All The Young Dudes

ANALYSIS: The HFEB & Clause 14(4)(9) Media Feeding and Talkback Frenzy P3

Admittedly, the feedback frenzy elicited by the medias sensationalism of The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, hasn’t been all that bad. As we have seen in a number of my previous posts, and elsewhere in blog and forum land, there are some glimmers of insight and knowledge filtering through.

Another of Radio 4,The Right To Be Deaf, started off with the usual rubbish about selfishness, disability et al, but many respondents actually took up various points that people raised. That doesn’t mean they are all on our side, or understand Deafness, or even acknowledge the validity aural discussions about earth shattering topics.

There were many eye catching quotes from this discussion.

Nature’s Way?

Resorting to arguments about nature’s way is a non-starter - IVF is not a “natural” process, it is an intervention that has come about because of advances in the medical sciences.

If we accept that “nature’s way” has facilitated the advances in medical science that has made IVF possible, then we adopt a model of ‘nature + human ingenuity’ which means we have some control over nature (thank heavens) and so we are able to use ‘reason’ as a means of finding the best way forward.

Human Nature

But if it’s part of a human’s nature to try to modify his environment, then IVF is, actually, a natural process, because intervention in nature is something that humans naturally do.

The one that caught my eye though, was this quote. Let’s call it Reason and Logic. I’ve only quoted the part related to deafness, as the deleted section discusses the usual rubbish of a person in a wheelchair not wanting to have a baby that couldn’t walk.

REASON AND LOGIC: I’m no expert on being deaf.

No but - I’m no expert on being deaf.

But I can think through things logically. There is an innocent being here to be considered - the unborn child.

If a person had a choice - to be deaf or not to be deaf. They’d probably choose not to be deaf.

Is a deaf person less able than a hearing person? Yes, of course they are. Otherwise mother nature and evolution would determine that we’d have all been deaf. Deaf people can lead normal lives but they are de factoless able than a hearing person.

Would these deaf parents, if medical advances allowed, choose to remain deaf - or undergo a simple, newly developed operation that would restore their hearing? I would imagine so.

The parents may quite possibly be totally happy being deaf themselves. But can they be sure that their offspring would not prefer to be hearing? It’s a bit presumptious to assume that their child would be just as happy as them. They might resent having been brought into the world.

Now, let’s analyse what’s wrong with this posting.

1. Admits to not being an expert or particularly knowledgeable about deafness, yet feels confident that they can apply logic to an issue they are no expert in.
2. Ignores that the application of logic [or reasoning] is not aneutral process. Our application of logic is influenced by such things as culture, langauge, class, prejudice, politics, age, experience, and experiences. Remember, I’m still waiting for the account of what stalled the development of human intelligence, bewteen 10, 000 BC The Age Of The Knuckle Draggers, and 2008 AD, The Age of The Brain Laggers! They became hearing. That explains it.
3. Fails to provide the basis for their logic used in this post. It might be logical to them, but not to everyone else.
4. Choice in being deaf or not is irrelevant. Who we are, is often not of our choosing anyway. Hearing or Deaf!
5. Concludes by sheer logic that a deaf person is less able than a hearing person. Remember this same commentator admitted that they are no expert on being deaf.
6. Then says that Deaf people can lead normal lives, but previously has said they are less able.
7. Fails to say HOW Deaf people are less than a hearing person. Maybe we have smaller dicks? Either way, I’m sure it’s self evident.
8. They imagine that deaf people would choose to restore or gain their hearing. Again, fails to provide the basis for this fallacy. Only that they would imagine so.
9. The parents may well be happy being themselves, but what parent can guarantee their offspring would prefer to be how they mold them? this is a non-issue. This affects all parents equally.
10. This person really needs to do some serious learning, before they decide to share their logic!
11. Now cast your eye to the first quote, Nature’s Way? The poster uses the word reason. Albeit in inverted commas, but still, accords human beings use the ability to reason [as in applying logic] to find a resolution to a problem. It makes no mention of knowledge acquired, abilities, talents or skills. It just assumes we are all equipped. The same?
12. The poster Reason and Logic, makes no concessions to human being’s ability to learn, find out and discover. OR ADAPT.
13. Assumes that any deviation from the norm, is not as satisfying as being the norm.
14. Assumes that this logic is self evident!
15. Based on the logic of the post just discussed, I can quite confidently and logically conclude that this person has a [insert your own conclusions here]. I’m all logic’ed out!

Or perhaps there’s a lesson to be learnt here, The Net’s Effect on Journalism or, Distant Suns, where the post asks:

But - what does it say about our far too univocal present that we’re increasingly unable to imagine other worlds, and an other world?

FURTHER READING:

ANALYSIS: The HFEB & Clause 14(4)(9) Media Feeding and Talkback Frenzy P2
ANALYSIS: The HFEB & Clause 14(4)(9) Media Feeding and Talkback Frenzy
Deaf People & Genetics: Media Coverage, Part 2
Deaf People & Genetics: Media Coverage
MEDIA WATCH: A Cacophonous Din of Ignorance & A Sane Voice [More Linx]

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