By Allen Neece
A few months ago, freshly hobbled by a blown Achilles’ tendon and relegated to virtual house arrest/recuperation, I was perusing DeafDC.com when I came across a reference to the “Society of ASL Guardians”. Intrigued, I clicked the link to the web site of the ASL Guardians and within minutes I was promptly horrified. This is what I saw:
The Society has spiritual, educational, lexicongraphic, and lingustic components. We recognize that ASL, like all other true sign languages, is a God-given gift to Deaf people, and is the cherished inheritance of the Deaf community. (italics mine)
My question: What, may I ask, does organized religion have anything to do with American Sign Language? Is ASL Christian in and of itself? Do Matthew S. Moore and the so-called “Society of ASL Guardians” have the right (or temerity, as I see it) to perpetuate the claim that ASL is/was a gift from God?
Moore also wrote, “George W. Veditz, who called sign language ‘the noblest gift God has given to deaf people.’” While I certainly respect Veditz’s opinion, I couldn’t disagree more. Sign language came about as a result of rational human thought and discourse. Whether it was a deaf person or a hearing person who invented sign language is immaterial. As we all know, sign language was literally the first modality of communication used by early human beings millennia ago; spoken and written language inevitably developed as a result of human evolution throughout the rise of civilization. For someone to allege that sign language/ASL appeared as a “divine gift” is not only absurd but insulting as well. This position simply negates all the positive contributions deaf people have made towards their own language over the years.
Again, I ask, what does organized religion have to do with ASL? I never went to Bible school nor am I a practicing Christian. Heck, in the interest of full disclosure, I’m a flaming atheist. But having said that, I do know enough of the Bible and Christianity to know that ASL doesn’t have squat to do with organized religion.
As a bilingual deaf person proudly fluent in both English and ASL, not only am I deeply disturbed by Moore’s contention, I’m also frightened by the specter of these so-called “Guardians” (vigilantes?) taking it upon themselves to formulate some sort of process in which they’ll assume responsibility for ascertaining and defining what is ASL and what isn’t. Huh? Whoa, wait, where’s the fire? Last I checked, those sickly yellow SEE books are pretty much non-existent. ASL is now like the third or fourth most commonly used language here in the States. To be succinct: ASL is tres chic, yo. ASL in trouble? Oh, please.
In the Guardians web site, terms like “High Council”, “Round Table Alliance”, and “Order of ASL Guardians” abound. If I didn’t know better, I’d think I was reading an excerpt from the Fellowship of the Ring or a description of the Jedi Council. While I recognize what appears to be an ostensible effort on Moore’s part to do something constructive to “preserve, protect, and elucidate American Sign Language“, I firmly disagree that ASL is under siege from whatever malignant dark forces lurking out there beyond the keep and furthermore, I strongly object to any sort of linkage between religion and ASL. Moore’s entitled to his opinion as to the current status of ASL, whether it’s endangered or not, but I, for one, will not allow this assumption to go unchallenged.
Please don’t tell me I’m the only one who feels this way.
Allen Neece was born deaf in Washington, DC to a hearing family and grew up mainstreamed across the river in Arlington, VA. He holds a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Deaf Education from CSUN. He has had a slew of jobs over the years: five summers of life guarding, forest fire fighter in Idaho, fish packer in Alaska, caption writer for the Caption Center, touring member of the National Theatre of the Deaf, among others. He currently teaches English to deaf secondary students in Los Angeles (Echo Park in the house, y’all!). He still nurses a lifelong passion for punk rock, hip-hop, politics, and adventures in the great outdoors. He has only four tattoos.
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19 Comments
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While I share your concerns, I have to point out the other side of the coin — the French and the Spanish have their own Academies that provide what is and what is not French and Spanish. These Academies act as the official authority on the use of the languages at issue. For more information, see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_academy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Academy
The idea might be strange at this point. However, what’s more distrubing is the person behind this. I don’t see how we can view him as an effective, fair leader. He’s performs like a dicatorship. It’s his way or the highway. I find him seriously distrubing. In some ways I view him as a sociopath. Just my two cents..
Dictatorship… Todd, I think you hit the nail on the head.
This seems to be deaf culture carried to an extreme…giving ring measurements and shirt sizes, with membership fees to be determined. The language of the website is like that of secret societies. MSM has got to be kidding!
DPG
Worry None, Allen, Im also a non-christian (pagan) and I agree that language came out of deaf peoples own need to communicate, hence the development of ASL, FSL, MSL etc etc.
Besides that, I’m not crazy about God…who is often portrayed as a man….and to me, no man can speak for me…
You go! Man!
As an ordained Wiccan minister, High Priestess, and practicing Pagan for over twenty years, I feel the need to comment on your statement here.
