Why I’m walking out of DVTV (and DeafRead)
(Transcript of video)
Last week, I announced that audism should not be considered acceptable, and gave Tayler one week to change his “R-list” to include audism within that list. That hasn’t happened. Our society recognizes certain groups as minorities that have been historically oppressed and has created laws establishing protections for these groups against discrimination on the basis of racism, sexism, heterosexism, anti-semitism, ethnicity, and so on. The reason we have these laws is because our society recognizes that everyone has the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” be becoming all that we can be and want to be, without being told that we’re wrong for wanting to be that way.
Businesses recognize and apply policies protecting these groups because they want their customers to feel happy and safe, so that they will come back and buy more of their products.
Audism is all around us. Even a professional journal like the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education thinks nothing of publishing articles saying Deaf people should want to be like Hearing people, and it is not a problem if Deaf people become Hearing or Deaf culture becomes assimilated into Hearing culture. That is audism. But there are no protections for Deaf people against audism.
DeafRead and DeafVideo.TV are businesses. Tayler set them up as businesses, to earn money, as his goal. That is fine. I applaud him for his entrepeneurship. There is nothing wrong with that. How does he earn money from DR and DVTV as a business? When people go to his sites, this creates “hits”, and the more “hits” these sites get, the more profits he earns. When people post vlogs and blogs that are audist, and people click on those vlogs, Tayler earns profits from those “hits”. Therefore, Tayler is directly profiting from audism.
But Tayler’s business model is a failing business model. Look at DeafRead. It was a thriving place where many vlogs and blogs were posted and a lot of discussion was happening. And now, it’s a virtual “ghost town”. People are basically posting only second-hand information; almost no vlogs or blogs are showing up at DeafRead anymore. We’re now seeing more “walkouts” at DVTV, for basically the same reasons. People are not feeling happy or safe, not able to “be all they can be or want to be without being told they’re wrong for wanting to be that way”, within those particular websites (DR & DVTV).
I have long since been speaking against audism. I have taken a stand against audism. I believe that if you “talk the talk”, you must “walk the walk”. Audism hurts, and it hurts worse when it comes from one of our own. But it hurts worst when one of our own allows it AND profits from it.
That is the reason that I feel I can no longer be involved in DVTV, if audism is allowed to continue. I cannot let someone directly profit from audism. It’s bad enough when Hearing people, like at Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, profit from audism, but we Deaf should not allow it, we should not accept it.
If you know me, you know I don’t like to “quit”. I feel I must continue to fight on. But I don’t feel I am ”quitting”. I will not be involved with DVTV, but I will still be around, through my website www.deafhooddiscourses.com and in YouTube under the username “DrDonGCSUS”. I look forward to continuing the fight against audism and raising Deaf awareness at those sites, but not in DVTV, until the R-list is changed. I will now be asking Tayler to remove my account from DeafRead and DVTV.
I also want to mention that I, and some other Deaf people, have been working for over a year to create a new “aggregator” website where there will be formal rules against racism, sexism, gender, etc., including audism and linguicism. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you exactly when it will be ready; we are still working on a few technical issues. But for now, you can see me and other vloggers on YouTube and their own websites, and keep watching me for the announcement very soon!
Randall Gentry said,
September 18, 2009 @ 11:57 am
I’m a Gallaudet graduate, BA English 1989, hard of hearing.
If I want post a story about how I use my new hearing aids to improve my music listening experience on your new site, are you going to disallow my posting?
If you disallow my posting, should I maybe write the National Association for the Deaf and cancel my membership and get my money back?
Because doing that would be the logical end point, should I employ your reasoning.
And don’t tell me about audism. I was mainstreamed in 1960 without hearing aids. Got one in 1965, pitifully weak by today’s standards. I finally made some Deaf friends in 1978 or so and my life was enriched thereby.
Anyway, good luck with your “formal rules.” You’ll wind up being more exclusive than inclusive.
