Opinion: Deaf people like me deserve better than MrBeast’s ‘inspiration porn’

I had no idea I was supposed to cry when I was at my last fitting. There was no 10k either!!! Where can I apply for my free hearing aids and tear jerker soap opera moment???

I’m sure this is a transformational moment for the individuals, but this perpetuates the belief that hearing aids ‘fix’ deaf and hard of hearing people. The comments on the Independent article are quite something. Self aggrandising benevolence is good. Questioning of such is trolling. Apparently.

Ok, I confess, “PORN” in the headline got my eyeballs here, lol. That said, I never even watched the video, cuz I felt that Liam O’Dell talked me through it pretty well. Just looking at the photo of the boy with - um, are those tears? cus they look like pancake batter to my ol’ eyes - dribbling down his cheeks made me groan.

Yeah, bully for MrBeast helping so many disabled folks with vision and hearing issues. I’m all for it! I’ll give him a challenge he’ll never accomplish: work with ONE single HA maker - take your pick which one - throw a bundle of dough at 'em, with the goal being a pair of truly WATERPROOF hearing aids that work in the shower, the pool, the ocean - absolutely soaked. I’m thinking it will not happen in my lifetime, but MrBeast is young. He has energy and drive. Would SO love to see that happen.

I’ve LONG given up on ever expecting hearing folks to relate to or truly walk in the shoes of folks like me, born with hearing loss that has now gone flatter than a snake’s belly. I’m happy being on the sidelines and adapting as best I can to the reality of today’s hearing aids. THANK GOD for their improvements! I truly do find that my Phonak Lumity Life aids are a game-changer for my confidence.

But as O’Dell points out, at the end of the day (literally!) I’m back to cinderblocks so I can sleep. That’s when all kinds of exciting things happen that I have no clue about: neighbor setting off cannon-loud M60s for kicks; phone call coming in from family member who forgets I’m 3 hours ahead in time zone; house alarm tripped by my opening the garage door to get some TP in my cupboard - never even hearing it.

That’s my reality. No tears, no miracles, no pity please. Just keep crankin’ on that waterproof aid invention is all I ask.