Cure me A Gerbil...

Kokonut Pundit posed the question is a cure worthwhile ?  Personally I expect him to be inundated by comments of COURSE it is.  No-one really understands the logic of those who never heard anything opposing research and cures, they would have no intention of taking up anyway.  It is probably stark fear, now they know how those who lost hearing feel about their norm.     It is totally worth it in my view.  Obviously you don't miss what you never had, but for the majority of us, we would be queing up for a cure in droves.  I've volunteered for research, well prepared to take any op or drugs that might help.   You don't want a cure, best of luck,  your choice, now shut up about the issue and respect the choice of those that DO.
There are so many reasons for a cure in my case it is hard to list them all. NORMALITY for one, deaf is an alien civilisation if you once were hearing, a never-ending liturgy of trying to cope, fending off depressions and mental illness, as well as battling everyone within range on communication approaches and access, as being stuck in the middle of some culture/language/lifestyle war. Getting back to some form of equality which was taken from us by our hearing loss.  You just want ONE day where it stops.

If we don't support cures and alleviation we are selfish, we deny future generations a more bearable life.  If a child is born hearing instead of being born deaf, no-one's 'right' has been taken from them, and no-one' culture is  under threat from genocide.  No society is going to really accommodate any minority, we have two choices, get off the merry-go-around or get it sorted.  'Deaf' ignore it hoping it will go away, and resent the fact others do not feel the same way. 

Our society, be it world or localised terms revolves around SOUND and SPEECH, and our quick and reliable responses to that.   Getting WORK, another area where deaf are viewed as much use as an chocolate tea-pot and an sad or special case, for legions of others to make a living from whilst we languish in an life of codependency, and choice is about tea ? or coffee ? and not much else.  A  life where you have to justify near everything from going to the shops to having a social evening to making a telephone call or watching a TV.  A life where the major part of society views you as seriously disabled whilst you argue with them and other deaf the merits or not of that, and stuck in the middle of an irresistible force constantly clashing with an irresistible and stubborn and dogmatic object.
A life where, if the going is tough you dare not complain about that because there are sections of complete ignorance in the world who are so used to codependencies and relying on others they don't know what you are talking about, and get frightened because you are the reality if not born deaf, as to how the disability that props up their culture and lifestyle, can affect others.    Then a hearing world which views those that have issue coping as 'Whiners' or 'Losers' and worse, other Deaf do as well.  No-one likes someone who constantly complains.  The British call this the 'Stiff Upper Lip' an situation where when everything is falling down around you, you whistle and drink tea instead, but this is REAL life, it doesn't work this way, people struggle, and if you don't listen these people can be in trauma for life.  If I'm cut I bleed, whistling isn't going to stop that. Why die of ignorance ?
The fear of born deaf  is, will they be left with next to no peers ?  or worse no viable culture ?   The short answer is no, but a vastly diminished community certainly in many years time, we will be long gone before anything radical happens.  It is down to us to ensure future generations don't carry on in pain, if we can help now.   Illness in a  mother prior to birth caused many to bear the staple feed for deaf culture,  does anyone consider her view ? or if she should have a choice if an cure is possible to use it ?  Do we not all want what is best for our children ?  A life where the only way to avoid conflict is to avoid everything else.   Ease of communications, proper use of telephones, listening to/making music again, most of all to hear my son speak which I have never done since he was born.  For that I'd advocate any cure.  Would I miss deafness ?  I won't.