Three years ago I paid $47k for my deaf nephew to get implants because his fully-insured deaf parents wouldn't pay for them. Not $47k just the out of pocket ($2k-3k-ish). I paid $47k and I got a deal because it was cash.
They wanted him to live in and embrace the "deaf world".
He wanted to live in the actual real world.
They ended up nearly irreparably fucking up his life and denying him the only thing that he wanted so when he turned 18 instead of buying a new car I bought a surgery because crying children piss me off.
There is no deaf world.
There is only the world.
This entire debate is insane.
Nobody is going around telling pediatric biliary atresia patients to not get a liver transplant because of "not having a functioning liver" culture. There are an infinite multitude of analogous situations where an "x" culture or "x" world would be considered direct evidence of mental illness or cult behavior but due to the inertia of history here we are.
edit: Maybe I should have not gotten a spinal fusion because of the rich tapestry and long history of "living in constant excruciating pain due to degenerative disc disease" culture?
> Maybe I should have not gotten a spinal fusion because of the rich tapestry and long history of "living in constant excruciating pain due to degenerative disc disease" culture?
Surely you can argue better than to provide such a clear and obvious false equivalence. It is a matter of fact that there is a distinct culture among those who communicate via sign language and not so that there is a distinct culture among those who... what? They don’t like surgery in general? They don’t like that specific surgery? Why would you even bring that up as a comparison to Deaf culture?
Coming up with unique cuss words using ASL isn't culture but let's suppose it is.
Not only do member of that culture have no right to attempt to persuade or bully or pressure people into remaining in their culture in order to keep it alive, people who do that should be harassed and ridiculed until they stop out of shame and/or risk to their position in society.
It is irrefutable, unquestionable cult-like behavior to criticize someone who doesn't want to be like you for not wanting to be like you.
Warning sign #5 you're in a cult: "There is no legitimate reason to leave, former followers are always wrong in leaving, negative or even evil."
They wanted him to live in and embrace the "deaf world".
He wanted to live in the actual real world.
They ended up nearly irreparably fucking up his life and denying him the only thing that he wanted so when he turned 18 instead of buying a new car I bought a surgery because crying children piss me off.
There is no deaf world.
There is only the world.
This entire debate is insane.
Nobody is going around telling pediatric biliary atresia patients to not get a liver transplant because of "not having a functioning liver" culture. There are an infinite multitude of analogous situations where an "x" culture or "x" world would be considered direct evidence of mental illness or cult behavior but due to the inertia of history here we are.
edit: Maybe I should have not gotten a spinal fusion because of the rich tapestry and long history of "living in constant excruciating pain due to degenerative disc disease" culture?