[Nikolai Dot Org]

My girlfriend recently mentioned that she would rather choose to be blind than deaf since she loves music so much.

I hope nobody ever has to make this decision... but if you did, which would you pick?

I'm still deciding...

 

[TerriblySorry]

No that I'm choosing: how about blind in one eye, deaf in one ear?

 

[Braver]

Quote:

Originally posted by TerriblySorry No that I'm choosing: how about blind in one eye, deaf in one ear?

screws up the soundstage man!

I dunno which one to pick. being blind is a real pain in the ass I guess, worse than being deaf. being deaf is probably very annoying, but if you can read lips pretty well, I bet you could manage pretty well.

so I guess I'd pick deaf if I didn't love music so much and I'd pick blind if I didn't like my freedom so much.

 

[KR...]

I/m an artist, so deaf it is. I'll just get one of those fancy ultra powerful earing aids and listening to music that way. But, My eyesight is getting worst in real life (I'm near sighted, so it doesn't effect my work) and I have perfect hearing, so whatever.

 

[dhwilkin]

I'd pick deaf as well. I'd never get to hear any new music, but I would always remember what I had heard, and I wouldn't be limited in most daily activities.

 

[raymondlin]

I pick Deaf, why? Music is a luxury, it's the daily event that really matters. Think of yourself in danger, like in a fire. Being able to hear won't get you out asa fast as being able to see. And you can't drive when you are blind, can't read daily newspapers. You can still watch Movies and TV even if you are deaf, they have subtitles on DVDs and TV broadcasts.

 

[rickcr42]

guess I am screwed,going blind for about a year and nearly deaf in one ear at the frequency extremes.
Could be worse
Glasses and lighted magnifiers mean i can still do DIY electronics,though a little tough,and balance controls and tone controls means balanced sound.You do what you have to to get by.
These are not problems for daily life (unless I try to read a menu in a dimly lit resturant) but there are times I can't understand what is being said on my left side if there is also background noise ,then i have to yell WHAT as if the fault is not mine (

) and night driving is a real pain,I drive VERY fast and have to slow down at night,but again,could be worse

 

[Hirsch]

I first ran into this question in grad school, in a course on neurophysiology of perception. Regardless of choice, blind people actually have an easier time of it. Deaf people have serious problems in social interaction with hearing people. While blind people lose a lot, they can still engage in social activities with the seeing majority, which are mainly verbal. It can be a lot more lonely being deaf, rather than blind.

FWIW, I wouldn't be particularly happy with either.

 

[dngl]

Yeah, I'd rather just be appreciative of what i have. I'd still say blind because my blind friend gets along just fine in life. Inconvenient, but he's still able to act on stage and do experiments in labs.

 

[KR...]

Quote:

FWIW, I wouldn't be particularly happy with either.

I don't think anyone would, unless they were born that way and didn't know no other type of life. That said, even if they were not, humans having amazing ability to adapt to nearly any type of situation given some time.

 

[Xander]

After sitting here for 5 minutes, I don't even think I can answer this question... Music is really important to me, but vision is important also. I could never decide which I'd rather lose over the other.

 

[fiddler]

Well, I HAVE seen blind violinists.. but never a deaf one..
I would probably vote for blind.
But then again, Beethoven was deaf when he wrote his 9th Symphony....

 

[Neruda]

blind. there's a lot to see, but I can't live without music.

 

[rlaskey]

After reading Hirsch's post and thinking about it for a bit, I'd have to say that I'd go with being blind rather than deaf.

There's a lot to sight that's repeated and overdone. It's easy enough to convey how something looks by describing an object. That is, it seems as though sight would be easier to recreate mentally. You can sort of feel a sound, but even then a lot of it is impossible to convey.

There was something we discussed in a basic psych class I took in high school. There were a few experiments with a child and a rat. When the child saw the rat, he was OK with it. Then they created a loud sound while the child saw the rat. After that, the child associated the rat with fear; the sound, not the image, had frightened him.

From that, it seems as though there's a deeper connection with sound in terms of emotion and similar sorts of things. There are, however, most likely a number of other things to consider here.

I can see myself without sight; it would be awkward, but it'd also be somewhat interesting in an exploration and discovery sense. Being deaf, however, seems as though I'd be cut off from something greater.

 

[coolvij]

I'd pick blind AND deaf........I'd be able shut myself away from this horrid world of ours.

If I were only blind OR deaf, I couldn't escape from the world nor could I immerse myself in the world......

Thanx for the outlook on life, Mr. Checkov.........

[sigh]