The main debate in the movie was about whether or not a cochlear implant should be utilized in order to hear. A cochlear implant is a device that is placed on the surface of the brain and is hooked up to a hearing aid on the outside of the head. It allows those that cannot hear the ability to hear. This surgery is an invasive one; physically, emotionally, and mentally.
The deaf world and the hearing world are two very different worlds and it is hard for those that are able to hear to recognize. In McFarland, there are no deaf students, maybe very hard of hearing, but not deaf. The documentary, "Sound and Fury" helped me realize how complex this culture is. There are so many aspects to these two worlds that it is hard to understand exactly what the other has or doesn't have. The two families, Peter's family and Chris's family, have children that are deaf.
Heather is four and is interested about getting an implant and having the ability to hear. Her parents don't agree because they want her to be a part of the deaf culture. Being able to hear will change her identity and will confuse her on her status, her status in the deaf world and hearing world. Her family is very proud of the deafness, but feel that she would be afforded more opportunities with the implant.
Peter is a newborn twin that is deaf. No one in his immediate family is deaf and getting the implant will make his life much easier, that is what his family believes. His parents turned to the implant right away. It was not supported because many thought that they were ashamed of his deafness.
These two views caused a lot of tension in the families. Some discouraged the implant, some encouraged it. Those that encouraged it were able to hear, those that disagreed with it were not able to hear. The family that was opposed to the implant was more adjusted, so to speak, with the deaf culture, while the family that wanted it wasn't as exposed to that lifestyle.
These debates involved a lot of definition and commonplace. Chris's family wanted to give their son the ability to hear because they had never experienced deaf life themselves. Peter's family was opposed to it because all that they knew was a deaf life. They wanted to keep it that way. Deafness was a part of their identity.
