I am not boycotting DeafRead. I am just busy. It’s that simple. I started a new full-time job in late January and have been juggling work and family ever since. I’m also back in school for 8 weeks taking classes to advance my career. My plate is full and I’ve had to juggle and prioritize. I very much miss having the time to Vlog. I’ve enjoyed it so much.
I wanted to be clear on this because it appears that there are some speculations that Deaf Vloggers have been boycotting DeafRead because of the CI-related blogs that number there. Well, this is not the case for me. I think DeafRead rocks! All of it! I’ll still be v/blogging there until I’m 89! Just taking a bit of a hiatus, that’s all. You can still find me on occasion on Live Chat/DeafRead to keep in touch. Live Chat doesn’t require the time involved with filming, editing, uploading and transcribing. So, I find it easy to carry on conversations, light or deep, within a half an hours time.
Life and death, the ebb and flow of the tides,
the changing of seasons, the orbit of the earth
and other planets around the sun…”
~ A Conversation Between Friends
The way I see it, DeafRead has it’s own life force. Patterns of thought ebb and flow like the tide. The coming and going of vloggers/bloggers mirrors the changing of seasons or the ebb and flow of all life.There will always be star sailors, new and old, who navigate the rolling seas. There will always be waves of topics that will swell, rock our boats, or calm the water. There will be dry spells and torrents. There will always be a rhythm to our vlogging and blogging on DeafRead that will influence our presence, our activities and our collective movements as d/Deaf people. The power of DeafRead, dear ones, is in the flow. Feel the life force of the DeafRead ocean, and allow yourselves to roll with this ever-evolving entity.
My 2 cents worth: We must take care that we do not create the illusion of being so separate from one another that we end up pulling in our focus to where we are mainly only aware of ourselves.
Where have all the vloggers gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the vloggers gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the vloggers gone?
Gone to Live Chat? Every one?
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?
Having a little fun with the lyrics to
“Where have all the flowers gone?”
by Pete Seeger.
laronda,
Nice to see you pop up again. I was beginning to wonder where you had gone. Glad to know that all is well with you and yours.
Deafread is here to stay!
Blessings,
Jeffrey
Left by Jeffrey on April 15th, 2008
[…] […]
Left by DeafPulse.com - the one-stop pulse for all Deaf-related news and blogs. on April 15th, 2008
Ella Lentz left a comment on ASL MUSIC. Everyone should read her comment below. DeafRead kept on insisting that it is a deaf centric when it is not. I do not like DeafRead misrepresenting itself. It is not deaf-centric. If DeafRead admits that it is not deaf-centric, I will be ok with it.
“Maybe its time to show more real respect to the Deaf ASL vloggers who have been “saving” DeafRead and LISTEN deeply to what they are thinking, feeling, and saying (or not saying)…..
Also, time for us to FACE that darn elephant in the Deaf room which is also taking over DeafRead…
Better that…and that’s more right…than criticizing and blaming on the hard-working, courageous Deaf ASL vloggers if they make a political statement or are busy building the groundswell….
For me personally, I have been busy travelling, presenting, planning the Deaf Bilingual Coalition Conference in Milwaukee, working on the huge revision of Signing Naturally curriculum (to elevate ASL teaching and increase respect for ASL), and promoting the “whole system thinking” training for California Association of the Deaf.
Frankly, yes I am discouraged with and feeling unsafe on DeafRead lately and that has resulted in my not feeling inspired to present ideas as I did before on DeafRead.
I find it interesting that DeafRead is insisting on neutrality and thus exposing itself to the disease that has befallen many other Deaf organizations and forcing them to be passive and meek in terms of facing the elephant eye to eye and pushing it out of our “room” so we can finally reclaim our rightful home.
Sure, I welcome all healthy dialogue and naturally I prefer those that focus on possibilities and cherishing our history of resistance against ORalism/audism, and celebrating ASL and positive Deaf identity. I also prefer those that do not exhibit audism or internalized audism (at least consciously), and I say again, yes, DeafRead DO have the right to do whatever they want..and that includes banning intentional audism.
