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Questions on Audism

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Discussion questions: Audism Q1. In your own words, what is paternalism? Paternalism is the belief that someone knows 'better' than the individual him or herself what is the right way for that individual to live. For example, for centuries, many men had paternalistic attitudes about middle-class women, deeming it unseemly for women to work. Paternalism was used by self-interested whites to justify enslaving African-Americans for 'their own good,' or to colonize non-white people to 'carry the white man's burden.' Paternalism literally refers to the relationship between a parent and a child. Because the parent is assumed to have more knowledge than the child, the parent has the ultimate authority to make choices for the child, such as where the child can go to school. However, paternalistic relationships can be smothering and deny people their rights, particularly when such attitudes are imposed upon adults. Q2. In your own words, what is audism? Audism is the belief that hearing culture and hearing people are superior to deaf people and people without perfect hearing. It assumes that hearing is necessary for a person to live a high-quality life and that deafness is an insurmountable obstacle when performing ordinary tasks of daily life. Audists may deny that sign language is a real language or that a unique deaf culture exists. Q3. How does these two terms affect deaf people? How do these terms affect hearing people? The hearing world often assumes that because deafness

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