Maybe the mods will fix it. Did you find out who took it? I'd stab the kid in the ear with a pencil. Let them know what it's like to be temporarily deaf, and I doubt they'll be willing to go anywhere near you again.

I didnt see their face so I have no idea

Yes, "choclea". Sounds delicious.

you are an idiot..

hearing is cool though

@52, are you Deaf? I doubt it. Am I? yes. Not a lot of people know about cochlear implants, hearing aids, the effects both choices have on kids, parents' decisions that to raise them to orally speak and read lips or sign language. There is a lot of pros and cons to every choice, but it has generally scientifically been proven that learning Sign Language and NOT having a cochlear implant helps you adjust to a better life in general rather than having a cochlear implant. I bet you anything that OP had a hole drilled in her head when she was baby, being forced to read lips and speak orally with absolutely no say in the matter. And OP is to the point of complaining about not hearing for a day. She has no pride in being Deaf at all. Deafness and ASL is actually an culture.

HOLY **** YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS. What a waste of a comment that was.

I am not ashamed of being deaf, its my average school day requires me to not rely on lipreading because I cant always see the teachers lips. Yes, my implant was not my choice, but my deaf parents were raised by hearing people and we never got into the culture

Okay, so my edit to my comment did not go through... There is so much wrong with this comment and you are such an elitist Deaf person that it sickens me. "@52, are you Deaf? I doubt it. Am I? yes." Congratulations. Guess what? You have NO idea if #52 is deaf, and because he/she calls you an idiot you assume that he/she is hearing. Well, guess what? I'm deaf, and you are an idiot. Actually, you are much more than an idiot (think of a word that starts with "ass" and ends with "hole"). "It has generally scientifically been proven that learning Sign Language and NOT having a cochlear implant helps you adjust to a better life in general rather than having a cochlear implant." Was the study done by Andrew Wakefield? What a bunch of hooey. "I bet you anything that OP had a hole drilled in her head when she was baby, being forced to read lips and speak orally with absolutely no say in the matter." LOL, what? She has a say in the matter and can choose to go Deaf if she wants. I have a couple friends who have done that. There is no way it is not better to speak/hear first and then go Deaf by choice. The other way around is impossible -- to start Deaf and then hear/speak once you turn 18 and gain that choice? Forget about it. "And OP is to the point of complaining about not hearing for a day. She has no pride in being Deaf at all. Deafness and ASL is actually an culture." SHE'S NOT Deaf! She's deaf, so what the hell does this have to do with Deaf culture? Ughhhhh, you people frustrate me. You bitch and moan about the hearing world and then turn around and bitch and moan about the deaf world! You're entitled to be whatever the hell you want, but just like you want hearing people to leave you alone, leave US deaf people alone! And what's this bullshit about no pride in being Deaf? I'm deaf and I'm PROUD of it. I thank my lucky stars every day that my parents gave me hearing aids as a kid and then I chose to get an implant when I was 16. If they had raised me Deaf, I would have been MISERABLE. "And OP is to the point of complaining about not hearing for a day. She has no pride in being Deaf at all. Deafness and ASL is actually an culture." And what's this crap about calling her out for being upset about not hearing for a day? I'd be pissed as hell. If you lost your eyesight, you'd complain about it. Think a blind person would be insulted at your lack of "pride" for blindness then? You may have your eyesight, but your prejudice and your bias has clearly blinded you. I have no problems with YOUR choices, but stay the **** AWAY FROM OTHER PEOPLE'S CHOICES. Go away.

Cochlear implants are so silly these days when there is hearing aids that doesn't involve in drilling your head and destroying your inner ear parts with wires. So, yes YDI to OP.

I was born profoundly deaf, making hearing aids useless to me.

Nice essays

Wow. I want to see someone try to refute any of the things you just said. *sits and grabs popcorn* ...Well come on people... Refute it!

Lmao. You (dumbass) obviously have no clue about Hearing Aids and Cochlear Implants. But I'll help you out, so you learn something. The reason why most people have Cochlear Implants is because they have worst hearings which ranges to Severe means they can't hear ANYTHING at all so they HAVE to use this unless other wise. Why most people wear Hearing Aids is because they don't have as bad of a hearing that ranges to below Moderate to Moderate, like me. And most why people use Hearings Aids for another thing is because you play Sports using Hearing Aids because the sweat can damage or even break the magnet that goes where your Cochlear is.