While I do agree that most Pagans do not subscribe to the traditional biblical image of God as a white bearded authoritarian old man, this is not to say we don’t recognize the male deity.
Yes, there are those of the Pagan Path who do eschew God in preference of a Divine Feminine - who may be referred to as The Goddess. Most of those who subscribe to such beliefs are practitioners of the Dianic Tradition.
However, most Pagans believe in the polarity of male and female, and thus honor both aspects of the Deity. During our rituals we call down both a Goddess…and a God. We recognize that we need the male energy just as much as we do the female, and that both speak through us…but certainly not for us.
Hi Allen,
Like you, I’m a “flaming atheist” and a bilingually Deaf person, but I’m not sure I understand what the big deal is. I mean, if a god-fearing person like Moore argues that ASL is a god-given gift, one would merely conclude that the rest of the other languages, both spoken and signed, are also god-given gifts as well. Why does it concern you rather than make you roll your eyes at such a corny comment? And you seem to argue about the idea of Deaf people striving to “preserve, protect, and elucidate” ASL as if it is a bad thing to do so. What’s your fear? What’s the worse thing that can happen? You don’t seem to be worried that ASL might ever be in trouble one day, that the Milan International Conference Part II might ever take place one day, that all babies might ever be “genetically fixed” before they were born, and that the entire Deaf population might ever be wiped off from the face of Earth one day. Do you ever ponder about what will become of us 50 or 100 years from now? Anyway, personally, I don’t care if ASL is ever evolved into a totally different language, as long as it is still constituted as a signed language. If I were a religious person, I’d like to believe that I’d go to a heaven where everybody signs, or at least, when I sign to other hearing angels, they would “hear” me speak English and I would “see” them use ASL when they speak to me. If there are no ASL or any other signed languages in heaven, I’d hope there are no English or any other spoken languages in heaven neither, and all angels communicate with each other telepathically.
If I misunderstand you, please enlighten me.
Hey Allen,
I see religious quotes, but not sponsored by an organized religion (unless I missed it??). Mission goals or Organization describes the structure including a group that *ratifies* ASL signs?? I don’t see any academic affiliation or credentials attached to it.
With organized Christianity’s fingers attempting to stick in all aspects of society, what scares ME is those deaf and hearing people who use religion for better lives and sense of purpose on this planet. To me, this is another effort to attract hysteria that ASL is dying.
Not a cause for alarm.
Just a bunch of people who liked the LOTR and had way too much time on their hands…if you ask me.
I cherish ASL as much as the next deaf person does, but I do not see it as the “be all - end all” language for deaf education.
Also, I do not know ASL well enough to be able to say, “That’s ASL…that’s not ASL” and I don’t think anyone should have that authority…If anyone should…it should be the linguistics dept at Gally because those people really break down ASL. I only use ASL and learn ASL from other deaf folks…..never took an ASL class…so what do I know?
BTW, Alan…is the Marlton school in Echo Park? If so, you must work with a teacher I used to know by the name of Andrew…tell him, “J.J. says Yo!”…thanks.
Allen, good luck — you’ll get a letter with threats by Moore like I did.
But you nailed on this subject. It is asbsurd, really.
As Deaf of six generations, this made me laugh out loud when I read the Society of ASL Guardians’ expectations.
Barf.
R-
Hi Allen,I respect your comments and your right to express them…This is just my opinion…
I too…at one time… an unbeliever but since have had my eyes opened and I now can see that all things come from God. Our great country…America… was founded on this principle… I also know that some day…all unbelivers will have their eyes opened and see He who is in control of all things. I live for an eternal existance where all will communicate in one language…I doubt it will be ASL. I cherish my Deaf heritage and my native ASL and have faith that we all will have equal access to communication… by God’s grace.
My Brother, don’t close your eyes…keep seeking the answer you seek.
RP
If I were you, Allen. I would not make no big deal out of Matthew S. Moore’s “The Society of ASL Guardians”. Let’s not make the molehill out of Moore’s ideology.
Matthew Moore just re-phrase George Verditz’s quote - “sign language is the noblest gift God give to deaf people”. People do this stuff all the time.
I am a longtime atheist. I just let people say whatever they want and move on with life in general.
President Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush exploited the holy words for political opporunity. No big deal!
I was asked by several deaf individuals to join the “Silent Knights of Order” pretty long time ago. Guess what? I turned their offers down! I was never a fan of secret society anyway.
Samuel Jones and John Pitt are several fine examples of luridicious deaf individuals like bringing up the motion at the NAD Conference to send spies to the Alexander Graham Bell meetings/conference. Nobody seconded their motions. LOL!