LOL Deafie said,
September 18, 2009 @ 12:39 pm
Go for it! It will be no problem. Deafread is being manipulated by cochlear implant companies… too much about baloney! Everyone is leaving. I may be leaving soon!
MM said,
September 18, 2009 @ 3:39 pm
It would be a sad day if you choose to go Don. I may not always agree with some of the blogs you do, but it is always responsibly put out, curteous, and genuine enough, I always read it personally. I can only say what you are proposing is a return to the ‘deaf space’ type of blogs and aggregates, which is ‘protectionist’ basically. DVTV I never took to basically, not least because there were many vids made with access ignored in it.
It projected a secular approach and not an inclusive one. I don’t agree with signed TV with no access, especially ASL as I live in the UK ! it does nothing to break down barriers either, when the vids are used to attack other bloggers, yes it goes on there too, I saw two having a go at me a few months ago…. they need to be aware I may not understand all ASL, but I Know my name in it ! So how are you going to address signed vids that do that ? It is surely not fair we attack the ASL user or they us with deliberate witholding of means to know what is said.
This deprives other deaf of getting the cultural viewpoint, and assuming the worst. Unless you take on what you see as audism where you feel it is existing, then opting out is addressing nothing, what we call a notice board in the UK !
I know you like to get your teeth into a decent debate and issue, if you just form an area where it is totally banned and include all sorts of isms banned too, then you are going to get no input but yes people, that killed OFF aggregates here, the UK now has none. The deaf space is over, the internet did that.
At present what you propose sounds a bit like the spanish inquisition… People will not know what to post or how. Bang goes your free speech… We have to discuss, oralism, sexism, audism whatever, to ignore it, just makes us look unable to counter, and unwilling to listen to anyone else’s viewpoints.
I can only say that this only worked 10 years ago, it has no chance of working now. It is not good that deaf retreat to own areas, rather than stand their ground. The problem with the American Audism thing, is it is out of control and no longer is oralist or hearing specific it is applied to anyone that isn’t in the deaf culture, that, has contributed to more audism than there perhaps may have been, they drew a line, and people don’t like lines.
The blogger is totally responsible for that takes part on their blog, we have the control and can use it, where there are bloggers who won’t, the deaf.read is the last word or should be. We’ve all had abuse via deaf.read, as I understand it, Taylor is unwilling to remove a blogger because of what takes place in the comment sections, where all the abuse usually takes place.
You may be right deaf.read needs to be more pro-active in warning bloggers who allow them to be used as platforms of abuse, I rather fear the Americans are trapped by their own reluctance to ban because of the free speech thing, as I put on my blog, you abuse me or anyone else there you are zeroed, and I don’t care how that is seen, that is me trying at least to protect other deaf who may log in to my blogs.
I also know how to counter claims I can’t take critisicms too which they try to use ! I have list of people who CANNOT comment on my blog, the reasons I gave to deaf.read at one point as to why. Including multi-posting in comment areas via a different Addy and promoting abuse against themselves even to force the comment section to become farcical. One even mimicked my Addy and went on to abuse others using it… they were caught out because they were too stupid to cover their tracks… or just didn’t care.
With the CI User forced to do their own aggregates, and deaf signers doing their own vids, and you suggesting am anti-ism based input, it all looks very negative for finding common ground, we will end up factionalised all over again. We’ll end up with an aggregate each……
Tony Nicholas said,
September 18, 2009 @ 6:28 pm
Randall, the point of Don setting up his aggregator, is so that we Deafies can get away from the relentless stories abt implants hearing aids, improving yr listineng, etc.. there are enough sites out there devoted to that shit… it’ not abt censorship or banning self expresison. It is about creating a space for us Deafies to just be Deaf without turning this into yet another fuckingg self help site.
deafies are not entitled to expect that Deafies turn their sites into a psuedo villages that pay lip service to Deaf Culture [meaning they don't give a fuck about anything other than their latest implant updates or hearing aid accessories or how to lip read a vagina in the dark!]