I am waiting for that day where we see MANY Deaf people (and hearing allies) take courage and do that.”
Left by susan on April 16th, 2008
“My 2 cents worth: We must take care that we do not create the illusion of being so separate from one another that we end up pulling in our focus to where we are mainly only aware of ourselves.” Well-written statement. I did NOT see the invasion of CI blogs… they are still a FEW and I welcome them, because they get a chance to learn something about ASL/Deaf Culture and we get a chance to learn about CI. I see that there still exists fear of unknown, due to many existing misconceptions
.
Also, that DeafRead has its lifeforce, and it has its tides. It will always change, mirroring the changes of our lives, influenced by politics, economics, etc.
Congratulations on your new chapters in your lifebook :o)
Left by Karen Mayes on April 16th, 2008
Life is such a precious.
Life is such an enjoyable.
Life is full.
I love your spirituality blogs.
Deafread is wonderful because I have learned so many new things — medical, spiritual, cultural, and many others. It’s a reliable source.
You are my rock as well as Deafread’s.
Left by White Ghost on April 16th, 2008
Nicely said.
Left by A Deaf Pundit on April 16th, 2008
LaRonda - this is good to know you are not boycotting! I admit - I do miss the “old” DeafRead, where there were many challenges, and agreeing to DISagree, and debates that got to the point where it got H-O-T!!
I just threw in my 2 cents, that we all should continue be Vlogging, I understand there are few of us who are busy, like you, but please don’t stay away “toooooo long”…..
Left by B.A.D. on April 16th, 2008
Hi, my name is Hailey and I’m 12 years old. My brother, Alexander passed away in 2006 from a heart defect and now I keep a blog in his memory to reach out to other kids and families and do acts of kindness in my brothers name. I found your site and wanted to give you Alexanders award for having a site that spreads the message of hope and love.
I don’t know how to do html so please visit my blog http://www.alexandersheart.blogspot.com and copy the award to put on your site. If you wish, give this award to 3-5 other blogs or sites you feel share the message of hope and love as well. God bless, Hailey
Left by Hailey on April 16th, 2008
LaRonda, Your hiatus was well documented, I am glad you have put your hands to the plough in the event of advancing your career sighting your sights to the prize of achievement.
As for myself, my tirade of commenting has slowed and almost come to a halt! Debates, counter-attacks, and the same broken record playing just kind of made me realize that I have better places in using my energy, and in a more positive way. Any comment that I have made that was lame in ill-attempt to make strong points will forever be googled by anyone that wants to learn more of my commenting history, and as a result I have reached an epiphany that I am better served to just view the more healthy vlogs/blogs and to just comment on occassion that exhibits more constructive dialogue. I don’t know how I got myself into commenting at DeafRead in the first place as CI blogs subtly infiltrated DeafRead and snared prospective ones to backfire on comments, who can we blame but ourselves as gullible but ambitious in the commentators’ domain?
I will still view DeafRead, particularly the favorite vlogs/blogs, but now I avoid the more controversial ones that are anti Deaf-centric.
I had a conversation with a CI implantee a week ago, and I was amazed to hear this:
This individual, whose entire Deaf family received CI implants, breached the CI community by insisting her children to be educated bilingually, the person was responsible for breaking barriers within the oral community stressing that both ASL and oral education was of benefit to any CI child. She wanted her child to receive the best education at the best oral school while teaching her daughter ASL, to have the best of both worlds. She didn’t tolerate the pro-hearing views of deafness in the clinical sense but supported being visually aided as well as auditory aided. I was floored by her accounts, because I had a totally different viewpoint of the CI community as a whole and it just struck me right there that there are CI families who are pro-ASL.
That is why going into pro-oral CI community blogs and commenting was not even worth it. We have the balance of families who support ASL as a language in the home and at school even if one person or entire family have CI implants, and they are the best advocates to create breakthroughs in tearing down barriers caused by the solely medical view of deafness and advocacy of oralism.
When I see a Gary Brooks Show vlog, or the Ear of my Heart blog, I feel like we were in the old times of DeafRead. DeafRead has changed but despite the neutrality of DeafRead, whether it was healthy or not, we need to tip the scales by continuing to introduce Deaf-centric vlogs despite of the, what we call, invasion of CI-blogs. Just watch the favorite ones and ignore the others that prick at our conscience, or what we at times rather say, at our conciousness. We don’t have to step into the fray or hop on the tanks enroute to war. All we need is to view the vlogs we love watching and go with that ebb of flow into the calm waters, or we can choose to venture into the rocky waters or right square into a shaky earthquake fault that is major and ready to rattle the sensors and find ourselves where we do not need to be in the first place, being enticed into a war that just takes away, not give.
Let’s give back to the community by being ourselves and by pouring into our own community the richness of language and culture and show the pride thereof. The CI community have their own enrichment and the diversity of cultures which makes life more colorful, but the ravens and vultures chewing up bits have their own places to bother with. It’s about respecting each other and our cultures, and while the views and opinions might be different, respect towards one another enables every community to grow without taking others.
If we give in to oralism, we might as well give in to ASL. Vice versa, if it is realistic within our capabilities, but in regards to ASL, anybody can learn it if they have the arms, hands, and fingers. We don’t have to take away the language, whether it is signed or spoken, as long we don’t take away the other. We can take as long we give back, not take, take, take..
Why not? Smile.
Left by John Critser on April 16th, 2008
You’re tagged! Welcome to a Tag World. Visit my blog: Waving With My Deaf Hands
Left by Deb Ann on April 16th, 2008
Congrats on the new job and career path!
Can you email me– I have something to ask you but couldn’t find an email on your site.
Left by Karen Putz / DeafMom on April 16th, 2008
My friend told me yesterday that she used to read Deafread but lately hasnt been due to so many blogs about CIs. She said it feels like it is no longer about Deaf culure and ASL like the old days. Just sharing what a former member told me yesterday.
I am new to Deafread so I dont know what it used to be back then.
Left by Shelly on April 16th, 2008
Shelly, you missed nothing. We had awesome people like Ella Lentz, Jon Savage, Joey Baer, Candace McCullough and Sharon Duchesneau, ASLPride, David Martin, Aidan Mack, Cy, Terri Sentelle, Barb Digi, Jehanne Mc, Sean and Tyler Berdy and many more great ASL/Deaf people. They are not doing ASL vlogs as often as they used to. I am hoping they will find a new place where we can get together and do wonderful stories. We do not need to be stuck with pro-CI stories anymore.
Left by observer on April 16th, 2008
Mike Schmidt and….I miss them ASL vloggers, but I understand their principles.
Left by observer on April 16th, 2008
I’d like to copy and paste one comment by K.L. from Deaf Pundit’s blog: “To me it is a question of definition. Is this a site specific to ASL only, or is it a site specific to Deaf issues? There are a lot of Deaf issues that do not involve ASL. There are a lot of Deaf people who are oral. Do we exclude everyone who is oral? Are we supposed to continue the divide? I want to share information, and learn from the “other side”. If we are segregated, we will never understand how everyone else feels and thinks. Healing will never happen. Growth will not occur. So what is the goal?”
That is how I see it… DeafRead is for everyone to share, to discuss, to debate, etc.
Left by Karen Mayes on April 17th, 2008
Hello!
I’ve been on a hiatus, too. Almost a year, really. I’ve been busy with other things going on in my life, and had to put the blog on hold. Recently, I have set up a new blog, and I’ve imported the best entries from livejournal to wordpress. I hope to continue writing book reviews, movie reviews, and my outlook on the arts. I was tagged by my dear friend, Sharon, at Deaf Characters in Adolescent Literature, and I hope you don’t mind that I’ve decided to tag you. Your blog is one of the few that inspired me to write my own. Go to my website. I hope to get to know you better.
Thanks!
Moxie Mocha
Left by Moxie Mocha on April 21st, 2008