This is quite possibly going to be the most sarcastic entry ever made...

[angelikitten]

You know what I really love?

I love the fact that people assume that I can hear properly.

I love the looks of surprise I get when I tell someone that I need them to do something differently so that I can understand them. I love the patronizing statements of "You're doing so well!" in regards to how well I communicate with people¹. I love the freakshow I become when I tell someone that I can only hear in one ear. I love how people think it's appropriate to test this by shouting in my deaf ear².

I also love how TV programmes will advertise themselves as having subtitles, and then not show them. I love how they can disappear halfway through for no reason. I love it when the subtitles have been fine until a certain point when they suddenly decide to show what someone is saying a whole minute before they actually say it, or a whole minute after. I love how, sometimes, they start showing subtitles for a whole different episode/programme for no reason. I love how, in the case of one channel, they don't show subtitles for anything, because people who need subtitles can't possibly enjoy comedy.

I love all these things. I really really do.

/sarcasm


PS: We may need a "rant" tag. Because I've got a feeling that I'm going to be using it a lot.


¹Seriously, I've really had that. I'll take the I couldn't tell! type statements with something close to good grace, but that took the biscuit.
²Again, that's really happened.

Comments

[cesy]

Delayed subtitles are really annoying. I've used them when trying to follow the news in a crowded and noisy common room. I can't imagine how irritating it must be when you don't have any other option.

[angelikitten]

Oh, I can totally understand delays when it's live stuff like the news (which I don't watch anymore - I know that's bad, but I need to keep my sanity somehow). But when it's stuff that's being repeated for the I-don't-know-how-many-th time (especially when I've seen it before with subtitles), it's more than a little annoying, you know?

[nerakrose]

I love the fact that people assume that I can hear properly.

I love the looks of surprise I get when I tell someone that I need them to do something differently so that I can understand them. I love the patronizing statements of "You're doing so well!" in regards to how well I communicate with people
i get that a lot too. sometimes i don't mind it (in the cases where the person will understand and change whatever i asked of them) but when they insist that i 'hear so well' and that i 'don't need it' i really really want to punch them in their gut.

sign language

[maco]

Ever have anyone respond to your "oh I can't hear well" by just starting to sign while (or instead of) speaking? How do you take that?

I'm hearing, but I find sign language really convenient. To the point that I get annoyed at other hearing people who don't know how to sign because it makes it harder for me to communicate with them (background noise, accents, mouth full of food, etc).

And I agree about the delayed subtitles. I find myself reading them and ignoring audio on the news usually because they just don't work together. Unfortunately lip-reading is not often an option on the news (too many cuts to photos/videos).

Re: sign language

[angelikitten]

Unfortunately, I haven't learnt sign language yet - I know there are courses in my area, but I can't afford them right now :(