I use hearing aids and speak, and I sign. More to the point, know just how fucking boring all these posts abt hearing technologies are…… I’m ready to open shark infested beaches for their enjoyment!
Valhallian said,
September 18, 2009 @ 11:16 pm
While I can understand your feelings and all that and that is not to say that I agree with it completely but what you are saying about a different type of aggregator is pretty much the same way where you see different kinds of newspapers and you can see some are “democrat controlled” and others are “republican controlled”. That being the case, I don’t really see what you are saying as a form of censorship, but more of something that focusses on a gathering of people that share similar beliefs.
That is one of the beauties of living in this country, the fact that you are allowed to publicly state what you beleive in, but in a sense, it will also cause further division in the deaf community when the reality is that I would like to see more unity. I do realize I cannot control other people’s belief’s nor wil I try to forcefully control other people beliefs but lets look at the entire picture here.
You need to realize that there are people out there that try to have their cake and eat it. For example, you say you dont agree with how DR`and DVTV make their profits the way they do because they support audism, that brings up a question here.
Based one what you have said here, what’s your opinion here on other companies that may do what you have explained here, but you have not been publicly outspoken against them, for example, Sorenson VRS?
A loyal DeafReader said,
September 19, 2009 @ 9:06 am
Have you tried the hiding those blogs on DeafRead? It works for me.
DrDonG said,
September 19, 2009 @ 4:30 pm
Hello MM,
I am not going anywhere. I will still be vlogging and blogging right here. And what I say will always be accessible to you here. Debate is fine, but I think it’s time for Deaf people to have the opportunity to present THEIR (cultural) view of what being Deaf is. The medicalized/noncultural view is prevalent everywhere. CI users basically have a safe place everywhere. We just want to create our own opportunity to create our message without having it muddled by the presence of those who do not share that message.
Val –
It has been a long time since I heard from you too. And yes, I think setting up a Deaf-centered aggregator can be similar in idea to a Republican or Democratic magazine — a specific perspective geared toward those who want to see or learn about that specific perspective.
As for Sorenson, or other companies, we should consider boycotting those which promote or perpetuate audism as well. For example, we have the option of using Convo.tv which is Deaf-owned.
MM said,
September 20, 2009 @ 2:01 am
If you are still publishing to deaf.read then the point seems a bit of a puzzle. I can’t say I have noticed there is reluctance to publish the cultural view here,and the link to DVTV seems pretty obvious to me, despoite a virtual impossibility to respond unless you understand ASL. CI users have a ‘safe’ place because by and large they felt pushed out by the cultural view, whether that was true or not… So you are hoping all those who are ‘cultural’ will go to a separate aggregate ? and just drop their message occasionally into deaf.read ?
Deaf.read has its critics, it was bound to happen if there was a more inclusive approach of the real variations of deaf and others we are. Deaf.read reflects or tries to, that majority, who mostly aren’t cultural, but this is surely not news to cultural deaf ? they have always been a minority.
They must choose whether to be part of the wider areas of hearing loss or go their own way, as it was always the case more deaf means wider views on things. You just have to stand your ground. Your blog is still your domain, if you do not want to read audistic-based blogs or medical ones, then is not the option there to ignore them ? There are bloggers I will ignore.
One needs to follow the reason sites like this exist,is because the ‘cultural’ ones of yore, closed down opinion to a large extent and operated the deaf space, as a ‘closed shop’, It was always the case they were going to have to defend that once others were allowed the same platform..
Whatever deaf.read is or isn’t I’m positively envious the Brits have nothing like it.
Boring As It Gets: The Aggergator Question. said,
October 18, 2009 @ 6:34 am
[...] been meaning to comment on Don Grushkin’s post, Why I’m walking out of DVTV (and DeafRead). There were a couple of other well thought out articles, that I have since lost the references [...]