My way or the Highway ?

In responding to Liz's blog (Mainly because I was unsure she would print my response !), I would like to suggest why I think Liz is naive in her approach. Liz:

"Let me first suggest, there is an total lack of cohesion in the UK regarding support or campaigns. There is too much division. Too many loose cannons, too many clique's. I've blogged for years, I do not fool myself in the scheme of things, the world is watching and waiting with bated breath to read what I post next. Hell in some UK quarters they post warnings about my blog. Do I care ? no. 4 BILLION blogs exist, 99.999999999% of online have never, nor will ever, read about us. Blogs are an expression of frustration little more, we rattle around in our own micro-cosmic world while the world revolves regardless. It would be comforting to believe a few texts online and a few blogs we write get read now and then, but being realistic ......

We CANNOT as late-deafened campaign as any sector with just a few friends, there is but one option sadly, every one for him or herself. I have been acquired deaf 38 years, NEVER in that entire time has any late-deafened sector made ANY significant move to campaign on our platform. Charities are more interested in making hay while we stay with issues or trying to belittle us by stating to the world you are better off hearing, as if we aren't painfully aware already, and your blog gives them air time, I would attack that premise and certainly NOT give the air time to pontificate it, under the view they 'support' us, whilst consistently telling the world deafness is bad and hearing is good. Neither of us chose to be late-deaf. I'm damned if I am going to be sitting there feeling guilty about it.

I don't allow the "Deaf" to post here stating the opposite, not interested. Dogma is for religions and atheists have it all going for them.. Isolation affects us ALL, strange to say I get it as well. You can do one of two things, you can roll over and cry woe is me, or you can stand up to be counted and fight your corner, mostly that is determined by your own character, where I was brought up you don't take crap thrown at you, you fight back. It wasn't easy, it still isn't, and it took me 11 years to realise if I don't fight, I am finished. Where I am able I fight other people's corners as well, I try, I cannot fight the entire planet. I target specific areas I can make headway with.

That means standing up to everyone not just hearing people. This has made many of us either apathetic or angry at that fact, (Mostly anger which is an perfectly natural reaction to being late-deafened), some of us caved in and some gave up. 40% of us are said to have mental health issues as a result. I say its time we took over the asylum. So whose 'fault' is it support is poor ? and representations worse ? It's ours ? Many of us live nowhere NEAR any group at all, are isolated and unless WE DIY, we will get nothing, we also have to compete (Which is utterly unfair and wrong), with more strident sectors of the Deaf or deaf, which we are NOT members of . I'm not creating divisions, they already exist and I recognise them.

No-one will act in unison, no-one will support the 3rd sector i.e. us, and worse we don't support each other because we either can't or there is no body of real representation so to do, and even the RNID accepts 'social' networking has added nothing in representative terms to any of us, petitions are an cruel joke, campaigns allotted to some 'que' along with thousands of others, and when people need to stand up to be counted, they revert to social sites and fudge it. If you want to put the late-deafened world to 'rights' then it's an very lonely proposition, and you need to understand no-one is going to support you except on some pathetic 'social' level of posting an 130 character text. Mainly because it is ALL about breaking the isolation and LESS about fighting your corner, I cannot see ANY Future in online socialising, as an person I prefer real people, I can talk direct to, I am sure you do too.

What else is your blog stance about ? All I read is this 'credo' of of pat explanations "deaf" do this "Deaf" are that, it is irrelevance to me, I'm past caring about what they need, it's time for awareness to appreciate what late-deaf need, their need is no greater than mine, we all have the same rights. I put our sector first because for sure no-one else will. Pigeon-holes are for pigeons not people. The value you say in meeting others albeit in print, for me that would not be valid unless you met face to face and could still carry any interactions on meaningful, I don't want hypothetical friends I prefer real ones. We could all post to social areas and have a love in, but any relationship stands of falls in REAL time. You or I are judged on what people read, they don't or cannot judge you any other way. To be totally honest you admit you tried setting up social areas, (All credit to you), and it fails. Why ? because you haven't understood the nature of them. Social areas do not want 'hard luck' stories, or descriptions of discrimination. They are swamped online with millions of them they talk Justin Beiber or TV. It's a no-contest you can compete with that, unless JB is contributing TO your site, even then readers would ignore your message..

You can be yesterday's chip paper in 30 seconds or less. We are THE largest sector of ANYONE with hearing loss, and, the most impotent. The message may seem to be negative, but the message is real and factual. Truth hurts. Late-deafened isn't fun... do we tell that as a truism ? or play to their sympathy ?"