Does it bother you when a newspaper headline includes the fact that someone is deaf? For example, here are a few of the headlines that have come across my desk in the past two weeks while working on Deafweekly:
Deaf sniper in Palmdale attack receives 21 years
Deaf man sentenced for shooting neighbor
Deaf couple, child, killed in mobile home fire
Deaf man seeking health board seat
Deaf girl all set to graduate
Deaf student learning to drive
Deaf boy dies in apartment blaze
Deaf man attacked for smoking at bus station
Deaf woman slept through five-hour gun siege
Deaf man carjacked at knifepoint
I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, if newspapers did not indicate that people are deaf, these articles would not show up when I search for deaf news and it would make my job a lot harder.
On the other hand, we deaf people like to say there is nothing wrong with us, that we are just a unique culture. If this is true, why is it necessary for journalists to point out that we are deaf?
After all, how often do you see headlines like this:
Hispanic sniper in Palmdale attack receives 21 years
Black man sentenced for shooting neighbor
White couple, child, killed in mobile home fire
Asian man seeking health board seat
Catholic girl all set to graduate
Polish student learning to drive
Native American boy dies in apartment blaze
Russian man attacked for smoking at bus station
Lesbian woman slept through five-hour gun siege
Gay man carjacked at knifepoint
It would be very rare, indeed, to see this kind of headline. Journalists know that people are people and you’re not really supposed to acknowledge people’s physical characteristics unless it is relevant to the story.
So how come they are so quick to point out when someone is deaf? Is it really important or relevant to include that information?
What do you think?
4 Comments
August 18, 2007 at 11:35 am
Yes, it is ironic. They still do not acknowlege us as deaf. It will acknowledge Hispanish so they can help more spanish speaking people. It will acknowlege Muslims, Homo, or whatever. But we should acknowlege hearing people who helps deaf people. We can call them “hearing” and acknowledge their help. Call them “hearing” and we are “deaf”. Keep doing it since we like to hear about good news like hearing helps deaf or deaf help deaf or whatever. Keep doing it and I enjoyed your deaf news. I am not left out and be thankful.
August 23, 2007 at 11:31 pm
How about telling them to do reverse discrimination by listing other people as hearing..
hearing student learn to drive
hearing man jumps in river
hearing lady fell off her chair
blah blah blah
=)
August 28, 2007 at 1:41 am
Reminds me of the one-armed-hooker in Harlem:
http://www.kambricrews.com/2003_06_01_#115181110432562083
February 7, 2008 at 1:11 pm
In some of these cases you’ve cited, the deafness does have something to do with the story. If I didn’t have hearing people keeping their beady eyes on me, I’m sure I could easily sleep through a five hour gun siege.