Commentary on anti-intellectual article in the Chronicle of Higher Education

 Press Release

 

Commentary:

 

The Chronicle of Higher Education has published an anti-intellectual article in its January 12, 2007 issue titled "Deafness and the Riddle of Identity" by Lennard J. Davis.

Gallyprotest condemns Davis's article (and the Chronicle's participation) in the strongest possible terms. The author displays a total lack of knowledge of basic anthropological concepts, for example, making the bizarre claim that (emphasis added): "...deaf activists and scholars have reshaped the idea of deafness, using the civil-rights movement as a model for the struggle to form a deaf identity."

 

This is anti-intellectual and circular. Obviously, Deaf culture had to exist before any attempt was made to seek civil rights for culturally deaf people. Therefore, Deaf culture cannot be created by political activism, just as someone cannot pick himself up by his own bootstraps. 

 

Yet throughout the entire article, Davis commits such basic and embarrassing philosophical errors as the one noted above. It's hard to understand how this article made it past the preliminary screening stages at The Chronicle for Higher Education.

 

Davis is also abusing the idea of borderline cases. The truth is that there does not have to be a bright line separating the culturally Deaf from the non-culturally Deaf. Some people will be borderline cases, and they will be accepted as being members in some ways, but not in others, or will be accepted at some particular moments in their lives by certain other people, but not during other particular times. This is not an important issue. 

 

When a man grows whiskers on his face, starting with a few whiskers, then progressing to having more and more whiskers that become thicker and longer, at some point in time it is correct to say that the man definitely has a beard on his face, and not just whiskers. It may not be exactly clear when that point in time occurs, but that does not mean that we should deny that the man actually grew a beard or that we should deny that he actually has a beard on his face. We do not need to look for a "potential way out of the dead end of" the politics of beard recognition.

 

The so-called "dead end of identity politics," as it allegedly pertains to Deaf culture, is only in Davis's imagination. Deaf culture is very real, and it will continue to be very real so long as ASL exists and the strongly operative values of Deaf culture are passed from one generation to another. 

 

Davis does not understand basic anthropology, because he does not understand that cultures are not based primarily on negatives. Instead, cultures are based primarily on positives. The existence of oppressors and oppression is a negative phenomenon that, by itself, cannot create a culture. It can only be a secondary factor. The positive factors that created Deaf culture are ASL and the other shared values that culturally Deaf people incorporate into their lives as they grow up (or when they become enculturated as adults.)

 

Davis's claim that Fernandes was rejected because she has an "accent" in the way she signs is absurd on its face and is deeply insulting. Davis displays a complete and total ignorance of the depth of character possessed by Gallaudet protesters and their level of intelligence. Several of the protest leaders possess genius-level IQ's. Davis would have learned this very quickly if he had made an effort to contact protest leaders to learn more about them and learn more about the movement.