OOOH A Conspiracy Theory:
When the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing saw that a website like DeafRead could be used as a tool for a movement. They worried. When they saw what happened to Jane K. Fernandes. They fretted. When they saw the number of hits coming in on a daily basis. They began to sweat.
Something must be done...
So what did they do? They let some money do some talking and had some shares acquired with the expectation that this would never happen again. Money and contracts actually shut people up and they're known as sell outs.
Hey YOU! I know you!
What's up?
Yet, I ain't gonna argue with the likes of them because it is really useless. They're in the business for the money and they don't care too much about social justice or equality. Deafness sells and Deaf doesn't. Deafness garners sponsors and includes more people than the culturally Deaf. Audism practiced under the guise of diversity. Ha!
Now I'll put it short and sweet:
Oh, the old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be,
Ain't what she used to be, ain't what she used to be.
Whoooo-ey!
If you look at 'em now. You'll see that they're just trudging through molasses and relying on a few inept writers in order to keep above the surface. Writers who tell of opinions and what-have-ye. Writers who argue that the majority of Deaf people cannot read. Writers who claim that Deaf people are inconsiderate of the hearing majority. Writers who are simply status quo joes.
You see, I, too, am a writer and I do it because I love it. The Deaf related stuff I usually post here, yet the real good stuff,...that is for posthumous publication. What I share with you here is only my testimony and observations as a Deaf man and yes, I know who and what I am. I'm DeafJeff and mighty proud of it. I am who I am because I was raised the way I was. I've seen quite a bit, I know how they work, and how they manipulate things. So deny all you want,...there IS a corporate agenda that uses children and parents as pawns.
Hello.
I there before.
Saw finish.
Know Know.
Me dumb not.
As for DeafRead, Two Main Points:
User friendly? Hell No.
Recognize audism? Pffft.
What is more,..they've yet to remove my blog. Yep, I sent the "bossman" an email requesting that my blog be removed. That was Thursday, July 14th. *ahem*
Why am I leaving DeafRead?
Because it is for the birds.
So,...with this post,...I bid thee farewell DeafRead, yet I'll still continue to blog and vlog, just not through the means of patronizing your place.
Hasta.
I'm out.
Deafread.com was once the only Deaf-centered aggregator in the world but it got ruined.
ReplyDeleteDeafJeff, I will now bid thee farewell DeafRead too.
Keep in touch Buddy.
John Egbert
That's the thing about DR,it recognized your right to do that :) (Now try posting at A G Bell). I'd disagree about the A thing, it's more some deaf sectors attacking others that causes problems, I think the A G Bell fraternity and mainstream just sit reading here chewing popcorn, 'in fighting' is an very specific deaf thing. A G Bell has to do nothing but ignore, and watch everyone self-destruct. We'd make an more potent force united.
ReplyDeleteSad to see you go, but wish you well.
ReplyDeleteBlog is still there.
ReplyDeleteTwiddle thumbs, sky eyed, and whistling.
Wish you'd said more about why you're leaving DeafRead...because it is less celebrating of cultural aspects, because it publishes biased or critical articles that cast us in a bad light, or because it publishes incorrect information that is best regarded in a gray area.
ReplyDeleteI've hung in there believing that DeafRead needs balance to offset the negative blogs. We'll see if that is working in the next few months, or else we'll come to realize that providing fodder for controversy is driving the readership of the negative blogs...not celebrating the diversity of Deaf Cultural thought.
ahh u write of infiltrating and propagating
ReplyDeleteyep DANG that is so uncool
i too had tried and tried again. i too had my blog held hostage by the aggregator too - "you can never leave, you can never leave" - i had to pack up, pick up, and open a whole new blog site and move all da stuff over cuz DR was in my original URL cuz i loved it so much and believe in it so much.
i still believe that some day it will wake up and say - we will add "disability" and after ethnicity "(this includes Deaf people)"
done - TA DA! Sure there will be some entries that come in that are borderline but the bad ones will be obvious and DR/DVTV will be armed with guideline to say no to hate and no thanks. and the creator of the bashing blog entry will just have to float it out there on the wideweb with out DR giving it a free ride
i have continued to hope for better w/ DR cuz i always hope for the best
still will do do the hoping but gotta put our feet behind it. Boycotting is a peaceful way of saying Ya Basta to the b.s. being carried - entries that say ASL is not a language, that the Deaf community fucks, that the Deaf community should be eradicated etc - adios
all those should not be carried by an aggregator that originated as a powerful and important tool for social change. when Deafread returns to its roots and takes a stand for that which is right just and good as NAD is doing - then we will see it begin to soar
in the mean time, lets dance
thank u for doing the right thing and inspiring others to do the same
i love Deafread and DVTV - hope the good folks there will listen to their hearts
it will pay off in the long run
peace
patti
If any of you folks want to know the truth about the deaf society y'all hearing about in the news this be the page that says it all : http://tinyurl.com/true-deaf The truth is all there and you can not call my bluff.
ReplyDeleteSign language students, my apologies, for bringing out this kind of truth of the people you'll want to be working with in the future but its a lot better you find out now as in early than later on when it could get very painful.
As for deaf advocates, I too am one, I was one of your cheerful guards till the deaf centered society stole a lot from me. But, I'm still the deaf advocate and deaf activist only in a totally different direction to raise up the deaf society to a better state of life than they are in and I'm using very odd and explicit tools to accomplish this so pardon me for doing it the way I am doing it.
Jeff, likewise, I had struggled about the idea staying on DeafRead when I returned last winter for the same reason which was hope like you, John and Diane. The idea is to keep the views in sync and show that there are authentic Deaf b/vloggers as well. Although it has been a while for my blogsite to be active since March, I don't feel enthusiastic to be back.
ReplyDeleteSo many times, I have wondered about the motive of those high-strung bloggers/commentators who refused to acknowledge the importance of social justice and ASL.
I have often asked to myself; Is money their motive to continue to meddle the affairs that concern many Deaf people? Why would they invest so many hours trying to reverse everything in what we believe in? At first I thought it was a matter of opinions that everyone is entitled to and that there are no same Deaf groups so they have the right to express their thoughts. However, by looking at the increasing number of publishing topics that are not related to Deaf centric and noticing the same commentators who are on the opposite bend are always there, something is fishy. I am often amused when witnessing when certain bloggers/commentators have constantly spend on their fingertips to blog/comment 24/7 over those issues when it comes to putting down ASL and Deaf cultural values. It made me wonder what are they on.
Just a question -- I understand why people are unhappy with DeafRead, but why hasn't anyone else opened up a new deaf aggregator that includes audism in the policy?
ReplyDelete