The movie review on ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’ was featured in a recent issue of the magazine, Entertainment Weekly. Part of the article caught my attention; it was a reference to the controversy surrounding the ethics on deafness and the cochlear implants. A reviewer named, Lisa Schwarzbaum wrote the article. I dug up a bit on this woman; I believe I know how this woman became aware of the controversial topic on cochlear implants. ‘Sound and Fury’, she reviewed it when it first came out. Since then, she has reviewed several movies featuring deaf characters.
Here’s the excerpt from the article with the reference included.
“An even bigger headline for the differently abled community, though, is the discovery of an antibody that can ''cure'' mutants and restore them to ''normalcy.'' But what is normal? ''You can't cure being a mutant -- there's nothing to cure,'' insists Storm, making the allegorical connections to homosexuality about as vivid as a fictional character with the power to control the weather can, short of taping a PSA. Rogue, meanwhile, who complains bitterly that she ''can't touch [her] boyfriend without killing him,'' is an interested potential client; through her, the deaf-community debate about the implications of cochlear implants finds a voice.”
To read the full article, click here.
I saw the movie recently, and I already had set a low expectation for the movie. The trick to enjoying a movie more is to always set low expectations so that way you won’t end up being disappointed as often. Thankfully, I felt more rewarded because I did enjoy it on some levels, even though it has quite a few serious flaws and holes in the script. It’s still decent, maybe a 6.5 or 7 out of 10. Brett Ratner is a decent filmmaker, but he wasn’t involved with screenwriters barely participated in the pre-production. He was suddenly hired as the director at the last minute before the movie was to be filmed. He did what he could in such a short period of time. 20th Century Fox is to be blamed for forcing the production to be rushed and neglect the process on the story development in order to make the deadline. I did feel disappointed due to the short running time and the flaws, but overall I enjoyed it but not as much as 'X2: X-Men United'. Anyway, that’s all I’ll say about how the movie was.
Back to the movie review of Lisa’s, I just thought it was interesting how an analogy was made on Rogue’s situation of being unable to touch as being compared to being unable to hear. However, the flaw in the analogy is, being unable to hear doesn’t exactly put some one’s life in a peril situation. Still, I can understand where she’s coming from because in the movie, a cure for the mutants has been found and many mutants began to question if they want to sacrifice their abilities in order to become a ‘normal’ human being. Just like many deaf people ask themselves if they truly want to give up the world of silence in exchange for the ability to hear the birds sing?
Personally, I’ve considered the idea of getting myself implanted with a cochlear implant several times during the last 10 years but in the end, I’ve always decided it wasn’t what I want. I do get the desire to hear once in a while, but I was born deaf and it doesn’t feel abnormal because I never was able to hear like a hearing person could. It’s different for a person to go deaf during adulthood, but being born is definitely a different experience and can be turned into a positive experience if your parents don’t look at it as a handicap. I just don’t feel comfortable with the idea of having a metal object implanted under my skin around my skull. Just like I never felt comfortable with the idea of getting a tattoo or piecing.
For many hearing people, they may find it difficult to understand why a deaf person would turn down the idea of getting a cochlear implant, and I don’t blame them for it. It’s because they never stepped into my shoes and they won’t ever even if they go deaf later in their lives; it’s not the same as being born deaf. It’s a living condition that you become accustomed to. After all, adaptation is a natural living condition for many. Sometimes, having a cure isn’t always the best option for somebody who already has adapted to a living condition. Another good example would be the movie, ‘At First Sight’ starring Val Kilmer. He played a blind man who was cured and then started to face personal frustrations, which is something I’ve always felt that I would face if I were given the opportunity to cure my hearing.
Remember, children’s brains are like sponges. Their learning development processes at rapid rate making it easier for them to acquire the ability to read, speak and write. I am perfectly capable of reading and writing, but I don’t have a strong grip on the ability to speak, I can speak but just not good enough to carry on a lengthy conversation. It becomes more difficult as you age to learn a completely new concept or a life skill on a large scale. I’m not scared of being able to hear, it just don’t appeal to me as an important part of my life as I’ve never had it to start with.
I have no idea what Lisa is like as a person, but I’ll like to know what her views on deafness and the issues surrounding the subject are. After all, there’s a lot of interesting perceptive out there even if I strongly disagree with some of them. It would be a boring world if everybody shared the same opinion.
I love when I come across an article especially a movie review like this, it gives you something to think or discuss with the others. Even if I disagree with it, it’s still worth discussing. No real opinion was revealed in the movie review, but it’s definitely a good reference as the world of X-Men has certain elements that hit close to home on several issues including racism, homophobia, sexism and more forms of discrimination.
Maybe that’s why I’m so interested in the X-Men stories, because I can relate to them. So can many people from the minorities.
Any thoughts? Feel free to share your opinion!
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