Talking to a friend with a Deaf parent, then having watched that Sound and Fury Documentary - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0240912/

And now looking into past leadership controversies at Gallaudet -
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/education-july-dec06-gallaudet_10-30/

I never knew the Deaf community was so fractured, over seemingly petty nuances, like born deaf v. going deaf later in life, or deafness with no hearing aid v. recipientsof the Cochlear Implant.

It's like a case study on the pattern of failure amongst non-monolithic disenfranchised groups.

I can't help but find similarity with the crab-in-a-barrel beefs between current Philly Street Rappers, and the historic disputes NFL Teammates have with their Black Quarterbacks-- just to name two examples.

Anyway, the real point of this post-
If you saw a stunningly handsome gentleman, say at a Dream Chasers Concert, or a Jets game...instead of selling a case of Deer Park $1 at a time, these noise canceling ear plugs http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/SE1322-EAR-PLUG-SERIES-NOISE-CANCELLING_60032632930.html?spm=a2700.7724838.35.1.1nmpe3&s=p
for $5 each, would you purchase them...to protect your hearing?

watched 'Switched at Birth' on Netflix (wasn't my idea, wife was hogging the TV, I got sucked in); it was 'aight I guess. But my point is: yeah there's a lot of things we perceive to be petty that are apparently a part of living with hearing loss.

I know the show is a SHOW, but still - one kid got mad at his (born deaf) father for wanting to get a cochlear implant.

probably every & anything can be considered petty, depending on who's saying it.

http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Moldex-America-style-plastic-box-packing_60119058234.html?spm=a2700.7724838.35.1.BZzXKh

http://louderthanwordsfilm.com/

but cochlear is coming under fire for animal testing now too:
http://www.theage.com.au/comment/cochlears-silence-on-animal-testing-is-deafening-20150726-gikmxx.html

i have more of an issue now with parents who are refusing to learn to sign. http://deafness.about.com/od/newtodeafness/a/nonsigningpars.htm