Hey everybody, and welcome back to the final edition of Krazy Thoughts by Kit. It's been a good long year with some good, and very long, entries, but it ends tonight. Though I'm happy that it's almost summertime, I'm actually going to miss writing these journals. They've been a great outlet for me to talk about my views on everything we discuss in Ethics class. It's sort of like a diary.. except it gets graded :3. Anyway, in Ethics class we've been watching and discussing a documentary called Sound and Fury. It follows the story of two brothers, one deaf and one hearing, and it follows their families struggles involving living in the deaf community and the hearing community. The film follows the Artinian family's decisions regarding whether or not to implant their children with Cochlear implants. However, before I dive into this, I have to answer my own question! Last week's question was: 
1) Is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ever going to be resolved?
Honestly, I can't accurately answer this question because I'm not involved in it. This conflict is as old as time, with these two groups constantly going back and forth, fighting to gain some land that both groups say belongs to them. On one hand, the Israeli's gained their land because of what they experienced in the Holocaust, and the UN said that the Jews deserved it after all they went through. However, in order to give the Jews this land, they had to kick out all the Palestinians already living there. So, all the Palestinians had to move out, and millions of them still live in refugee camps after being displaced from their homes. Therefore, one can see the resentment that the Palestinian's have towards the Israeli's. Both sides are right in their own ways, and until these groups can learn to compromise, this conflict won't resolve, peacefully at least.
Soundless Mayhem
Let's get to the good part now! Lately, as previously stated, we've been watching this documentary in Ethics class called Sound and Fury. This film analyzes the Artinian family, which is composed of both deaf and hearing people. One brother is deaf, and the other is hearing, and the deaf brother's entire family is deaf whereas the hearing brother has twin boys, one being deaf and one hearing. It follows these families dilemmas while struggling with living in both the deaf community and the hearing world. As the film progresses, you can really see how this is a multi-level argument. It involves so many levels and so many issues ranging from acceptance to deaf culture. Honestly, I really loved this documentary because it's about something that most people don't think about on a regular basis. Nobody wakes up in the morning and thinks " wow I wonder how Cochlear implants affect the deaf people?". It's something that average people don't think about, yet it's really interesting. I really enjoyed it and it's a thought-provoking documentary.
To be deaf or not to be deaf
Peter and Nina do make a valid argument regarding deaf culture. They had wanted their daughter, Heather, to not have a Cochlear implant, well at least Peter didn't want her to have one, Nina was actually for her getting the implant. Yet, in the end ( at least we thought so), her parents told her that they don't want her to get the implant. Her parents said that they didn't want her to get the implant because she was already a part of " deaf culture", and that she should be like her parents. I mean, is it really that wrong for parents to want their kids to be like them? It's perfectly understandable, but then there's another level to the argument: as the grandparents of Heather argue, don't you always want the best for your kids? That's what Chris and Mari use to defend their argument for having Peter implanted with the Cochlear implant. Both of them are hearing, and Peter's brother is hearing as well, so they wanted what was best, in their eyes, for their child. Their decision to have their child implanted creates a massive uproar with Chris's brother Peter, because he believes that it's wrong for Peter ( yeah I know it's confusing ) to be taken out of the deaf community. Dad Peter believes that the Cochlear implant takes away a deaf person's identity. I mean, I can certainly understand why Chris and Mari wanted to implant their child, but I think it was somewhat wrong of the family to be so mad about Chris getting his kid the implant. It's not their decision and they should really let Chris and Mari decide what's best for their kids.
What We Learned.
There's really a lot you can take from this documentary because it has so many aspects to it. You can look at family decision-making, the ability for a child to make a decision on their own, and so many more. One thing you can pick up from this documentary is parents trying to decide what's best for their kids and sticking to it, and not letting other people tell you what to do. When it comes to your kids, it's your decision that matters, not your in-laws and not your parents, but your decision. On the flip side of it, you can also take from the documentary that sometimes, you need to let kids make their own decisions. I mean when they're young, you think that you have to do everything for them, but you really don't. Sometimes you need to let them make their decisions, because they also get a say in what they want to do. And it's not really fair to make all their decisions for them. Honestly, you gotta let kids do their own thing! You can't control everything about them, no matter how hard you try, you can't make them do everything you want them to do. I mean sure, if it's something massive you should perhaps weigh in on it, but they deserve a say in it , too. I mean for crying out loud it's their life and they're the ones that have to live with the impact of those decisions. Therefore, maybe they should have a say in what the hell their life is going to be. Another thing you can take from this documentary would be the fact that you can exist in multiple aspects of life. Throughout the movie, Peter talks repeatedly about deaf culture and deaf identity, and it's not until the six years later film that he starts talking about how you can live in two worlds. You can fit into many different walks of life, and you don't have to stick to one group. You can follow your own path, hell you can make your own path. Life doesn't dictate what you're going to be and how life should happen: life's what you make it. This documentary is just something that's really inspirational in a way that it shows the ability to overcome and become what you truly see yourself as. It's about making your life what you want it to be.
Now, I'm going to answer a question asked by a fellow classmate, Steph Kiehl. Her question really spoke to me because there is by no means a definite answer to this question. Her question was " At what age do you decide to let your child make their own decision about a surgery such as this one?". Well, the answer depends on the situation. You can't gauge a child's ability to understand complex situations concerning their lives. There could be a five year old who completely understands the implications of their actions, or you could have a thirteen year old who doesn't know anything. It's all about maturity. People think that they have maturity all figured out and that they can say "oh and at such and such age they'll be such and such mature". No, you can't do that. Every child is different; therefore, this theory can not apply to all children. It's not fair to put all kids into a box saying that they can't understand what's happening. THEY CAN. Kids are smart, let them weigh in on what's happening to them. Therefore, give kids some credit, and let them do their own thing.
It's the end of my blog and I know it
Well hey everybody, I'm real sorry that this is my last journal entry. I'm kind of going to miss this, hey maybe I'll keep it up for the hell of it!.... Don't hold me to that because it probably won't happen. But hey, it's the thought that counts :). Anyway, I must say goodbye y'all because it's getting late and I still have some other stuff to do. It's been a great time being Krazy Kit, and I promise y'all, I'll always be Krazy!! So, goodnight, and thank y'all all for being with me through Junior Year.
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