Robert L. Mason (RLM)
Um, what you said about the motion being brought up at the NAD Conference to send spies to the AGB meetings, when was that? Recently or around 1880’s?
Interesting blog, Allen! I think I am going to need a little time to mull over some of your statements.
But in the meantime, reading your post has caused me to reflect back on a blog I made as a Guest Blogger here on DeafDC.com back on October - in the midst of the Gallaudet Protest - entitled “The Spirituality of Gallaudet” (which you can find at my own blog site by clicking on my name).
One of the things I talked about in this blog was the spiritual aspects of deafness…to quote:
“Now, when I talk about the spiritual, I am not referring to religion. I’m not talking about which church you attend, or what God you worship. Rather, I am talking about the spirituality of Deafhood - of the thoughts and beliefs and ideas and concepts and struggles and dialogue that define a process by which Deaf people identify themselves and their existence in the world. It is this spirit of Deafhood that defines the Deaf Community, a community which has looked to Gallaudet as a symbol of such spirit for nearly 150 years.”
In writing this, I was attempting to explain that spirituality does not need to have anything to do with organized religion. The two are not necessarily synonymous. Nor, for that matter…does God have to represent any specific organized religion - Christian or otherwise.
Now, before we turn this into a theological debate, I do agree with you that it is rather presumptious of Mr. Moore to lay claim to the idea of ASL as a “God-given gift to Deaf people.” Whether or not you believe in the concept of the Divine, I highly doubt that God (by whatever name you choose to refer to the Deity) thumped a bunch of Deafies on the head and handed them over a copy of an ancient version of the “Signing Naturally” ASL book.
But I can’t help wondering if in fact what George Veditz and Matthew Moore were actually trying to do was speak from a frame of thought that might be comparable to what I was trying to do with my own blog - that spiritualness of deafness, of which ASL is an important aspect. And in the process of doing so, dragged God (erroneously or otherwise) into the picture.
I don’t know, Allen. As I said, it’s interesting food for thought. Certainly language came about as a result of people’s need to express themselves, and communicate with others. Definitely we need to acknowledge the positive contributions that the Deaf Community has made toward the development of their own language over the years.
But at the same time, there is a part of me that does think about the “divine aspect” of language - not as in specific languages, per se…or as I said earlier, in the idea of God handing languages over to homo sapiens…but more as part of the whole mythology of mankind - the stories and legends and traditions and beliefs that make us who and what we are today (sort of a la Joseph Campbell). If we look at this from that perspective, then could we say that language being a gift from the gods ranks right up there with Prometheus giving humankind the gift of fire?
Damn, I’m not making any sense here, am I??? Blame it on that second glass of mead I just finished…
As for this whole Society of ASL Guardians - I can’t decide whether to shrug them off as just some sort of corny joke, or give them the benefit of the doubt and adopt a “wait and see” approach. They certainly don’t impress me all that much, and I agree with your comments and concerns as to what exactly is their mission supposed to be and how are they intending to carry it out?
Hmmm…like I said, interesting food for thought. Or am I just guilty of analyzing things TOO much?
Virginia,
Thanks for your comments. I’ve enjoyed reading what you’ve had to share over the past few months and appreciate the questions you’ve raised in this current blog. I’ve had many debates with people over the definition of “spirituality”. To me, this word is nebulous; everyone prescribes their own meaning. Some say religion and spirituality are one and same while others proclaim they can be considered as separate and independent. Yes, this would be an interesting theological debate for another occasion. :)
Personally, as a secular humanist, I am opposed to any form of dogma. Life on this current physical plane is completely screwed to the gills because of all the myriad conflicting dogmas at play. This ties in to my resentment of Mr. Moore’s attempt to establish ASL as some sort of a Christian vernacular. Uh-uh, not gonna happen. Not only is the concept of the Society of ASL Guardians “corny”, but absurd and asinine as well. No one out there gets to tinker with my language the way Mr. Moore intends to without me stepping up and throwing down.
anytime you discuss religion and politics you are going to have an argument. stating that ASL was a language given to the Deaf by G-d and making an organization to protect it may sound silly, but the circumstances with hearing people calls for it. I was born hearing (now deaf) and though far from fluent (still signed English mostly)I understand the need myself. I myself am only starting to switch to ASL form more and leave the English behind. I interact with ASL student a lot and many still think ASL cannot convey concepts and ideas. I have a ASL legal dictionary which I showed to students at Deaf Deaf World to illustrate to them that its more than mime. Yes, ASL has classifiers and such but that is part of the beauty of the language. In English you may say something is very large but in ASL you can exaggerate by how you use the classifier. People think it is a simple language but there are so many complexities to it.
No person will wants to practise some other religion without any cause,hence there would be any specific reason for doing any thing wrong.