The movie focuses on two families affected by deafness. The first is Peter and Nita Artinian and their three children, most specifically focusing on their daughter, Heather. The entire family is deaf. The second is Peter's brother's family, Chris and Mari Artinian, and their twin boys. One of the boys, Peter, is deaf. Chris and Mari both want to give the son a cochlear implant. Heather, Peter and Nita's daughter, wants a cochlear implant, but her parents, like a lot of the deaf community, are fearful that she won't be a part of the deaf culture if she gets the implant.
Peter and Nita are rather insistent that Heather stay deaf, Peter especially. Much of the argument here is that they feel like Heather will lose her deaf culture, like she won't want to be around deaf people. Now, I can somewhat sympathize with the parents here. They are worried, like many parents, about their children leaving them. That's about as far as I sympathize, though. Much of this is also lack of comfortableness with the cochlear implant. Some of this stems from the fact that they have been deaf their entire lives, and can't imagine having a hearing child. This give them an unfortunate prejudice against the hearing world.
On the other end, Chris and Mari want their son, Peter, to have the implant. But they are having problems with their family and others in the deaf community. For example, everyone goes to what looks like a deaf picnic. Mari is talking to her mother and father, both of whom are deaf. Mari's mom implies that she will be embarrassed of them because of what other deaf people will say. She even calls Mari a lousy daughter. Kind of harsh, really. Later, Chris and Mari are sitting around a table with several older deaf people, talking about the cochlear implant. One man says that the parents who give their kids an implant are selfish. When Mari says that she wants to give her son an implant, another man immediately accuses them that they think that deaf people are inferior to hearing people. A woman says they are forcing the implant on Peter. A lot say that the implant will kill deaf culture, and yet another person says that people are just going to look like robots eventually.
Overall, I can side with Chris and Mari more. Maybe it's because I'm biased, seeing as I can hear, but I feel like it is right to give your children as many chances as they can to be what they want and to do what they want. As a hearing person, you can do so much more. Peter says it himself: he won't be able to get that much higher on "the corporate ladder". But I feel like Peter and Nita are being close-minded. They're scared about the cochlear implant because it makes deaf people different and think that it will destroy deaf culture. On the first note, how many times have we heard the argument that something should be condemned simply because it's "different"? And, on the other, someone in the documentary mentions that deaf culture will live on for many more years. This is certainly true for many things. Deaf people are not an endangered species. In any case, if you look at this from a purely logical standpoint, genetic deafness won't be eliminated because of the implants because the genes that cause deafness are still in that person. Deafness will persist for years.
In retrospect, I have to say that it is up to the parents to make decisions for the children. I don't see Peter and Nita as doing a good job, but I wouldn't take it as far to say what they are doing is "abusive", like Peter and Chris's mom thinks. It's simply what they think is best. And if Peter can be happy being deaf and at the place he's at in life, maybe Hannah could be too.
Peter and Nita are rather insistent that Heather stay deaf, Peter especially. Much of the argument here is that they feel like Heather will lose her deaf culture, like she won't want to be around deaf people. Now, I can somewhat sympathize with the parents here. They are worried, like many parents, about their children leaving them. That's about as far as I sympathize, though. Much of this is also lack of comfortableness with the cochlear implant. Some of this stems from the fact that they have been deaf their entire lives, and can't imagine having a hearing child. This give them an unfortunate prejudice against the hearing world.
On the other end, Chris and Mari want their son, Peter, to have the implant. But they are having problems with their family and others in the deaf community. For example, everyone goes to what looks like a deaf picnic. Mari is talking to her mother and father, both of whom are deaf. Mari's mom implies that she will be embarrassed of them because of what other deaf people will say. She even calls Mari a lousy daughter. Kind of harsh, really. Later, Chris and Mari are sitting around a table with several older deaf people, talking about the cochlear implant. One man says that the parents who give their kids an implant are selfish. When Mari says that she wants to give her son an implant, another man immediately accuses them that they think that deaf people are inferior to hearing people. A woman says they are forcing the implant on Peter. A lot say that the implant will kill deaf culture, and yet another person says that people are just going to look like robots eventually.
Overall, I can side with Chris and Mari more. Maybe it's because I'm biased, seeing as I can hear, but I feel like it is right to give your children as many chances as they can to be what they want and to do what they want. As a hearing person, you can do so much more. Peter says it himself: he won't be able to get that much higher on "the corporate ladder". But I feel like Peter and Nita are being close-minded. They're scared about the cochlear implant because it makes deaf people different and think that it will destroy deaf culture. On the first note, how many times have we heard the argument that something should be condemned simply because it's "different"? And, on the other, someone in the documentary mentions that deaf culture will live on for many more years. This is certainly true for many things. Deaf people are not an endangered species. In any case, if you look at this from a purely logical standpoint, genetic deafness won't be eliminated because of the implants because the genes that cause deafness are still in that person. Deafness will persist for years.
In retrospect, I have to say that it is up to the parents to make decisions for the children. I don't see Peter and Nita as doing a good job, but I wouldn't take it as far to say what they are doing is "abusive", like Peter and Chris's mom thinks. It's simply what they think is best. And if Peter can be happy being deaf and at the place he's at in life, maybe Hannah could be too.
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