Deaf, blind or mute?

[Tomomi]

If you are forced to make one of these choices... Would you rather be deaf, blind or mute?

And why?

[0ink]

mute.

Lesser of the evils.

[Tomomi]

Oh, I'm just kinda curious about your opinions.

Anyway, I'd prefer to be mute too.

[NenMaster]

same, but id rather be deaf than blind. not being able to see women, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Soten]

being blind is definately the worst.

I dont think being mute would be all that bad, you'd just be a little more quiet than most.

[Wandering A.I.]

Being mute would actually help me. I don't particularly like talking to people anyway and even got fired once for not being communicative and in touch with the rest of the project team (I would keep my desk phone off and skip the more useless meetings among other things ^^) even though I did good work. So anyway, an excuse to be less communicative would be great. ^^

[Flash_Squirrel]

Mute... probably.

[Mad Cat]

Mute becouse i dont really talk alot, i even avoid to talk with people if i dont have to

[[Titan]]

Mute ^_^ Not much would change in my case, I hardly talk, except to persons I know well.

I wouldn't want to lose any of my senses anyway...

[Tboz]

Hmm... mute... I dun like to talk that much anyway, and when I do, I usually offend people...

[gravitation]

i think i would rather be mute, im not sure why but the other options seem more harsh/extreme ^_^

[Dragon Flame]

deffinately mute, not being able to hear or see disconnects you from the world and those around you even more so than not being able to speak... ive actually been blind once.. (severe head injury) its not fun believe me, its extremely scary, and now i stay away from trampolines.. lol

[smee]

hhhmmm... tough question, not being able to talk we be a HUGE annoyance to me, i dont know about this one.

[p3psi]

no doubt mute over deaf and blind, you can still read and write and you dont even need to learn hand signals cuz you can hear.

I have a question though, do deaf people talk to themselfs in sign language in thier head? or for those who can read lips and can talk (of course they dont sound perfect, they just do the best they can with forming the correct articulatory gesutre) do they talk in thier heads even though they dont really know how language sounds like?

[Tomomi]

Originally Posted by Dragon Flame

deffinately mute, not being able to hear or see disconnects you from the world and those around you even more so than not being able to speak... ive actually been blind once.. (severe head injury) its not fun believe me, its extremely scary, and now i stay away from trampolines.. lol

Ouch... So how long did you stay blind?

[Sukato]

do they talk in thier heads even though they dont really know how language sounds like?

Actually..that is a very interesting question I have never thought about. Anyone know what an at-birth deaf person thinks like?

[saku~ya]

I'm gonna join the mass and say mute. I can live being mute, its not like I'm a chatter box now anyways

[Izzy]

of all mute > all other

[Timo]

Mute.
After that it will be deaf, blind would be last.
Sight is probably the most important sense we have.

Just as Dragon Flame I have also been "blind" for some time.
It happened while playing soccer at school.
I was trying to stop one of the hardest kicking kids who had the ball.
When he was about 1 meter away from me, he tried to kick it past me, but the ball hit me in the face/eyes with full power. X_X (No black eyes though)
Because of the blow and sand in my eyes I couldn't open my eyes for a couple of days.
I.e. when I tried to open them it was blurry and it hurt like hell.
So for a couple of days I couldn't open my eyes.

Anyway, I think this thread is kind of pointless.
Everyone will choose mute. (Who won't?)


I can think of some other "interesting" questions.
Would you rather,
- Chew on glass.
- Fall in to a dumpster full of glass.
- Walk over glass.
Most will probably choose walking over glass, I would. ^_^

Or,
How would you commit suicide?
- Jump of a building.
- Shot yourself.
- Jump of a bridge in a river.
- Sleeping pills (of other drug.)
- Gas yourself.
- Harakiri / seppuku
- Other
I have no I idea what to choose here.
Never thought about it.
I think I would go for the sleeping pills.

Useless and depressing (but funny) questions.

[NightWish]

Originally Posted by Sukato

Actually..that is a very interesting question I have never thought about. Anyone know what an at-birth deaf person thinks like?

Not being deaf I can't say. However, it is not impossible for someone who has lived without "hearing" sound to be able to learn to reproduce those same sounds ~ and hence think in terms of the vibrations needed to reproduces them. Basically the same as "talking" to yourself internally?

The same potential limitation applies to being blind from birth, of course, only to a much greater extent. Thinking in terms of pictures quite a lot myself I imagine someone who has never "seen" would find it an alien concept -- more so than with sound. You can at least feel vibrations even if they are much less defined...

Still, it is an interesting question. Its commonly believed that language is a key to learning; without it the mind doesn't develop as quickly as it might... without being able to think in terms of a language the person is likely to be very restricted. However; language isn't limited to sounds; I'm sure it is possible to think in terms of any or all of our senses...

Err, to answer the question -- I'd probably pick mute too. I have lots of alternative methods of expressing my opinion and communicating with the world; voice is only one of them.