WHAT? Waddaya Mean You Can’t Hear?
August 14th, 2012
A Senseless Loss, or A Loss Of Senses
Have you ever been asked the question “Which one of your senses would you miss the most if it were taken from you?” I have been, and my answer has usually been my sense of hearing. Yeah, sure, loss of sight would be a real big deal, but at least you could still communicate with people. At least those who weren’t creeped out by your sightless eyes! But loss of hearing can TOTALLY isolate you from the world around you. No matter how sympathetic friends and family may be, at SOME point they ALL tire of repeating themselves because you couldn’t hear them, or they are just plain embarrassed because they have to raise their voices to you in order to be heard. Yeah, it’s a drag having a friend who can’t hear.
But let me tell you something…it totally SUCKS to be the one who cannot hear! The rest of society could not care less that you just aren’t engaged with them. If you can’t hear then, TOUGH!, learn to read lips, or get hearing aids, or even a cochlear implant! As a result, the one suffering from hearing loss begins to withdraw from those around him/her, just drifting along with the usual social crowd with a dreamy expression as if deep in thought. When lack of resources prevents one from seeking medical relief there is no other options.
But, HEY, isn’t this supposed to be an entertainment blog? Well, yes, it IS! So what is this all about? It’s about Oscar’s hearing loss, and how it is changing his life. Yes, the guy who loves to go to the local megaplex to watch almost anything is slowly losing his hearing. As of right now, August 15, going to the theater is an “iffy” thing. If the movie is mostly action then FINE. Dialog is not that important. But if it is anything other than brainless, violent exploitation it is a waste of time because he cannot follow the dialog.
Up until recently Oscar has been able to use the theater supplied headphones to keep in touch, but the quality of those things is so poor that it actually makes things worse, to the point of uselessness. He has taken to spending his time with his hands cupped behind both ears so that he can hear what is going on. But even now this is failing to help much.
Oscar has asked the theater management if they offer closed captioning for any of the showings,and the answer was “Yes”, but only once a week and only for selected movies. Even THEN it is in the middle of the day when most people are at work. Who cares anyway? They are doing just enough to keep the lawyers from getting involved.
So, what is he going to do? Stop blogging entirely? Believe me, it would be easier that way! But Oscar just giving up? I don’t think so! He has decided that he will continue to blog on DVD releases (which come with closed captioning, for the most part) and books he has read (he reads an awful lot!) For two bucks you can rent a lot of films from Red Box, and the public library is STILL free! Occasionally he will buy a new book, but usually he is too cheap to let go of the $20 or so a new release may run.
Maybe, in the future, if he can scape up the $4000.00 or so it runs for a good pair of aids he can return to the first run theater, but until then he will continue to try to keep up with the latest DVD releases and any new book that tickles his fancy. It’s tough keeping his spirits up, but Oscar is a determined guy, so don’t count him out.