#deafhood

Nancy Rourke, 2010, Just a Minute (Deaf person feels left out). Oil on canvas, 20 inches x 30 inches.

Website:  https://www.nancyrourke.com/index.htm

Twitter:  @nancyrourke

Nancy Rourke is exceptionally talented. She is a Deaf Artist, a Deaf advocate and an influential member of De'VIA (Deaf View/Image Art), an art movement that represents “Deaf artists and perceptions based on their Deaf experiences.”  Influenced by the works of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Jacob Lawrence, Rourke’s paintings possess this Neo-Expressionist je n'ais c'est quoi - the style is unique but identifiable; the themes unequivocal: Deaf Culture, Deafhood, Deaf Pride, American Sign Language (ASL) and Audism (to name a few).

I know I said I'm done with social issue artwork but after experiencing within the past few days, I've decided to do one more thing that's really important to my heart by touching on this topic- Crab Theory. This is a huge problem within the Deaf community, I am sure other minority community experience this but not to the extreme factor like our Deaf community. It is really frustrating when you sit there and get attacked or witness your friend get attacked because of the measure of success we have.

This is to criticize the Deaf community's self-contradictory action. Deaf community wants to be respected by hearing people, demand for Deaf equal rights, and be treated nicer, but, they spat on Deaf people for climbing up to help us out.

Make up your damn mind, Deaf community! What do you want?!I love all of you, but you need to improve on this particular toxic behavior. Please appreciate my tough love for you.

Whenever there's a Deaf issue going on, I see SO MANY ignorant hearing people acting all high and mighty because they can hear and they assume they are always right.

They say some such an ignorant things such as,

"Deaf people should not be allowed to drive."

"Deaf people shouldn't have a kid"

"I won't say Deaf, I will call you Handicapped / Hearing impaired."

"Sign language are sloppy ghetto gestures, so therefore I am teaching my daughter to speak."

"Deaf people can't read and write. They have their helpers do the job for them."

"Deaf people always act entitled."

"You need to get your deafness cured NOW"

"Closed captioning is a joke, Deaf people can lip-read. They're being lazy"a

nd the endless list goes on...

And if an actual Deaf person come in to attempt to educate those same ignorant hearing people, it seem like almost 100% of the time, Deaf person would get a pretty bad backlash by them.