April 22, 2007.
That's the date of the last blog I posted. Sigh. Didn't realize it had been that long.
A lot has happened since April. I can't believe it's been almost 10 months since my last "politically incorrect" blog. And, of course, I've mused over many a topic that I've considered blogging about, but when push came to shove... I didn't do it.
I had thought part of the problem is that I'm too apathetic these days or just too much in a routine to feel fired up about anything. Then, last week, I was at a friend's house and we were discussing the whole PepsiCo commercial issue. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, first, view the video, and then meander over to DeafDC.com and check out these two blogs:
AGBell Tackles Pepsico SuperBowl Commercial
My Response to Karen Youdelman’s and Alexander T. Graham’s Pepsico LetterFirst of all, I just want to say that I have met Alex Graham. I do not know Karen Youdelman, nor do I envision meeting her in the near future. My meeting with Alex Graham was fortuitous, in that it occurred before this PepsiCo commercial "controversy" came up. Alex is the new executive director of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. He comes from a background in health management, and he is a businessman/organizational manager. He joined AG Bell having very little knowledge of "deaf politics." His goal is to streamline operations and make the organization's staff more efficient. The flak that he has received for being a co-signer of the AG Bell letter to PepsiCo essentially "complaining" about the lack of deaf oral participants is thus unwarranted.
Oftentimes, when an organizational letter is disseminated, both the President and Executive Director sign it. The president, however, is ultimately responsible not only for the contents of the letters, but also for maintaining the integrity and mission/goals of the organization. The president of an organization is the leader; he/she directs and oversees the board of directors. The executive director actually serves the president and board of directors. EDs do not have power over the president/board. I feel as though this is a mistaken perception on the part of many individuals.
The above is not to say that I agree with AG Bell's position or with their decision to write this letter. I personally feel it was uncalled for. In fact, just a few short days after the letter link was posted on the AG Bell home page, it was taken down. The PDF still exists, though.
Here are a few excerpts from the letter:
Although we appreciate Pepsi’s efforts to encourage new promotional ideas from your rank-and-file employees and your willingness to celebrate diversity, we would be remiss if we did not call your attention to the fact that your advertisement offers a limited view of the deaf community.
Your advertisement perpetuates a common myth that all people who are deaf can only communicate using sign language and are, therefore, isolated from the rest of society.
Of the more than 30 million Americans who live with hearing loss, the majority use spoken language as their primary mode of communication.
My thoughts regarding the excerpted comments are:
All commercials are sensationalized. Show me any commercial that shows no bias and I'll show you a pig flying. In other words, the fact that this commercial shows signing deaf people DOES portray a limited view of the deaf community. While I can understand AG Bell's desire to have oral deaf persons more "visible," I find it ironic -- AG Bell touts the ability of oral deaf persons to be mainstream, to be part of hearing society, and not to be "differentiated." This excerpt from AG Bell's "Who we are" page illustrates this concept pretty well:
Through advocacy, education, research and financial aid, AG Bell helps to ensure that every child and adult with hearing loss has the opportunity to listen, talk and thrive in mainstream society.With regard to the second excerpt, I actually had to laugh. I didn't see anything in the commercial that shows that signing deaf people are "isolated" from the rest of society. I will accede, however, that the commercial does perpetuate the idea that deaf people sign.
The last excerpt is actually true, and I do applaud AG Bell for not putting a number to represent "majority" because then, I'd really have a bone to pick with them. My own father would be considered part of the number of Americans with hearing loss, as someone who lost hearing as he got older. He and I are different in that I use sign language to communicate sometimes, and he never does. He never had to, really.
So, to pull my thoughts together into a coherent summary:
All commercials are misleading.
Therefore, the PepsiCo commercial is misleading. ;-)
I'm sort of kidding. But seriously, what is advertising if not promoting a product or service? One would think that, looking at all the other commercials out there, that no deaf Americans exist (that is, if you follow flawed logic processes). So the fact that a major corporation produced a commercial utilizing their own deaf and hearing employees and showcasing a spinoff of a popular joke within the signing Deaf community definitely is a break from the trend. It was a risky project, and the attention it got -- both positive and negative -- was amazing.
Would it be nice to see commercials showcasing deaf oral individuals? Sure, of course!
Would it be nice to see commercials showcasing deaf signing, oral AND cueing individuals? Oh wow... utopia...
And, with that... I leave you to ponder.1: an imaginary and indefinitely remote place
- Main Entry: uto·pia
- Pronunciation: \yu̇-ˈtō-pē-ə\
- Function: noun
- Etymology: Utopia, imaginary and ideal country in Utopia (1516) by Sir Thomas More, from Greek ou not, no + topos place
- Date: 1597
2: a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions
