Jennifer An

Robert Augustus
SIGN202
Spring 2016
On Deaf Culture: Communication, Confusion and Collectivism
As a relatively new sojourner into the Deaf World, the largest themes that we discussed
in class pertained to communication between the hearing and Deaf, confusion as a hearing
person about deafness and how Deaf culture places importance on the group as opposed to the
individual. A comic seemed appropriate for this final assignment after listening to cartoonist Matt
Daigle from That Deaf Guy present about his experiences and how comics can be an effective
avenue to discuss awkward and otherwise difficult topics in a light, humorous way.
The title of my comics is That Deaf Guys Friend, referring to a hearing girl who is the
friend of a deaf guy (not Matt Daigle!). I am represented by the hearing girl and my friend, John,
is represented by the deaf guy. We love to eat out and try new foods, so the first two comics are
related to those experiences. The third is related to a joke told in class and how it manifested
outside the class. Some panels reflect actual events and others are influenced by stories heard
during class.
Many anecdotes shared in class address communication. An adventitiously deaf man
told us about how his turn at the vet lasted less than a minute while other conversations lasted
for much longer. From the ASL Dinner and Movie assignment for this class, a group mentioned
their waitress communicated through pencil and notepad while their replacement waiter did not
bother to stop by their table. An ASL interpreter told us about how she did not inform her deaf
friend before her deployment and how that had repercussions in their relationship. To me,
communication is the first step to sharing experiences and knowledge; you can begin to
understand people. As a sojourner, it bothers me when people think it is great that I am learning
American Sign Language. They think Im doing a great deed, when my motivation is to
communicate more effectively with my friend and possibly gain the ability to meet and converse

with more people. There are so many modes of communication between people, whether they
are deaf or not. So the first comic illustrates how there is always a way to communicate your
needs, no matter how silly or unconventional the method may be.
There are many things to learn about deafness, but to interact with a deaf person is to
interact with any human being. I began to notice other peoples reactions and confusions when
my deaf friend John and I tried new restaurants: there are always people who stare and servers
who gesture or enunciate more than usual. For the comic in the second row, I remember an
employee at a build-your-own pok venue who looked so scared and clueless like a deer caught
in the headlights when I asked John in sign if he wanted any vegetables in his food. (I wanted to
pok some fun through this comic!) In the third panel, this did not happen to me, but it was
said during class that if one motions that they can not hear, sometimes servers will try speaking
louder. In addition, some hearing people try to enunciate more, which is actually more difficult
for someone to lipread. I have noticed the friendlier servers gesture including thumbs ups,
nodding or shaking their heads, while other servers look to me for help. The last panel shows
myself interpreting side conversations for my friend. He told me he always thought it was
interesting to know what people around him were saying, something I have always taken for
granted. I learned that interacting with deaf people may seem confusing at first glance but it is a
lot easier than imagined.
Deaf culture practices collectivism; knowledge is communal and people share any and
all information and news with each other. During class, the professor told us a joke about a
three types of people getting a haircut for free. The punchline was that the day after a deaf man
received a free service, a long line of people were queued outside that barbershop. This joke
embodies the collectivist Deaf culture, where spreading of knowledge happens quickly through
a vast network of individuals. I was reminded of this joke when I was thinking of getting a haircut
and John referred me to his hair stylist. John and I discussed rates and the quality of service
after I got the haircut. I remembered how he previously asked about how much I paid for my car

and how much I get paid at work. Most hearing people would feel awkward to ask about and
answer these sorts of questions. I realized he asked those questions because of this collective
culture, where mutualism and wanting the best for the whole group was practiced. In contrast,
hearing culture does not seem to place as much emphasis on sharing information to benefit
others.
I hope that through these comics, hearing people would be more inclined to interact with
deaf people, since deafness should not be a barrier to communication. If you try to
communicate appropriately, your efforts will be appreciated. There is a lot to learn about
deafness but one thing to learn from Deaf culture is that it is important to share knowledge, in
particular, about communication between hearing and deaf people.