handicapped/crippled just to prolong their way of life.

Sure, the deaf culture is vibrant, active, expanding, proud and self-sufficient. It is one of a kind, and fascinating. But make no mistake - the reason it exists is to let deaf people be with their own kind.

Without deaf people, there is no need for a deaf culture.

This all comes down to _one_ salient point. Is it better to be deaf?

In my opinion, the answer is no.

The reward that a deaf person feels when joining other deaf people is _comparitive_. They feel so overjoyed because of long years of social deprivation. They are so dedicated to deaf culture because it is really all they have.

There is a far bigger world out there. I won't be able to participate with that world to its full extent, but I'm not going to try and stop my children from doing what I can't.

--
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