JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: Fela Kuti's "Teacher Don't Teach Me No Nonsense"]
What is your favorite music? How would you describe it to a deaf person?
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. "Richard Cory" LIVE
HW:
1. Quiz tomorrow on Vocab #1 and "The Right to Your Opinion"
When I was in my history class today we were all introducing ourselves, answering questions, learning where we are from about eachother's families, hopes for the future as well as interests. Also, if we could change anything in our personal history, what might it be. Most people skipped the latter question. I, for lack of a better wish, said I would have liked to be taller. Well once the torch was passed to a girl on the further side of the room, she began to sign her story. And her interpretter, spoke it for her. She began to tell where she was from, about her sisters, and when she brought up her horse it tugged on my heart strings quite a bit. Her interpretters voice didn't fill with excitement, but the way the girl's face lit up talking about her horse, I could see myself. You see, I've been riding since I was 5 and since I got my first horse when I was 7, I've lived and breathed them. I felt a real connection with her. She hesisated. Before she signed her last sentence. Her smile faded. She lifted her hands and her interpretter spoke her wish, "if I could change anything it would be that people respected the deaf." I pondered this a minute and goose bumps rose. She had wished that the deaf could be respected, and not that she hadn't had been deaf. I then realized how just a few moments before, I had felt we were so much a like. A few people complained and argued in english class that the deaf couldn't understand music just as the blind couldn't understand colors so there was no point in trying to explain. This was all their opinion. This all tied in so much to what we read about rights. How she wished more people respected the deaf. Why wouldn't they deserve the right to know music? After all, just as she shared her story, music shares stories as well. And after having felt connected with her I realized, if I was unable to hear country music I would want someone to truly explain the music to me. The stories and the feeling that goes through you all the way down to your boots when they begin tapping. In result to all of this I added on to my journal write. I really got a grasp on what you were asking for now. But I didn't cross out any of what I had previously written, to remind myself the difference between roughly explaining and deeply connecting.
ReplyDeleteWhat a powerful experience-- thank you for sharing it!
ReplyDeleteAwesome comment Patricia. I totally remember Kristen saying that.I wish I could have been in a better position to see her facial expression. My little sister is autistic and can't communicate very well, but we have that bond as siblings where she can have this expression on her face and I know exactly what she is thinking or feeling. Your comment truly touched me because I have this experience personally. :)
ReplyDeleteAs I was commenting on Patricia's comment on the journal I wanted to say a little more. So, here's the question, why do we profile people because of appearance, race, creed or because they are disabled in some way? Patricia did a brilliant job in pointing out this fact in her comment, but I want to take it a step further. You see, I have an autistic sister. She doesn't communicate much, but she has a lot of emotional and physical ways of communicating because she is very limited in her speech. I hear people in the public bashing disabled people like, "Ewww, what's wrong with them?" Or making obscene jokes about them, and its sad because some of them don't even know what they are talking about and just smile. Like, what is wrong with some people? I am ashamed of myself because I have a sibling like that and I don't stand up for her. Sure it gets me mad as hell, but we should be doing more for these people. They are people just like us and they deserve the respect that everyone else gets.
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Deletelove the convo going on here guys. love that you are talking about things that matter.
DeleteNic Askew's soulbiographies live in my heart now.. because they touch on things that matter.
one of my favs that seems fitting: https://vimeo.com/2243372
Sorry, the above comment was mine, I didn't realize google was signed into my brother's account. What the comment said was that I don't believe your question, Cameron, will never really be answered correctly. What I believe, is that people don't respect people with disabilities(there's probably a better for that), such as deafness or autism, because it's human nature not to accept difference, or more importantly, someone different from themselves. Just my two cents. Touching posts by both of you guys :)
ReplyDeleteWell, you have the right to your opinion. Oh wait...no you don't. :)
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