Comments on: If Michael Jackson “belongs to Black people”, then what about Deaf children?

By: Trying Hard to Understand

Trying Hard to Understand — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:11:49 +0000

It is difficult for me to make any other analogy between Michael Jackson and the black community than the example of my own often-dysconscious audism.

So Michael lightened his skin? I wear a hearing aid even though it’s all just noise. I wear it so I don’t get hassled so much when my “too good” speech gives people the impression that I MUST be able to hear. Just point to my manipulation of the stereotype, and I get the good thing I wouldn’t otherwise get. Yes, I deserve the repetition anyway, but I’m much less likely to get it if I don’t fit their stereotype.

By this, I mean, hearing people hear me, see the hearing aid, and think of me as one of them… Whatever else you may think of Michael Jackson, he clearly needed to be liked by everybody… To be part of the “us”, not part of the “them”.

So, perhaps we can take a Deafhood lesson from Michael’s life of wild highs and lows, driven to succeed, but also genuinely suffering from having his own dysconscious racism so firmly in control that even all his money could not free him. Nasty stuff those dysconscious -isms…

$0.02 minus deflation…

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:46:26 +0000

To me this analogy would be the equivalent of honoring someone such as Marlee Matlin in the Deaf community by saying she belongs to us (as a member of our community), but we share her with “all of you” (through her gifts in the entertainment industry that reach far beyond the Deaf community while still representing us honorably through her endeavors….) Just my two cents… In saying this I am not in any way, shape or form passing judgement on the life of Michael Jackson beyond his contributions to the field of entertainment.

By: Michele

Michele — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:31:51 +0000

One more thought for all of us to ponder…if the Black community “claims” MJ (and we might as well include OJ), despite the fact that MJ went out of his way to look as white as possible (and the fact that OJ would only associate himself with white people and stayed away from black causes, despite many pleas from the black community)…it would suggest that the Black community “claim” is self-deceptive and deluded (or if one wants to be nice, ‘wishful thinking’) and desperate to hang onto its people no matter what specific individuals like MJ or OJ did. One would think that the Black community could afford to let those two go, since they have so many other fine representatives (i.e., MLK, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, etc) already.

By: jhn doe

jhn doe — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:09:20 +0000

To the racist Jamie Foxx:

You can have Michael Jackson, we have the true KING – Elvis. At least he was never accused of child molestation and was never racist.

By: MM

MM — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:47:14 +0000

‘Belong’ and ‘own’ seem very much the issue Don ! Valhallian: Pesonally I would never see my child as my ‘property’ ! where did THAT come from ? I think you mean responsibility….

By: DrDonG

DrDonG — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:15:07 +0000

Val,

I am sure that you realize the “belonging” is not meant in a sense of property ownership, but in the sense of being rightfully a member of a particular culture, whether it is Black or Deaf.

By: Valhallian

Valhallian — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:07:46 +0000

I am inclined to side with Cool Whip here. He is absolutely correct when he says that black people have a culture of their own. It is just the same way as where deaf people have a culture of their own as well. And it indeed would be nice of the hearing people could just observe us as opposed to judging us, but that unfortunately isn’t usually the case.

On another point, MJ is not a child so your analogy of saying that deaf children belong to us does not work here. Children, both deaf and hearing, are the “absolute property” of their parents or legal guardians until they are 18.

By: Cool Whip

Cool Whip — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:30:30 +0000

RLM,

Be careful with racist labels. As an African American, I do not consider James Foxx’s comments racist. I think that Blacks belong to each other because Blacks and I share similiar culture, experiences,and history. We understand where we are coming from. You do not have a right to judge people because you are not black and have experiences. It is the same as the hearing person does not have a right to judge a deaf person because he or she is not deaf. You can observe the black or deaf person’s life. You can be an observer, but you cannot be a judge.

By: MM

MM — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:04:40 +0000

I’m generally in agreement with the poster Michelle, it’s some sort of power struggle, possibly for the prolongation of deaf culture. Although the spread to suggest overuling or even opposing parental rights, because they are hearing, etc is an real issue, and as a parent I would not go for any community or other area telling me what is best for my child, I think that is a fundamental given with most.

A parents right and legal obligation is to nurture, to protect, the ‘community’ has no such onus, legal or otherwise. I don’t think the deaf community has that right unless the children are theirs. Is it a parents duty to equip a deaf child for a ‘Deaf’ community ? it is not, they have an obligation perhaps to do what they think is best for their child, my child drives the choices I make.

By: DrDonG

DrDonG — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:08:52 +0000

RLM –

It was not one of Jackson’s family that said it. It was Jamie Foxx, who has no relationship with them, except that he’s Black too. It shows that the Black community views each other as part of their “family” (they call each other “brother” and “sister” — how much more “familial” can you get than that?)

Yes, all of us ultimately are our own selves, but we are part of our communities (as well as part of the World Humanity). You are part of me. I’m not saying I own you, but you are part of me as a Deaf person. Is that “racist”? I don’t think so.