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I remember in elementary school how one kid always got into fights with others. More and more often, these fights would come almost out of the blue during a conversation or as he passed a group of other people.

This went on for years until, in about the 7th grade, a hearing screening discovered that he only had about 35% hearing on one ear. Once he had the problem corrected (it was some sort of a polyp or wart in the ear canal, he became one of the nicest guys ever.

One day, I asked him about it and he said, "Well, I'd be walking by a group of kids and someone would say my name. Someone else would say something else that I couldn't QUITE hear and I automatically thought "they're putting me down," I'd get mad and the fight was on. Now that I can hear, that just doesn't happen anymore."

The effect is commonly referred to as "deaf man's paranoia," and it can lead to some really startling thinking on the part of the victim of the problem.

So, in the streets, has anyone come across this? If so, or not, how would YOU handle it?

Respectfully,

Lee Darrow, C.Ht.

I have extremely baad hearing- significant damage to my right ear due to ear infections as a child.

I have the tendency to irritate people withall of my "huh's" at home- or "pardon me?" in public.

I used to assume that people were putting me down too- though I shrank up inside and believed they were right.

Until I found my "breath" until I started training, until I learned that if they ARE putting me down- I probably don't want to know lol nor do I particularly care.

In school it was different completely though.
Now- too- if someone sees fit to "put me down" honestly- first I do get a bit angery- then I feel sorry for them. Because there is probably something a lot worse they see in themselves, which causing them to voice negetivity- with the intent to hurt.

Just my experiences with it. Now'a days I just say- "eh- what's'zat sonny?"

Ever watch CSI? The good one with William Peterson? Thursday nights? He is dealing with a degenerative discease causing him to loose his hearing. They just had a re-run on another channel where two guys killed a deaf man- because he wasn't responding to them- really good episode. But they deal with this on there a lot. Great show.

K

I've seen it happen before that a group of us are minding our own business and joking around while having dinner and someone in the same room thinks we are making fun of them for some reason. Maybe someone in our group made a little too much eye contact with one or two of them or whaterver, nothing intentional. People are weird sometimes, you never know. LOL.