*da dum tuss*

@ 62, "Congratulations. Guess what? You have NO idea if #52 is deaf, and because he/she calls you an idiot you assume that he/she is hearing." If you want to pull the assuming card, then your whole argue is invalid because you’re assuming a whole hell of a lot from my comment. I said nothing negative except the comment about having no pride about being Deaf. Everything else was rationally explained. And by all means, if 52 is indeed deaf, then I will promptly apologise to her. "LOL, what? She has a say in the matter and can choose to go Deaf if she wants. I have a couple friends who have done that. There is no way it is not better to speak/hear first and then go Deaf by choice. The other way around is impossible -- to start Deaf and then hear/speak once you turn 18 and gain that choice? Forget about it." LOL, really. So you have a couple friends that did that, cool. So do I – Deaf friends that resent their cochlear implants. Sure, she can go ‘deaf’ by taking off her cochlear implants. Still doesn’t change that she doesn’t know ASL or is a part of the Deaf culture at all. The cochlear implants/deaf pride issue is quite big, I view at it like any other two opposite sides (Republican/Democrat for example). Has anyone noticed that all the Deaf people that commented this has cochlear implants? OF COURSE they’re going to be pro-cochlear implant! They most likely haven’t known a life otherwise. Since you are annoyed I’m an ‘elitist’ Deaf person, let me ask you instead of assuming. Do you know ASL? Do you take pride at being Deaf? Do you socialize with Deaf people that are regularly a part of a Deaf community? Depriving from your comment of thanking your lucky stars, I don’t think so. Deafness isn’t something that you can ‘fix’. I personally find parents who drill holes in their children’s skulls just so they can be ingrained into society “more” than a person that speaks ASL would absolutely disgusting. There is nothing wrong with Deafness. People take hearing for granted way too much, and children that have cochlear implants have been trained to view it that way – they’re soooo lucky to hear a little bit. Doctors shove the notion of cochlear implants down frightened parents’ throats when they find out their child is deaf, and parents usually have no adequate information on ASL or Deaf culture, so they go with the easy way out to make their child “normal”. "SHE'S NOT Deaf! She's deaf, so what the hell does this have to do with Deaf culture?" You’re right. She’s deaf with a lower case d – deaf people who solely label deafness as hearing loss. But Deaf people identify themselves with a culture and a language – just like Mexicans identify themselves with a language. You don’t refer to them with lower case m’s. “stay the **** AWAY FROM OTHER PEOPLE'S CHOICES.” If you are going to insist for me to stay away from other people’s choices, then you stay away from mine for choosing to view this issue the way I do.

This argument has got to be the most ridiculous thing I have ever read. Your entire rant is based on the assumption that there are only two groups of deaf people; those proud of it and those ashamed. And you state that anyone who gets the implant and does not use ASL has no pride and is trying to conform to social norms. Am I correct so far? Your atrocious grammar makes it slightly difficult to understand anything you are saying, but anyway.....here is another viewpoint: who GIVES a shit?? OP has already stated that her parents made that choice for her; she was born profoundly deaf. Yes, she could have chosen to take it off and live life immersed in the silence of the Deaf world, but think about something: would YOU make that decision, after living one way your entire life? More than likely, you wouldn't. The thought alone is absolutely terrifying. And before you come back with some half-wit attempt at an insult, let me just clarify right now: I am profoundly deaf. I speak orally and read lips. I do not use ASL. I would never get the implant because quite frankly, I like having a mute button. I grew up this way, went through public school, and graduated at the top of my class. Yes, people view not being able to hear as "not normal"; isn't it bad enough that we have to deal with that shit from those who do not have to live it? You have to sit there and go off right along with them just because you yourself wouldn't make the same choice? Back the **** off.

Re: the assumption about proud and ashamed... nowhere did I say that. I was responding directly. FWIW: You can take the implant off which serves as a mute button. I love it, and plenty of people are jealous about it. (Not saying you should get one, just pointing it out.)

I never said you couldn't view the issue your way. But YOU were the one hurling insults and prejudices. And if you don't think you were... then I have no idea what to say. "Do you know ASL?" Yes "Do you take pride at being Deaf?" I'm not Deaf, as we've established. I'm deaf. "Do you socialize with Deaf people that are regularly a part of a Deaf community?" Yes There you go making assumptions again...

