James.Womack@f14.n300.z1.fidonet.org (James Womack) (03/28/91)
Index Number: 14534
Humor is a cultural experience. People who share the same cultural
background will more likely be inagreement on what is funny and whatis
not funny. Regarding the deaf, especially children in deaf schools,
hearie type jokes are not funny. Even to Deaf adults for that matter.
I have watched deaf children go to a gathering hosted by deaf adults
who tell "deaf" stories and these kids almost die laughing while their
signing but "not deaf wise" hearing parents sit in complete bewilderment.
I and other adult Deaf people have been asked to visit elementary level
kids' classes to tellstories. We include "deaf joke" or jokes relevant
to the deaf experience and these same kids die laughing. Yet, I once
took an incredibly funny story from USA Today (wish I could share it
here but it is a bit off color, so. . . .) and shared it with a fantastically
intelligent Deaf lady friend of mine. She puzzled over it. So did a
Deaf gentleman friend of mine. They asked me many questions about it.
You see,it was a hearie joke. Not only that, the humor lay in its phonetics.
When I told them what made it funny, they said, "Oh, that's cute but
it something for hearing people." Thepoint is that they did not share
the cultural experience that would have made it funny to them.
Deaf kids are not humorless. I have seen other people refer to them
and Deaf adults as well as humorless. This shows either complete lack
of understanding of what humor is or a deep seated disrespect for deaf
people as capable intelligent people. In all fairness, I must admit
that people who make such statements mean no harm. They are just uninformed.
Often, we as individuals, are utterly unaware of the social dynamics
that cause of to make such disrespectful statements about other people.
It just shows that Deaf people M U S T educate the public about who
and what we are. Otherwise, we will just continue to be labeled interms
that imply that we are somewhat less than human.
A deaf motorist was in a hurry. He came to a railroad crossing. The
barriers came down. he stopped and waited but no train came by.He waited
some more and still no train came. He saw a main in the control booth.
The deaf motorist got out and went to the booth. He wrote on a piece
of paper and gave it to the main in the booth. Thepaper said, "Please
BUT."
Told in ASL, this story is hilarious to may culturally Deaf people.
To others, especially not deaf wise hearing, it makes no sense. Why.
The cultural experience necessary to make it funny is not shared. It
belongs to non-hearing and ASL people, not to hearing and non-ASL users.
However, it would be a great wrong to label the hearing humorless or
their children humorless merely because they do not comprehend Deaf
jokes. Deaf people and our children should be accorded withthe same
respect.
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!300!14!James.Womack
Internet: James.Womack@f14.n300.z1.fidonet.orgjhall@ihlpm.att.com (John R Hall) (04/02/91)
Index Number: 14594 James Womack's telling of the "Please, but" ASL Deaf joke reminded me of something I've been curious about. Does anyone know of classes offered in "Deaf humor"? I think it would be a great idea as a way to achieve better understanding of ASL as well as have fun. I know that a local junior college in my area near work has offered a class in "American humor" with the idea (I think) being that recent immigrants to America who are learning spoken English would learn more about English- speaking American culture by learning some of its humor. I think the same would apply for Hearing people like me who are learning ASL. I've only seen one Deaf comedian/storyteller - C.J. Jones - when he came to my neighborhood in Chicago. The performance was interpreted, and there wasn't any humor of the "Please, but" joke variety that Hearing non-signers don't understand. Here's the converse problem. Translate this joke into ASL and see if anyone laughs: "What's black and white and red all over? (ans: newspaper)". --John
StEpHeN.wHiTe@p1.f853.n681.z3.fidonet.org (StEpHeN wHiTe) (04/11/91)
Index Number: 14725
[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]
JW> Humor is a cultural experience.
Humour is culturally independant. Culture merely provides a
"database" of known things to ensure understanding of the joke.
JW> Deaf kids are not humorless. I have seen other people refer to
JW> them and Deaf adults as well as humorless. This shows either
JW> complete lack of understanding of what humor is or a deep seated
JW> disrespect for deaf people as capable intelligent people. In all
JW> fairness, I must admit that people who make such statements mean
JW> no harm. They are just uninformed.
You seem to be missing an essential point here:
_I_ am not uninformed.
I just happen, by pure chance of course, to be
profoundly deaf myself, and have been so from birth.
Are you trying to say that I have a deep seated disrespect for
myself as a capable and intelligent person?
James - I think you're manipulating what you read, so you can go
off into another spiel. You are showing disrespect to _me_ by using
me as your soapbox.
JW> A deaf motorist was in a hurry. He came to a railroad crossing.
JW> The barriers came down. he stopped and waited but no train came
JW> by.He waited some more and still no train came. He saw a main in
JW> the control booth. The deaf motorist got out and went to the
JW> booth. He wrote on a piece of paper and gave it to the main in
JW> the booth. Thepaper said, "Please BUT."
Doesn't mean anything to me. I don't know ASL - I know Auslan.
(Incidentally, I happen to be related to the man who did the Auslan
dictionary)
How about a deaf joke that doesn't require any knowledge of a
specific sign language? I'll tell it two ways - the way you told
it, and the way that it can be understood.
The way you told the joke:
A man was going away on holiday to Italy. He was looking forwards
to all the Italian cusine. His friends saw him off at the airport,
waving farewell, adieu, and all that.
Two months later, the friends went to the airport to welcome the
man home.
<fx: deaf people crack up laughing, Womack and Womack looks bewildered,
and Steve throws accusations of not understanding deaf culture>
The way to tell the joke:
A man was going away on holiday to Italy. He was looking forwards
to all the Italian cusine. His friends saw him off at the airport,
waving farewell, adieu, and all that. <fx: hand walking along with
first and second fingers, enters plane, flies off>
Two months later, the friends went to the airport to welcome the
man home. <fx: plane lands, hand exits, walks back on first and
fourth fingers>
JW> However, it would be a great wrong to label the hearing humorless
JW> or their children humorless merely because they do not comprehend
JW> Deaf jokes. Deaf people and our children should be accorded
JW> withthe same respect.
I based my observation that "deaf children at Strathmont seemed
rather humourless" on the fact that I very rarely saw any of them
smile or laugh. They did not make many jokes, and the jokes that
they did make were of an extremely juvenile level.
I'm absolutely positive that this is because of the repressive
regime that the teachers laid over their students, and specifically
pointed that out in my original message. I also said that deaf
adults were an entirely different story altogether.
I suggest that you read what I write, not what you want to read.
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!3!681!853.1!StEpHeN.wHiTe
Internet: StEpHeN.wHiTe@p1.f853.n681.z3.fidonet.orgTim.Smith@f429.n275.z1.fidonet.org (Tim Smith) (05/30/91)
Index Number: 15833
[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]
Hey dude.. I am flexible.. I know, it's hard to believe, but I AM
flexible... You see, I just want the BEST for the deaf! Let them be
themselves!
What bothers me, is the fact that the deaf are being constantly
opressed as an "inferior" population... Getting no respect for their
language... I feel very strongly about this- so that's why I might
sound in-flexible...
I am willing to compromise.. But I'm not willing to give up my
stand.
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!275!429!Tim.Smith
Internet: Tim.Smith@f429.n275.z1.fidonet.org