Guess what? Being deaf is a disability, and its not normal. By giving people your self righteous pride, and shaming them by trying to overcome their disability, you are not only insulting them, you are insulting all disabled people who do anything to make themselves more able because they aren't "proud of how they were born." Would you bitch out a guy with a broken spine for using a wheelchair instead of crawling around with their hands? Then why do you do it to deaf people who want to hear, because guess what that's how the majority of people in the world communicate, and it's good to be able to communicate with people. Oh woops, I assumed you wouldn't bitch out the guy in the wheelchair.

Deaf people can do everything a hearing person can except hear. That is all I have to say

#153 +1

Eh? It's a disability? I don't know about that. Yeah I'm sure "oh you can't hear, so you most be disabled or something" No..People choose to be Deaf or not, so I don't see how it is a disability..I chose to have hearing aids or my parents did I mean but I would have done the samething, I'm as normal as a normal person with normal hearing are. So there is nothing "disability" about that..Disabled people, as in people having Mental Retardation, that is a disability but not being deaf or as in I think it's not as in my opinion. Most people that have hearings aids, you wouldn't even know has them unless they say something or move their hands like sign language. I know you have your different opinions on things so your just speaking your mind, but just tell me what you think still.

Not a disability per se, but it can become one of sorts when it is recieved badly, and the deaf person experiences discrimination and social obstacles. I think we do have a culture, which includes Deaf and deaf people, not just Deaf people. Personally, I don't wear my hearing aid much, and I am fine with not being able to hear much (as long as I have my music!) but I respect and understand those who do wear CI's or hearing aids. I do have Deaf pride, but I'm not going to be a hypocrite and discriminate deaf people with CI's. I think that's just silly.

um sorry but I have to point out that you don't have to be deaf to learn ASL. I can hear and I am learning it and I have had teachers who aren't deaf and knew it well enough to have deaf students in their classes without needing the school translators there. oh and I had deaf students at my school. they had to be bused in from other counties because we were the only school with faculty who were capable of being translators for them. I'm sure they wished they had the implants so they could go to school in their town with their friends and not spend over an hour on a bus to get to school in the morning (we started at 8am every morning)

@176, I see what your saying. People with Cochlear Implants and Hearing Aids are the same exact people but with a slight more hearing loss. But they both have a reason for using, for having hearing lost. But I barely do, but when I go out to hang out with friends and play sports, I have to use my hearing aids. I don't see why people would make fun of someone with CI's? I mean they have a hearing loss so what is different from someone with HA's other then a magnet in your head and a wire from the ear part connected to the magnet..So people have no reason to make fun of them. But hell some people even get surprised when they do when someone plays sports. I play basketball and soccer so when my hearing aid falls out from getting hit, and I'm scrambling out trying to get it from someone stomping on it then they get surprised that I have a hearing aid and I don't know why..I'm just as human as you are.

Yes it is a disability. Hearing is an ability, and deaf people are without or 'dis' it. People do not choose to be deaf (aside from some crazies sticking pencils in their ears or something) people choose to get devices to overcome their deafness, just like people with other disabilities get devices / medication to overcome their, and apparently some deaf people look down on them for it, and that's messed up.

I'm hearing and and my second cousin is deaf, she lost her Cochlear everyone in our family freaked out because we couldn't find it anywhere and almost had to buy her a new one. Turns out she left in on the bus. Those aren't cheap. @78 a cochlear implant and hearing aids are two different things and work in different ways. Hearing aids amplify sound so sound waves so they vibrate hair like cells that translate sound for your brain. A cochlear bypass the hairs because being deaf is commonly caused by a malfunction with the hair like cells, so it translates the sound waves and directly stimulates the auditory nerves. Hearing aids only work for some deaf people! I hope you got your implant back. I'd have the person arrested for theft. That's really not kewl.

Quick lesson for you hearing people, cochlear implants don't fix your hearing and they don't work for everyone. They amplify any hearing that you have left.

I do enjoy thank, but I have to take off the receiver so I dont loose it

I'm not defending the guard in anyway due to his lack of compassion, but perhaps his reaction was based on a lack of understanding what this meant for op. Sometimes instead of criticizing it does more good to look for ways to educate a person. Plus he will look like a real asshat if op were to educate him on why she needs the receiver.

Neither the guard nor I saw the kid, so he wasnt shrugging me off, he just didnt understand my problem